# Pickle is moulting!



## mrsnonsmoker

Pickle is a year old black with white tuxedo markings. He seems to be mostly cocker spaniel, although we got him from a reputable breeder to be honest we would have been better off getting a rescue dog or spaniel as he doesn't have most of the cockerpoo qualities. But we love him obviously! How much do your dogs conform to the "norm" - what is the "norm"! Do your dogs moult, do they smell, are they difficult to train?


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## wilfiboy

He looks like a cockapoo to me lol, he looks lovely . Wilf doesn't shed hair but when grooming he does lose from his under coat almost like dander. Mabels only 17 weeks old and she sheds the white in her coat its not a dense but wavey and fine as this is her puppy coat will have to see what her coat ends uplike when she gets older . Wilf is 3 he has got curlier the older he has got his coat is very curly now but was thick wave when he was younger x


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## kendal

he does look like a cockapoo just the more spanial side my Echo is defonetly more spanial than poodle and had a straiter coat. 

when you say shed do you mean lots or just a little. my lot sometimes shed a little bit but not realy notisable. what generation is he. lol the smell depend on how wet or dirty they get, to be honist he is a dog all dogs smell. just give him a bath every once in a while and he will be fine. you can also get grooming spays that are a bit like a cologen, you can get them smeliing of talcum pouder, or other fregrances(i know boy dogs owners who use them as they do alot of walks arund marshes and muddy walks)


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## mrsnonsmoker

Thanks for replies. I can stand the smell but I was told Cockerpoos don't have the "doggy" smell. But the moulting is odd. Its like black cotton wool is stuck all over the carpets etc. He's not allowed on the bed but if he does get on even for a few seconds, the quilt is covered in very long fine hairs. When I brush him the brush is clogged within seconds. BTW he is an F1 or whatever they say, as in he was from a Cocker and a Poodle I did see both parents. He is lovely and will be in our lives for a long time, but I made such a fuss about getting one of these and paid the going rate, the breeder said her daughter was asthmatic and that's why she chose to breed these dogs, but Pickle has triggered allergies in my daughter and worsened my husband's asthma. 

I think that's why I am so interested to know do these dogs really vary that much or if you get an F1 should you expect a certain basic standard?


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## kendal

please remember that he is a cross between a shedding and none shedding breed. some people are extra sensitive. the best advice would have been find soneone with a cockapoo and spend time with it. 

the cockapoo is not a guarenteed to be non shedding my two eldist are more poodle but shed a little echo is more cocker but still sheds about the same as the others. 
dogs will always smell, just like we do thet sweat. 
their are a couple of people on hear who react to their cockapoo but find bathing and brushing reduses it. i do know others who have bad reactions to dogs but cockapoos are fine. or they only reacted when they were younger and aa rhe dog got older the coat changesd.


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## wilfiboy

Ive got asthma and have been fine with Wilf ... I think i can tell a little with the hairs that Mabel loses but nothing thats causing a problem. I'll be interested to see what Mabels coat is like as she gets older. Wilf is 3 and his coat has definitely got more poodly (not sure thats a word lol ) as he has got older so maybe Pickles still will x


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## mrsnonsmoker

Good points, well made. I am glad I found out their coats change as they get older, this makes a lot of sense, cheers.


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## Dylansmum

When we got Dylan, he was quite smelly, but once established on raw food, he doesn't seem to smell any more, apart from the smell of damp mud after walks. I think diet makes a lot of difference to odour.


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## wilfiboy

Mrsnonsmoker - check out Kendals picture of her girls when they were younger and you'll get an idea of how there coats have changed... think its posted on cockapoo pictures x


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## mrsnonsmoker

Thanks Wilfiboy, I did but I couldn't quite see what you meant? Pickle's fur has gone from huge soft waves to cotton wool, literally like a perm that's "dropped out", he's not quite so handsome now. Fur is coming out in handfuls. Should I groom him with a "rake" (do you know what I mean)? Of course he doesn't care but its a shame he had the most beautiful fur. Now its all over my house in lumps!


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## mrsnonsmoker

I've just been searching net and I keep seeing warnings about "over-stripping the coat" - I think that's what I have done. I had a brush with very fine metal teeth. I don't think its my fault its falling out, but I do think it could be my fault its gone like cotton wool.


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## kendal

does your brush look anything like this


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## embee

Maybe take him for a vet check to rule out any underlying problem then visit a groomer for an opinion on his coat type and the best way to manage it. The deodorising sprays are also good and I use that sometimes so I don't have to shampoo Flo too much. Flo only gets shampooed about once every 2 months and just gets showered with water when muddy. I use Pet Head Poof which deodorises and gives a really light fragrance, I find heavy scent worse than dog smell. When you go over them with a slicker, which is the picture Kendal has posted, they do go frizzy/fluffy and lose their curls and waves - with Flo I just lghtly spray her with water to bring the waves back.


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## kendal

i like the slicker brush as it gets nice and deep into the coat and gets into the nots and tangles. 

the fuzzyness comes from the poodle, when grooming a poodle you need the fur strate or you dont get an even cut.


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## wilfiboy

mrsnonsmoker said:


> Thanks Wilfiboy, I did but I couldn't quite see what you meant? Pickle's fur has gone from huge soft waves to cotton wool, literally like a perm that's "dropped out", he's not quite so handsome now. Fur is coming out in handfuls. Should I groom him with a "rake" (do you know what I mean)? Of course he doesn't care but its a shame he had the most beautiful fur. Now its all over my house in lumps!


Sorry, I just meant on the photos of Kendals dogs when they were younger you could see what their coats were like then and then see her signiture or checkout her upto date pictures to see how their coats have changed as they've got older. I use a wide toothed metal comb and a thing that looks like a slicker but its plastic, the same shape but with wider spaced plastic teeth. x


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## mrsnonsmoker

Thanks everyone. My brush doesn't look exactly the same, the teeth are shorter, finer and closer together. Pickle is going to the groomers this week so I will get some advice and look at what brushes they have - he definitely needs a new brush. Much appreciated to you all taking the time and trouble to post.


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## lady amanda

mrsnonsmoker said:


> Thanks Wilfiboy, I did but I couldn't quite see what you meant? Pickle's fur has gone from huge soft waves to cotton wool, literally like a perm that's "dropped out", he's not quite so handsome now. Fur is coming out in handfuls. Should I groom him with a "rake" (do you know what I mean)? Of course he doesn't care but its a shame he had the most beautiful fur. Now its all over my house in lumps!


So your dog is shedding like a husky would? like in clumps?


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## mrsnonsmoker

Never seen a husky moult, but it is in clumps or strings, looks like its been pulled out - we are not talking about a coating of fur on a sofa (although that does happen) but lumps of fur on the floor dotted here and there. Sometimes I will notice a hank of it hanging down and a gentle tug brings out a string of fur. He still has very very thick fur so no bald patches. Groomer reckons it is his new coat coming through she said oh a couple of months it'll stop, but its been more than that already! Anyway, as he is obviously still healthy, I'm just putting it down to experience - he's our dog now, so even if he moults all the time that's tough. But I did get this breed specifically as it was low shedding - !!!


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## Mogdog

That does sound unusual - have you mentioned it to the breeder or the vet? Maybe it is just the puppy coat going. I don't know much about this as Maisie's coat didn't change from puppy to adult at all, but she has more of a poodly coat.

I expect it will stop sometime soon.


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## Dylansmum

That does sound strange for a cockapoo. My samoyed used to shed her coat like that twice a year, but I don't think that cockapoos generally do that. I know that they do vary a lot in how much they shed - Dylan hardly sheds at all, even when I brush him.


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## Enneirda.

> I think that's why I am so interested to know do these dogs really vary that much or if you get an F1 should you expect a certain basic standard?


Yep, they will and do vary that much. From literally straight cocker (like yours) to literally straight poodle and everything in between. You need a good 5 -6 gen (if not more) before it's truly set. Sadly your story (believe the dog will be a certain way, having problems later -health- ect) is quite common because of the way breeders tend to advertise these dogs. (perfect mix of the two, and non-shedding! ect) 


I really do think you should get him checked out because of the shedding though. Even a _pure _ cocker doesn't shed like that! Many issues (thyroid comes to mind) can cause out of bounds shedding.


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## mrsnonsmoker

Many thanks for replies, much appreciated. He's due again at the vets in April. If it hasn't stopped by then of course we will mention it, but he remains very healthy at the moment. BTW *Enneirda* love the way your dog is cut with the short body and bloomers, that's how I have Pickle done. Very handsome!


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## mrsnonsmoker

Hello all, I haven't been on the forum for ages, but I was just thinking about this again today, Pickle still sheds for England after 2 and half years - everything in the house is covered. He has a beautiful glossy coat and is regularly trimmed, but the hair loss never ends. We find it on our clothes, in our beds, even in the fridge. No one has ever been able to give me definitive answer. I'd love to meet another cockerpoo owner with the same problem so we can sympathise with each other!


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## wellerfeller

I am sure now after looking at your pictures that Weller is indeed Pickles litter brother!
He does look like he takes after the spaniel side of the family but it does underline there are no set traits in their coats. Weller has what I would call a typical 50/50 coat. He doesn't leave hair around the house but I do get a bit out when bathing and brushing him. It sounds like you were after the same thing as us when we were looking for a dog, we were just lucky enough to get Weller and a "non shedder" we could have picked Pickle and got a different coat but it wouldn't have really mattered. I know you must love him anyway even if he is turning your carpets a fluffy shade of black!


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## Cupcakejo

Hi - I have a moulter! Daisy is 11 months and looks pretty much 95% working cocker, even though she is an F1B and 75% poodle. Sometimes the moulting is worse than others and I have put it down to everything from puppy coat to the heat. I feed her dried food softened with water and once a day add a spoonful of cod-liver oil. I try and brush her every other day but always have hair on my hard floors. Her hair isn't very long and I've never taken her to the groomers, perhaps this would help?

She's a gorgeous dog and loyal personified, I wouldn't change, but I do wish she wouldn't moult. Jox

Here she is 
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T...MAGE_13F57398-2817-4A31-A576-5B4ABB6837E0.JPG


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## wilfiboy

Could be relevant the yumega oil is supposed to reduce moulting if you google it there are loads f recommendations from Labrador owners xx


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## mrsnonsmoker

Aw Cupcake, she is soooo lovely - what a flat coat, you wouldn't know she had any poodle. I do have oil drops here, I just keep forgetting to put them in! From this forum now I see some people saying their dogs DO moult, and that breeders often exaggerate the benefits of the breed. Now I am in touch with a lady who has a boy from same litter - Weller - and they have no problems with moulting. I think the breed must vary widely.


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## holicon

Millie is 8 months old and is white with spots of apricot. She sheds hair like cotton wool balls not loads but I do notice them on my carpet and if we wear black trousers we can see white hairs. I don't brush her loads because she wont sand still for long. I was hoping after having a hair cut it might stop but it hasn't.


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