Flat Coat Goldendoodle Guide (Help! My Goldendoodle Has Straight Hair)
If you are the owner of an adorable Goldendoodle puppy or are curious about this relatively hypoallergenic alternative to a Golden Retriever, then you’ve come to the right place.
The curly and wavy coats are low shedding – but what about Goldendoodles with straight hair? How can you tell if your Goldendoodle has a flat coat?
This article will help you determine the type of Goldendoodle you have, particularly if you have no way of confirming with a kennel or a veterinarian.
We will also tackle what sets them apart from their cousins and how to take care of a straight-haired Goldendoodle. Read on and prepare to be charmed!
Why Do Some Goldendoodles Have A Flat Coat?
Straight-haired Goldendoodle puppies take after the luxurious straight coat of their Golden Retriever parent. This is because they have more dominant Golden Retriever genes. On the other hand, curly-haired Goldendoodles have physical characteristics similar to their Poodle parents.
So, how do Goldendoodle puppies develop straight hair, and what factors warrant this trait?
Genetics
The first factor to consider is the straight-haired Goldendoodle puppy’s genetics. Although the Goldendoodle inherits traits from both a Golden Retriever and a Poodle; no two puppies will develop identical characteristics. This is because each of the puppies will take after the dominant gene of the parent wired in their DNA.
Generations
Other than genetics, the generations of crossbreed preceding a particular Goldendoodle puppy and the generation the puppy belongs to also determine its coat type.
F1 Goldendoodles are the first-generation Goldendoodle puppies whose line comprises a purebred Poodle and Golden Retriever. In this case, the pup will inherit half of its genetic makeup from a Poodle and the other half from a Golden Retriever.
F1B Goldendoodle puppies, on the other hand, come from one purebred Poodle and one F1 Goldendoodle parent. This would mean that the F1B Goldendoodles are 25% Golden Retriever and 75% Poodle. This will make them more likely to have the coveted curlier coat of Goldendoodle than the F1 puppies, who are still 50% Golden Retriever.
If you want the curlier and teddy bear looks of most Goldendoodles, then look for puppies with the F1B genes.
If you adopted or bought an F2 Goldendoodle puppy, you should know that this gene strain is a cross between two Goldendoodle parents. Like F1 puppies, they are equal in terms of traits from their parents, with 50% from a Poodle and the other 50% from its Golden Retriever parent.
The only difference of this strain is that they are the most unpredictable in terms of coat type, which means that their offspring can have the double gene of a Golden Retriever and can develop the straight and flat coat of a straight-haired Goldendoodle.
F2B Goldendoodles puppies are a cross between an F1 Goldendoodle and an F1B Goldendoodle. At the same, they can also be bred by crossing a purebred Poodle to F2 Goldendoodle parents. This would mean that F2B Goldendoodle Puppies have 62.5% Poodle genes and 37.5% Golden Retriever genes.
Because there is more Poodle in the genes of these tots, chances are puppies that have the F2B gene will come out curlier and have a higher degree of physical resemblance to the Poodle.
Grooming A Flat Coat
Because of their straighter hair, flat-coated Goldendoodles are often confused with Golden Retrievers, and for good reasons. However, straight-haired Goldendoodles will often have shaggier manes than their Golden Retriever ancestors.
As far as grooming goes, straight-haired Goldendoodle would need brushing as well with the use of a pin or a slicker brush every few times a week. This brushing will keep their coat from being tangled, while the occasional use of a grooming mitt could keep their coat looking and feeling shiny.
Flat Coat Maintenance
There are many benefits to owning a Goldendoodle with straight hair. First, their hair or coat is less likely to mat than their curlier-haired siblings, so they would require less maintenance. For dog owners who like more fun and minor cosmetic care for a dog, the straight-haired Goldendoodle is ideal.
Another advantage to a straight-haired Goldendoodle is that leaves, dust, and other debris are less likely to catch on their mane, unlike wavy or curly-haired Goldendoodles. Another thing is that their feet are not as hairy and won’t need combing as much as any other breed or mixed breed.
Goldendoodles with a flat coat would only need a bath once they start to smell, and this will solely depend on the environment they are living in or whether or not they are potty trained.
Of course, this won’t be the case if your fur baby Goldendoodle had too much fun frolicking in the rain and mud during playtime!
All in all, the grooming that flat-coated Goldendoodle dogs and puppies require is very minimal and depends on the occasion. This is the perfect dog for families with a busy schedule but still would love to have a dog to play with and care for.
Do Flat-Coat Goldendoodles Shed?
There are many benefits to a flat-coated Goldendoodle; however, there are also downsides to this adorable mixed breed compared to its other cousins, the wavy or the curly-haired Goldendoodles.
The first is that the flat-coat Goldendoodle sheds more fur than its counterparts, the wavy and curly-haired Goldendoodles. This is because, genetically, a flat coat Goldendoodle is less Poodle than a Golden Retriever.
The good news is, for lovers of Golden Retrievers who are allergic to the breed because of the amount of hair they tend to shed, the flat-coated Goldendoodle is a great option. It has the intelligence of the Golden Retriever but comes without the shedding!
As Flat Coat Goldendoodles shed more, they are less hypoallergenic. Dog lovers need to know that no mixed or pure breed is 100% hypoallergenic. There is a happy middle ground, but no dog breed can completely be hypoallergenic. This is the case for the breed Goldendoodle, which has the advantage of shedding less.
Another fact to know is that dog hair is not what people are allergic to but the dander or the skin cells and saliva. It is correlated because dogs who shed more hair or fur also tend to shed more dander.
How To Tell What Type Of Coat My Goldendoodle Will Have?
The most straightforward and surefire way to know what coat your Goldendoodle puppy will have once fully grown is by checking the hair around its mouth .
- A Goldendoodle puppy will grow a curly coat if the hair around its mouth is tight, curly, or kinky.
- In contrast, a wavy-haired Goldendoodle will have wavy hair once it matures if its hair is wavy around the mouth with loose curls.
- Straight-haired Goldendoodle are characterized by their short and straight hair on their face and around their mouth as a puppy.
The Goldendoodle
A Goldendoodle is just what it sounds like—a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature or Standard Poodle. A Goldendoodle is also known as a Groodle. Their size is not fixed and depends on their parents. They come in three sizes—miniature, medium, and standard.
Goldendoodles are highly sociable and can live in a country or city setting. Just make sure that they go on walks for 20 to 30 minutes every day to get their daily dose of exercise. Although they need proper socialization to avoid aggressive or shy behavior, Goldendoodles are highly trainable.
Aside from being an all-around excellent house dog, the Goldendoodle is also great as a working dog—they work as guide, service, therapy, and sniffer dogs. You are sure to find one trusty companion in a Goldendoodle.
Goldendoodle Coat Types
Many people desire Goldendoodles because of their health and temperament. However, this mixed breed is also preferred because of its little-to-no-shedding and hypoallergenic status, which is essential for dog lovers who are allergic or sensitive to shedding.
A Goldendoodle puppy will develop one of three coats once grown—wavy, curly, or straight. Coats will depend on the genes the Goldendoodle has inherited from its parents. Keep reading to discover more about each potential Goldendoodle coat.
Wavy Goldendoodle Coat
The shaggy or wavy coat is the most common one. To get this kind of coat, the pup should have inherited one curl gene and one non-curl gene from its parents.
Goldendoodles with this coat type will have hair on their body that grows anywhere from 4 to 7 inches or 10 to 18 centimeters if left ungroomed. In contrast, the hair around the face will typically be shorter.
The wavy-coated Goldendoodle is low shedding but would still require regular brushing and grooming to prevent knots from developing in their fur. Maintaining them will be effortless just as long as the owner keeps brushing their coat at least once a week.
If you have a wavy-coated Goldendoodle, you’ll be glad to know that out of the three coat types, this one generally requires less maintenance.
Curly Goldendoodle Coat
The curly-haired Goldendoodle has the densest hair type. A curly coat develops when both the parents have the curly gene. These Goldendoodles take more on the Poodle side of their lineage.
Because of the denseness of a curly-haired Goldendoodle, it’s impossible to gauge how long their fur grows, and like their wavy-haired sibling, their hair grows visually shorter around their face. However, in some cases, curly-haired Goldendoodle can develop an “afro” around their face when brushed out.
They are the non-shedding ones of the bunch and are more or less allergy-friendly; this is a plus for all sensitive dog lovers since curly-haired Goldendoodle can have really kinky curls or big barrel curls. Owners who live by the beach should be wary of sand getting caught in the curly fur of this dog.
In terms of grooming, regular brushing once or twice a week will prevent knotting, while hair trimming twice or thrice a year will be all it needs.
Straight Goldendoodle Coat [Flat Coat]
The straight coat of a straight-haired Goldendoodle is most often called a loose hair coat. While the curly-haired Goldendoodle takes most from the Poodle line of parents, the straight-haired Goldendoodle takes more from the Golden Retriever line.
Although the straight furs on these fur babies mean that they are generally low maintenance, this fur type makes them the top shedders among all Goldendoodles. This can be bad news for Goldendoodle lovers who are sensitive to dog hair.
Straight-haired Goldendoodles require low maintenance but still need brushing like their other siblings. Brushing will prevent problems like knotting and premature shedding, especially if the Goldendoodle is wearing a dog collar.
Final Thoughts
That concludes our Goldendoodle guide, and we hope that you learned a lot from it. Just remember the basics of reading the hair on the sides of the mouth of a Goldendoodle puppy, and you will know what strain of mixed-breed you have as it enters adolescence.
Flat-coat Goldendoodles will be more prone to shedding fur, sure, but they make up for it by needing less maintenance than their cousins. In contrast to the teddy bear likeness of a curly or wavy-haired Goldendoodle, the flat-coat Goldendoodle will have smoother and shaggier fur, which is also cute in itself.
Whatever the genetic strain of the Goldendoodle, the owner must keep in mind that whether or not their dog looks like a bear, in the end, Goldendoodles will love their owners just the same.
And this adorable breed definitely deserves to be loved back.
