# Can you tell coat type?



## jesterley

When looking at puppies I notice that the coats vary from very curly to slightly wavy. Can you tell in a young puppy what type of coat they will have as an adult, by which I mean will they have a more poodley coat or more like the non-poodle parent (cavvie/cocker)? Obviously more poodley would be lower moulting and need the full on grooming, but if they have a coat more like a cocker then will it moult and simply need "normal" grooming like brushing etc that you could manage at home? Or can you simply not tell until their adult coat comes in?

Thankyou


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## Hfd

Billy around 5 weeks








Around 7 weeks








9 weeks








Now!
As you can see from these pics the coat changes quite a lot over the first year or so. Billy is 2 now and has a fairly thick curly coat. He doesn't shed at all and last year I bought some clippers to home groom which is fairly straightforward and much cheaper!
Good luck in your search.


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## RuthMill

It is quite difficult to tell. The coats do tend to change. It seems the very obvious curly coats are obvious from quite early on but the straighter, wavier, shaggier coats change and develop more slowly, some even end up quite curly. 

My two have straighter coats. They do not shed/moult around the house, on clothes etc. the only time I notice hair is if I'm bathing or brushing them. 

Lola has a smooth face and is a poodle in a cocker coat, or so I thought! She is just over 18 months old and her coat is really thickening and is now quite wavy, textured and soft. She is developing quite a wavy curl on her head and legs. I never thought her coat would develop this way. 




























Nina's coat is long, soft and shaggy. She is almost 6 months old. Her coat is beautiful. She has a really fuzzy face so regular trims required to keep hair out of her eyes. 



















Both very easy to keep, daily brushing and groom every 6-8 weeks.


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## fairlie

Rufus started with wavey curls and now has tight curls like a poodle. Only hair I see is when we give him a light home clip, every second week.


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## Mazzapoo

Lovely, lovely pictures Ruth (again!) but is there something you've not told us....I spy a 3rd doggy.....oh no hang on, I've just put my bifocals on


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## dio.ren

Molly wasn't curly when she was a baby her coat was very soft and had some wave to it. As she got older it was just shaggy so I would comb her daily and she didn't get many matts except for her ears and armpits. I keep her short now as it's way less work. she has a curly head so definitely more of a poodle head Her curls are loose though they blow in the wind

In the first picture she was a tiny baby the breeder sent it to us so not sure how old she was. In the second picture she was 8 weeks that is the day we picked her up. The next one was before she had a grooming and the last one was after her first full groom.


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## Lexi&Beemer

Hfd said:


> Billy around 5 weeks
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> Around 7 weeks
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> 9 weeks
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> Now!
> As you can see from these pics the coat changes quite a lot over the first year or so. Billy is 2 now and has a fairly thick curly coat. He doesn't shed at all and last year I bought some clippers to home groom which is fairly straightforward and much cheaper!
> Good luck in your search.


That last picture is amazing! So adorable!


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## dio.ren

Billy is super cute loved his pictures


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## DB1

I would say it is much harder to work out what their coats will end up like when they look smoother as pups, as you say the ones with more obvious waves are likely to be curlier (but even so there are different types of curl), but the smoother pups will generally get a nice shaggy coat however most then thicken up and start getting matts around 10 months, I think then you have to have the coat trimmed and it seems to get a bit curlier each time, If you are very lucky you could end up with them having a silkier wavy coat that doesn't seem to matt so much but these are quite rare! of course by then you would love your dog to bits whatever happens to their coat.


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## fairlie

I love the baby pictures of Molly. I bet you could not walk her very far without crowds gathering to fuss over her!


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## RuthMill

Mazzapoo said:


> Lovely, lovely pictures Ruth (again!) but is there something you've not told us....I spy a 3rd doggy.....oh no hang on, I've just put my bifocals on


That's mini Lola! Hehe.. Nina loves her!


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## Tinman

I would of loved to have seen baby Molly, I would of probably squeezed her a bit too tight than is good for her 
Xxx


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## RuthMill

Baby Molly pics.. Cute!!


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## dio.ren

fairlie said:


> I love the baby pictures of Molly. I bet you could not walk her very far without crowds gathering to fuss over her!


Walks took forever even though we didn't move much ha! Everyone would pick her up and cuddle her ....things haven't changed much people still pick her up and she is 1


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## Marzi

It seems to me that over time their coats tend to thicken up and become woolier and how they start out is no guarantee of what they'll be like one, two or more years down the road.
I suppose that when researching what dog we want we prioritise what is important to us. With cross breeds like cockapoos there are many variables in the coat type - sort of cocker in the mix, american, show, working or crossed back to a poodle, or spaniel, or a second or more generation cockapoo.
If coat type is your mos important facto you may do better to consider a pedigree dog where there is more certainty about how a pup will turn out.
Of course if you want a pup with oodles of personality, a very loving nature and a coat that may be smooth, wavy, curly or woolly and might change over time then the cockapoo is perfect


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## dmgalley

I agree with Marzi. I think breeders are pretty good about telling which ones will have a smoother coat but i know mine both changed a lot. 
Jake had a very beautiful, wavy puppy coat. He never had one matt until ten months. His coat now is still very soft and beautiful but he gets tons of tiny matts real close to the skin. I have to keep him short. 
this is his long puppy coat


Willow is just turning to her adult coat now. Her puppy coat was wavy but i could tell from the crimping she was going to be curly. Her coat is much more curly now and though it does not matt, it is wooly. 
here is is straighter

today with curly mop top


willow at 8 wks


jake at 8 wks


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## Hfd

Lexi&Beemer said:


> That last picture is amazing! So adorable!
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> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


This really is how Billy looks all day long with a big grin on his face lol x


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## Lexi&Beemer

I love these threads as it brings out everyone's baby pictures. I love all of them now but I think I would have been one of those dog snatchers if I had seem them as little babies.


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## RuthMill

Jake and Willow!! Come here right now! I need to snuggle!


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## jesterley

Wow, thankyou for all the replies  So basically most of them end up with a soft, curly coat no matter what they look like as puppies, will need daily brushing and regular grooming, and seem to shed little to no hair? We have had border collies, so regular brushing isn't alien to us; nor are dreadlocks (behind the ears, under armpits and between the back legs - all the movement areas really). But hair everywhere as they have an undercoat. As I am actually allergic to them I have had no sense of smell for 10 years and I'd kind of like it back, lol.

Thankyou so much. I have been looking at a litter and they do vary (they are F1 cavapoos), but seeing the pics their coats are developing/changing already even at only a few weeks old, from when they were born.

Cheers for all the cute pics, too


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## Marzi

jesterley said:


> Wow, thankyou for all the replies  So basically most of them end up with a soft, curly coat no matter what they look like as puppies, will need daily brushing and regular grooming, and seem to shed little to no hair? We have had border collies, so regular brushing isn't alien to us; nor are dreadlocks (behind the ears, under armpits and between the back legs - all the movement areas really). But hair everywhere as they have an undercoat. As I am actually allergic to them I have had no sense of smell for 10 years and I'd kind of like it back, lol.
> 
> Thankyou so much. I have been looking at a litter and they do vary (they are F1 cavapoos), but seeing the pics their coats are developing/changing already even at only a few weeks old, from when they were born.
> 
> Cheers for all the cute pics, too


My collie is just shedding her summer coat and looks a bit hairless - the house on the other hand is under an inch thick layre of soft collie undercoat ... I'm hoping she is going to grow in her winter coat now or she is going to be chilly 
I love the fact that my poos do not shed 

I've attached some pics of Kiki who is F1b cavapoo from when she was 5 weeks right through to just a couple of weeks ago. Kiki had just had quite a short hair cut in the pic of her with her mum, the apricot who was 6 years old in the pic and her aunt who is the black one and she is 10.
Their coats really do change.

Good luck in your hunt for the perfect pup.


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## dio.ren

I love Kiki she is so cute! Love the picture of her with mom and the aunt they looked so comfy in that fancy chair Great picture!


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## fairlie

Does anyone else experience an overwhelming urge to bury their face in the sides of these soft furry dogs when they see the photos, or is it just me?


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## dmgalley

Kiki is a stunner. All of your dogs are beautiful. They always look soft and shiny. 

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## tilly77

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## tilly77

my baby Matilda age 7 months her coat was smooth .. now getting curly .. love her coat.. 

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## RuthMill

tilly77 said:


> my baby Matilda age 7 months her coat was smooth .. now getting curly .. love her coat..
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk


Aw she's lovely! Little Matilda!


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## RuthMill

Love Kiki!! Gorgeous coat!


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## Tinman

tilly77 said:


> Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk


Lovely Matilda - gorgeous coat - where has she been hiding?? X


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## Janev1000

Biscuit has changed dramatically! From looking more spaniel:

to a curly poodle look!


Honey started even more spaniel with a thin straighter coat:


But at 17 months is still changing all the time (just modelling her new coat!):


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## RuthMill

Honeys getting quite a curl! Gorgeous! Love her fleece


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## Janev1000

Sorry for some of the HUGE photos! x


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## dio.ren

tilly77 said:


> Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk


She's so cute Kind of looks like Molly!


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## RuthMill

Janev1000 said:


> Sorry for some of the HUGE photos! x


The bigger the better!!!


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## RuthMill

dio.ren said:


> She's so cute Kind of looks like Molly!


That's what I thought!


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## Janev1000

Thanks Ruth. Her back is still wavy but the rest is curlier and matts like crazy in her equafleece! Lola's coat is looking fantastic. You definitely have to allow a lot longer for the straighter coats to develop. Love Nina's shaggy look too! x


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## dio.ren

Jane love the tag on the equafleece that is what Molly looked like yesterday Super cute puppies!


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## RuthMill

Janev1000 said:


> Thanks Ruth. Her back is still wavy but the rest is curlier and matts like crazy in her equafleece! Lola's coat is looking fantastic. You definitely have to allow a lot longer for the straighter coats to develop. Love Nina's shaggy look too! x


Thanks Jane, I look at Nina's and wonder how curly it will go. I'm hoping it will remain manageable. I love the rough shaggy look. Keeping her long as long as I can


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## dmgalley

Janev1000 said:


> Biscuit has changed dramatically! From looking more spaniel:
> 
> to a curly poodle look!
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> 
> Honey started even more spaniel with a thin straighter coat:
> 
> 
> But at 17 months is still changing all the time (just modelling her new coat!):


I have never seen his baby pic. Wow he is adorable and has changed a lot. 

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## Tinman

Loving baby biscuits pink paw pads x
All gorgeous pics


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## fairlie

Tinman said:


> Loving baby biscuits pink paw pads x
> All gorgeous pics


ditto, and the pink tongue with all the white curls too! Amazingly cute!


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## jesterley

Aw, they're all beautiful. Most of them seem to go curly no matter how smooth they look as puppies, and you have all said they are low to non moulting, even those with straighter coats. The size varies quite a lot too, but as I once had an accidental collie/husky litter and the puppies ended up between large collie sized and roughly bear sized I know that it isn't easy to tell from the size of the parents, lol. Mind you, if I am looking at 6 week old puppies I can work out a rough estimate of adult weight (multiply by 4 1/2 to 6), so should be able to have an idea of their adult size. Some breeders are surprised when I ask what their pups weigh though. Surely they should be keeping an eye on that? Oh well, what can you do, eh? Probably will be getting one some time next year, but it's worth looking at litters from time to time to get an idea of them, isn't it?

ps, I have just noticed the "thankyou" buttons, so when I have more time later I will go back through the thread and make use of those, but meanwhile thankyou all for your time and lovely pictures


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## Jaynewise

My Stanley has really smooth fur. He is fluffy round his neck bit of a kink on his ears. He has very short hair on his nose. I had doubts about him being a cockerpoo. Do you think he will get a shaggy coat? He is 13weeks. Very clever and adorable. I was told his mother is a working cocker which was seen father a white miniature poodle. He is moulting


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## fairlie

I love love love his eye patches. You could chalk dye a line between them and make it look as though he is wearing specs at Halloween. I'm guessing he'll be wavy like a spaniel and thus far easier to groom than the ones who lean towards the poodle side.


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## dmgalley

He is adorable. He's a poo and he will be easy to groom. My smoothie doesn't even shed.
Let's see 13 wks









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## jesterley

Ah, cute. Well our cavapoo, Frais, has just about the worst matting coat, very shaggy indeed, although not curly (her sister lives up the road and has the full-on curls),but also she sheds fur. Not as much as our cavvie, but still some. We love her to bits. She has a severe heart murmur, although we've not had it investigated to learn the specific problem, but you honestly wouldn't know. She wasn't expected to live for very long due to the severity of the murmur, but she hasn't any symptoms at all! I suspect she will decline quickly and suddenly when it happens, but for now we have had 2 1/2 years with her already, and I see every day as a bonus. But that coat...nightmare!


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## Marzi

Can we have a recent picture of the gorgeous Frais?
Do your collies love her?
Inzi and Kiki often play together when we go out for walks, in the house Inzi plays with Dot - she knows how to share herself around!


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