Labradoodle Coat Types and Care

When choosing a labradoodle as a future member of your family, you need to take into consideration the differences in types of coat that these dogs have. There are three different coat types, but the ease of care is different for each.

Here at Paradise Labradoodles, we are breeding primarily for what is called the fleece coat. The feel is silky soft, falling in either waves or loose curls. Until you've felt a fleece coat, it's hard to imagine how fine and silky it really is. The fleece coat is usually non shedding and allergy friendly. Fleece coats require frequent brushing once the puppy begins to grow its adult coat, usually starting around 8 months of age and lasting until it is about a year old. During this time, you will need to use a wire brush to strip out the puppy hair, at least three times a week, to prevent matts as the puppy coat is slowly replaced by the adult coat.

While the puppy coat is growing out, never bathe your labradoodle until you have the mats out or they'll be almost impossible to get out later -- the water seems to set them in place. Rubbing baby powder in the mats is a wonderful way to get them out. And whatever you do, don't dry your labradoodle with a hair dryer! Pat the curls into place and let the hair dry naturally.

There are two other types of labradoodle coats: wool coats and hair coats. Wool coats resemble a poodle's coat, and can be cared for in just the same way. These coats also generally are non-shedding and allergy friendly. Like the fleece coats, there will be a period when the puppy coat is turning into the adult coat when you'll need to watch out for matting. 

Hair coats, however, will shed to some degree. These coats are actually the easiest to care for, and look much like a long, wavey golden retriever coat.

Fleece coats are more commonly found in the multi-generational labradoodles, and are the result of years of breeding labradoodles to labradoodles. First generation labradoodles (in other words, puppies resulting from the cross of a poodle with a labrador retriever) may have curly or hair coats, and may or may not be shedding.