[CharliesHooman]

I have an 8 month old red Standard Poodle. He is my first poodle and I’m in love with him. I’ve been anticipating coat change will begin soon, but recently I’ve wondered what I can expect.

I’ve seen several comments online from groomers implying that reds tend to keep hair closer to a puppy coat. And many groomers commented they don’t particularly enjoy grooming reds because their coats are generally difficult to work with as they tend to have fine, soft, thinner coatsmaking it hard to make them look good.

Owners who have had both reds as well as other colors, I’m wondering what your experience has been and what differences, if any, you have noticed in their coats.

Groomers, do you agree with the consensus about red coats being different and difficult?

 

[Finn's mum]

I have a red and a brown mini. My red is almost 2 and his coat is finer than my brown one who is 18 months. In some ways his coat is easier to brush and clip. Though can have a tendency to get small matts in his armpits or groin if left too long. His topknot doesn’t hold as well as our brown boy...but when freshly washed, blow dried and brushed out, or just clipped. He looks just has stunning as our brown. The plus side of the less dense coat is he takes less time to wash and dry. If you find a good groomer they will always bring out the best in the dog. My groomer is great and does a lot of hand scissoring to get a good finish on both my dogs.
So I think it can be a swings and roundabouts with the different coats, but each dog has their own lovely look.

 

[Finn's mum]

Just a picture of the two of them for comparison. Though this is them in home grooming COVID 19 cuts.

 

[Dechi]

I have an apricot from a red dad and a blue (both toys). The apricot has much finer hair and less of it in general. He doesn’t matt as much, so that’s an advantage.

I can understand why these groomers are saying what they say. It’s easier to look good with lots of thick hair than with less, finer hair !

 

[CharliesHooman]

Just a picture of the two of them for comparison. Though this is them in home grooming COVID 19 cuts.

Your babies are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[CharliesHooman]

I have an apricot from a red dad and a blue (both toys). The apricot has much finer hair and less of it in general. He doesn’t matt as much, so that’s an advantage.

I can understand why these groomers are saying what they say. It’s easier to look good with lots of thick hair than with less, finer hair !

Yes, I agree it would be easier to make a thicker coat look nice. I guess I was wondering if I could expect a thin fine coat for my boy. I don’t really care honestly, I was more curious what he will look like. 🙂

 

[Dianaleez]

My guess is that it's a case of finding a style that you, your groomer, and, most importantly, your dog are happy with.

Our 9-month-old red mini is cutest in a puppy cut. But he has a short retriever cut because I like the no-frills/tough guy/easy to clean aspects. He still has puppy fur with a few pale wiry strands popping up.

 

[CharliesHooman]

My guess is that it's a case of finding a style that you, your groomer, and, most importantly, your dog are happy with.

Our 9-month-old red mini is cutest in a puppy cut. But he has a short retriever cut because I like the no-frills/tough guy/easy to clean aspects. He still has puppy fur with a few pale wiry strands popping up.

Yes, I think you’re right. 🙂

 

[farleysd]

There are generalizations on color and coat quality. My boy Tru was an apricots with such wonderful coats that I would sometimes show him without any hairspray. Santiago is in huge hair, topknot is over 10 inches. He was recently bred to a black bitch in the hopes of the puppies getting his hair and his front. I have also had some reds with excellent hair. On the other hand I have also had reds and apricots that had nightmare coats! My pedigrees are also mixed heavily on black and white dogs.