Special Cases
Certain conditions may cause your dog's hair to change. Just because your dog is a certain breed doesn't necessarily mean his hair will conform to the breed standard.
Medical Issues
If your dog is shedding unusual amounts of hair at an unusual time of year, she may have an undiagnosed health problem. If your dog is losing enough coat that you can clearly see his skin, you need to take your dog to the vet to have him evaluated. There are many causes of hair loss. Conditions such as mange, allergies, or fleas can cause hair loss, as well as hypothyroidism and Cushing's disease. Don't hesitate to seek out the cause of the problem.
Dogs that undergo anesthesia will often blow their coat a few weeks after. This hair will grow back, but it's a heavy shed. In addition, some very nervous dogs shed more hair due to their inborn fight-or-flight sense. When an animal in the wild is grabbed by another (for lunch), it instantly sheds the portion of hair that is traumatized or grabbed to get away. The hunter ends up with a fur sandwich instead of meat. Cats also do this when frightened.
Hormones
Hormones also play a special role in the shedding of hair. Intact females and males generally have a lighter undercoat than their spayed and neutered counterparts. After a female's heat cycle, she will have a heavy shedding period, in addition to the normal seasonal sheds. A female that gives birth will undergo a very heavy shedding period after weaning the puppies due to a change in hormones. Human women often go through this hair-shedding period after giving birth to their children.
A spayed female will tend to grow a thicker undercoat, again due to a change or lack of hormones. This is known as a spay coat, and you may notice wispy hairs poking out from her coat that she never had before. It just requires a little extra brushing and carding to keep her looking good.
Oodles of Doodles
Designer dogs are mixes of different pure breeds. Many of them are Poodle crosses. A Labrador Retriever + Standard Poodle = Labradoodle, Golden Retriever + Standard Poodle = Goldendoodle, Cocker Spaniel + Poodle = Cockapoo, Pekingnese + Poodle = Peekapoo.
When it comes to grooming, these dogs have unique needs. Dogs from the same litter can have completely different types of hair. One dog may have a coat that resembles his Labrador mother; another may more closely resemble her Poodle father. Their littermates may have hair that looks like a combination between a Labrador and a Poodle — wiry and wavy — but the texture and structure of each dog's fur is slightly different.
Be wary of purchasing a designer dog. Because they are mixed-breed dogs, there are no breed standards. Breeders are not held to the same standards as purebred dog breeders, thus you risk winding up with a puppy that will develop a debilitating genetic disorder because his parents and previous generations were not screened.
If the dog's coat is very curly and Poodle-like, you can sculpt it any way you like. If it's more wiry, your choices are more limited. The wiry doodles tend to shed heavily, so some owners opt to shave it all off. Try to look for the dog's cutest traits — cute ears, soft eyes — and play them up. If it's a female dog, have some fun and leave some hair either on the top of the head or on the ears for a bow. It's art; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
