Donna,
I am a breeder of the Australian Labradoodle~ You may find that your ALD does not "blow his coat" some ALD's never do. While some will experience a slow change of coat and will notice that the hair will start to change starting along the spine near the tail or between the shoulders and gradually change all over. We recommend having them groomed down to 2" all over (puppy cut) at 1 year of age or when & if the dog starts to blow it coat. It is important to get your dog familiar with grooming prior to its first real hair cut so that when that time comes your dog does not have a bad reaction. You should let the groomer give your dog regular sanitary trims; shave the belly along with a bath a brush. When your dog will stop growing will vary greatly based on expected mature size. Mini's often reach their full size very quickly, sometime around 6 months of age. Standards can take 18 months to reach their full size. Your breeder should be a great resource for this information as they should be able to give you information based on past experience with the breeding pair that is more accurate. I hope this information helps. You are welcome to contact me anytime. Kendra Noble Vestal Labradoodles www.NobleVestalDoodles.com <http://www.noblevestaldoodles.com/> _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of buttafamily5 Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 11:43 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [labradoodles] A few doodle puppy questions... Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions from a new doodle mom to you more experienced owners! If the answers are different for different doodles -- keep in mind I have a 4 month old Australian multi-gen miniature. First, at what age do they start to lose their puppy coats, and how long does it take? Second, when did you take your doodle for his/her first grooming experience? I mean, what age, and what did you have done? And last, when are they full grown? Thanks! Donna
