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. The amount of shedding is influenced by the "shedding gene", unlike furnished dogs. Vegas, our golden mountain dog is unfurnished.
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. For doodles, it is best when paired with the genes for long hair. Furnishings is unrelated to curl. Furnished dogs can be straight, wavy, or curly. Dogs with TWO copies will typically shed less than those with one. Dogs with two are called "fully furnished".
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
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. It must be brushed & trimmed frequently. This coat type is most commonly found in f1b & f1bb generations, but can be found in some multigenerational crosses.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
+/+ or T/T
Furnished & Wavy
These coats can be easier to maintain than curly coats, but still require frequent brushing and trimming. The majority of F1s will have furnished and wavy coats, but you can also find this coat type in F1b and multigenerational crosses. Savvy, our F1 bernedoodle, is a good example.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
+/- or C/T
Furnished & Straight
One of the main goals of breeding multigen doodles is to produce furnished straight coats, which are easier to maintain. This is my favorite doodle coat type! However, there is no such thing as a low maintenance doodle! These coats still require brushing and trimming. You may notice that they typically appear to have a slight wave. Marvel is an example of this coat type.
Genetics: F/IC or F/F
-/- or C/C
Weakly Furnished
Puppies with weak furnishings tend to be "late bloomers" when it comes to getting their facial hair. It can take 6-12 months for them to fully develop their furnished coats. These dogs tend to require less grooming as their coats grow slower, but they also tend to shed more than their counterparts with normal furnishings. Paw Print & Animal Genetics are the only two companies currently able to differentiate weak furnishings on DNA testing. Mando's curly coated goldendoodle (left) and wavy coated bernedoodle (right) puppies are examples of weak furnishings.
Genetics: Fw/IC
