Doodle Coat Types Explained
Unfurnished
aka "Improper Coat"
Unfurnished dogs can have short or long hair on their body, but will always have short hair on their muzzles and their coat will shed. Unlike furnished dogs, their shedding is most influenced by the "shedding gene". Vegas, our golden mountain dog is unfurnished and does shed.
Genetics: IC/IC
Furnished
Furnished dogs will have fluffy faces and continuously growing coats which must be trimmed. Furnishings is the gene most important for reducing shedding in doodles. It is best when paired with the genes for long hair. Dogs with TWO copies of furnishings will typically shed even less than those with one. Dogs with two copies of furnishings are sometimes called "fully furnished". Most (not all) purebred poodles have two copies of furnishings. Furnishings are unrelated to curl. Furnished dogs can be genetically straight, wavy, or curly. Doodles can vary tremendously in their furnishings which is why genetic testing can be so helpful for understanding your dog's coat.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
Furnished & Straight
One of the main goals of breeding multigen doodles is to produce furnished straight coats! These coats require brushing and regular trimming, but are easier to maintain than curly coats! Straight can be a bit of a misnomer because they will typically have loose waves. Waves will be more evident if you let the coat air day. They can be difficult to distinguish from wavy coats without genetic testing. Hype is an example of this coat type.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
-/- or C/C
Furnished & Wavy
The majority of F1s will have furnished and wavy coats, but you can also find this coat type in F1b and multigenerational crosses. These coats are typically easier to maintain than curly coats, but still require frequent brushing and trimming. Hunk is an example of this coat type.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
+/- or C/T
Furnished & Curly
Poodle coats are almost always furnished and curly, but Dax is an example of doodle with a furnished and curly coat. His coat requires similar upkeep as a poodle coat, and must be brushed & trimmed very frequently in order to prevent matting. This coat type is most commonly found in f1b & f1bb generations, but can also be found in multigenerational crosses.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
+/+ or T/T
Weakly Furnished
There is a spectrum of expression for furnishings in doodles. Puppies with weaker furnishings tend to be "late bloomers" when it comes to getting their facial hair. They can sometimes appear as though they are unfurnished when they are younger and it can take up to 9-12 months for their furnishings to come in. Some may even have more sparse facial hair even as adults. Weakly furnished dogs may require slightly less frequent grooming as their coats grow slower than their furnished counterparts, but they also tend to shed more than dogs with normal furnishings!
Paw Print & Animal Genetics are the only two companies currently able to differentiate weak furnishings on DNA testing but unfortunately these tests are not always accurate! We have seen weakly furnished dogs who do not test weak and dog's who test weakly furnished, but appear to have fuller furnishings.
Genetics: Fw/IC or F2/IC
