Breeders...Question on Puppy Coats

[Maureen]

Good afternoon, Doodle Friends!
I'm late getting to this post because WE HAD PUPPIES THIS WEEK!

I have one tip for you, in addition to all these fabulous pictures:
WAIT on letting people choose their puppies! With this being your first litter you are learning along with everyone else, so you might have to refund some deposits, but it would be worth it for the sake of your learning and reputation.

I was advised early on to have EVERYONE wait until 6wks old before choosing (or allocating) puppies so that everyone can see how coats are developing. Fleece and wool coats are uniform in length at that age, in my experience. Chances are that most of your puppies aren't fleece or wool, but mostly "scruffy" as we call them. But hey, check out Denver! Scruffy coats can be adorable! And, as for the liklihood of fleece coats? who knows, really? I mean, if this is the first time your Lab and Poodle have come together, then who knows? It's great when the probabilities are wrong in our favor, ya know?

I hope this helps.....and I hope you'll wait until 6wks to try to predict coats.

you're welcome to email me if you like, of course.

[MaxandMe]

maureen well said!!

i am not a breeder but help other breeders socialize puppies. mostly doodles but other kinds too. It seems the older the puppy gets the more developed a coat is.For me though, i may have wanted a certain coat, i just wish more prospective doodle parents would base solely on Temperament first then coat and/or color.

Max has a hair coat and looked mostly labby witha wavy ridge down his back. Now he has the scruffy benji look and barely sheds.

Peanut we'll see as she is a goldendoodle that had wavy fur and now is turning a shaggy look.

we have bad allergies but so far as long as i sweep daily we are fine. The son with asthma is a OK with both doodles!

[daissyj]

Thanks for the tips! I will definitely wait until 6 weeks for people to come choose their pups. Originally I said 4-6 weeks, but now I totally see the validation in waiting. I've been extremely upfront and honest with everyone re: the coats of F1's and have even turned down a few deposits becaue I thought the poeple would be happier in the long run with F1B's or Mulit-Gens. Everyone that has placed a deposit seems to be wonderful, which makes me happy! Once the pups are a bit older (2 weeks today!), I'm sure I'll be posting pics for more advice!!