FUR OR HAIR FOR THE GOLDENDOODLE #BLOGGING FROM A-Z

By Thursday, April 7, 2016 17 , Permalink

Fur or hair for the Goldendoodle. That is the question!

F

Goldendoodles go through many, many coat phases their first year –

  • From birth to 8 weeks their coat goes from flat to fluffy
  • From 8 weeks on, that same coat starts to fizzle and disappear as the baby fuzz leaves and the adult coat comes in.
  • Then there’s that scraggly phase – those “teenage years #minustheacne

By the time they’re a year old, they start to resemble the adorable shaggy, smooth or curly coat Doodle you were looking for all along.

Jaxson was a  hot mess before his first haircut…

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Owners of some breeds prefer to claim their dogs are covered in hair rather than fur.

WHY?

Because they believe there’s a difference in the allergic reactivity. The rational behind the belief is that fur stops growing after a certain length while hair continues to grow.  #false

Here’s what I’ve found that makes sense to me:

The poodle coat, and the coats of other breeds frequently recommended to the allergic, have another quality beyond the long growth period. These coats tend to be both tightly curled, and usually lacking in undercoat. This combination tends to keep dead hair from detaching and floating in the air, and it tends to retain the dander, which is the most common source of allergens. Typically in these curly coated breeds the dead hair must be manually removed by grooming or it will stay tangled in the coat causing matting.

BOTTOM LINE – 

Yes, poodles are coated in hair. So are most other dog breeds. All hair, including poodle hair, has a natural length. The term “hair” is not properly restricted only to that which has a long period of growth. Fur is a reasonable description for the plusness of a coat, it is not a reasonable description for hair that merely has a short growth period.

IT’S ALL JUST HAIR! –

In many dogs with naturally short hair, it is typical to call this fur, though not always.  But if the dog’s hair gets naturally long, we tend to call this hair, even though the only difference is in the length of the anagen period of the hair follicle growth cycle.   Dogs such as the Poodle or Havanese tend to have a very long anagen cycle, which is why most pet owners will have their hair cut.  Other dogs, such as a Labrador, have relatively short anagen periods, so their hair never gets that long.

HAVE A DOODLE*LICIOUS DAY

I’M OFF TO BRUSH WHICHEVER IT IS (FUR/HAIR) ON THE BOYS 🙂

*I am not a breeder nor a veterinarian. I am a Doodle Mom searching and sharing a better understanding about everything Goldendoodle.

References

Dogster

Dog Play

Feed Your Brain

BEFORE WE GO –

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The final match-up saw Charleston jump out to a significant lead, and with just 12 hours remaining in the round, she appeared to be walking away with the win. But Colorado Springs wasn’t going down without a fight. All day she steamed along until, with just a few hours to go, she’d taken the lead! More than 1,000 people had voted, and with just two minutes remaining, only four votes separated the two cities. And then they were tied – dead even with just seconds remaining! Charleston claimed the win in a buzzer-beater, edging out Colorado Springs by just three votes. Go Pet Friendly

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Groovy Goldendoodle friends and Charleston fans you played an incredible tournament

GOLDEN hugs & DOODLE kisses

Signature

17 Comments
  • Two French Bulldogs
    April 7, 2016

    You guys are really beautiful. We’re jealous of your furs. Mom is from NJ and only drove through Charleston. She wants to go and stay next time
    Lily & Edward

  • Emma
    April 7, 2016

    So happy your town won! You did an awesome promotional job!

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 7, 2016

      Thanks Emma – we certainly appreciate the Minn votes.

  • DZ Dog Mom
    April 7, 2016

    Very interesting. 🙂 I refer to my dogs as having “hair” because of their velveteen smoothness and lack of fuzzy. LoL

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 7, 2016

      You always make me smile and laugh! When I read the word “velveteen” I immediately envisioned velvet material #silkysmooth

  • Kimberly Gauthier
    April 7, 2016

    Congratulations on your win and thank you for this explanation. I’m on Day 7 and now I want a Goldendoodle.

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 7, 2016

      Thanks so much for all your help Kimberly – you’re involvement was invaluable. I would love to see you with a Goldendoodle – they’re amazing.

  • Forest Poodles
    April 7, 2016

    Interesting that the coat changes as they age. Not having yet had a poodle puppy, I’m unfamiliar with that. But, I know all too well the grooming needs of an adult!

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 7, 2016

      It’s really interesting to watch. They have many different looks before the age of one. The puppy hair can remind you somewhat of a baby chick! Too cute.

  • Monika & Sam
    April 8, 2016

    Terrific explanation! I had it all wrong on the differences between fur and hair. 🙂

    • Monika & Sam
      April 8, 2016

      …and congrats on the win. My last comment got away from me before I could add that. Well that and a certain poodle nose that ‘helped.’ 😉

      • Cathy Bennett
        April 8, 2016

        Thanks Monika – I’m still letting it all sink in. Can’t wait to meet the folks from Go Pet Friendly later on this month. But for now, I’m ordering my uniform for Harley’s pet therapy gig! It never stops #andImglad

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 8, 2016

      I always wanted to know the difference myself actually. For us – it all means the same “brush me please” LOL

  • Jan K
    April 9, 2016

    Congratulations on getting the big win for your city! You really worked hard at it, and definitely deserved it.

    • Cathy Bennett
      April 10, 2016

      Thanks JanK – I had a really great time, rallying old and new friends together, but it was a lot of work. We’re gonna enjoy this title for beautiful Charleston the entire year! Thanks for your vote and your support! Now all you have to do is come visit and experience our “happy place” yourself!

  • Cathy Bennett
    April 7, 2016

    Words cannot express how grateful we are to you Pam, your writing skills, quick “trash talking wit” you husbands robo-texts and your readers! Thanks so much my friend…

  • Cathy Bennett
    January 7, 2018

    I will never – EVER forget this incredible experience – yes thanks EVERYONE!