Should I shave/clip my 8.5 month old labradoodle?

[Tikathedoodle]

I have heard/read conflicting advice on labradoodle coat grooming. My F1 girl is of course lovely in personality, but sheds like crazy. She pretty much always has but it currently is unbearable. She seemed to go through another stage of heavy shedding around 6 months, it tapered off, and now it's back. I am guessing she's blowing her coat, but that's what I thought last time too.

I am wondering about clipping her? I took her to a groomer who said I need to wait until after her adult coat is in, as clipping her too early can trigger the coat to keep growing? Is that really possible? I've also read of people trimming them down to 1 inch to get through the coat changing season. Any advice would be much appreciated!

[deepnite10]

welcome..there has been alot said about our doodles..

its frustrating for any dog owner to try to keep their homes hair free..to the point of not caring anymore..

i ve seen a F1 shed as little as a F1b..but, other owners tell me that their s shed year round..and heavier during seasonal changes..

befor those seasonal periods i d thin their coats out and brush daily..i don t give my Toby a summer cut..but, you could consider that as an alternative to shaving..

[lindamarie]

I am wondering about clipping her? I took her to a groomer who said I need to wait until after her adult coat is in, as clipping her too early can trigger the coat to keep growing? Is that really possible?

I haven't heard that. I know that they say when humans get their hair trimmed it may grow faster and even that seems far fetched.
I'm trying to recall when Bogart had his first puppy cut. He would have been around 8 1/2 months in June and I'm pretty sure we got his first puppy cut between May and the end of June......so that's before he had his adult coat and everything worked out just fine!
In fact, he has a beautiful fleece coat!
Unless someone here can come up with reasoning to back what this groomer said........I"d say go for it!

[deepnite10]

Originally Posted by lindamarie

I haven't heard that. I know that they say when humans get their hair trimmed it may grow faster and even that seems far fetched.

Unless someone here can come up with reasoning to back what this groomer said........I"d say go for it!

we have that tendancy..to humanize our dogs..when we don t understand the *why s*..we go back to what worked best on us..

even then its what our parents told us..and so forth down from the generations..

as an example..when i wanted to start shaving..my dad told me if you start you ll need to shave more often cuz the hair will grow back faster and thicker..i found that i only shaved more often cuz of the stubble was more unsightly than the peach fuzz on my face

facts from my observations though..is that the coat will grow back more evenly after a cut..though i do all the grooming on Toby..unless your real good at getting the cut you want doing it yourself..go to a good groomer..

you ve got to understand..many of us are experts..but, only from our own experience..what works best for one dog may not work at all on another..

i think we ll agree that good nutrition is the key to a healthy dog..

check for dry skin and dander..if its present then its likely thats contributing to the excessive shedding..