Do Goldendoodles Shed And How Much?

Goldendoodles are becoming a popular dog breed that many people are wanting to own. These dogs are bought because they have no shedding or low shedding properties. Goldendoodles are also believed that they are hypoallergenic. While this may be somewhat true, other things cause your dog not to shed.

Your Goldendoodle will still shed just a little bit because they have to get rid of older hair strains. Goldendoodles and other doodle breeds are considered to be hypoallergenic since they shed very little. The different cross-breeding of Golden Retrievers and Poodles help them shed less than other dog breeds. If you are looking for a dog that does not shed much, a Goldendoodle would be a great choice.

What Does Having A Hypoallergenic Dog Mean?

If you have a dog that is considered to be a hypoallergenic dog breed, then your dog will shed very little and many times you will not notice the extra hair on your floors. If you are allergic to dogs, this is an allergy to the dander on their hair. When your dog sheds, they will leave their dander all over your house, your chairs, couch, and floors. If your dog does not shed, they will not leave dander for you to come into contact with. While there are no completely 100% hypoallergenic dogs, there are breeds like a Goldendoodle that will come close to being hypoallergic and is a very popular dog breed with people who suffer from pet-related allergies.

How To Know That You Have Allergies To Your Dog?

The main three things that you will be allergic to from your dog are: 

• Dander
• Urine
• Saliva

Most commonly, your dog’s dander is what is causing you to have reactions to your dog. Their dander is what your dog leaves behind as they shed. This dander causes you to have allergic reactions. If you happen to be allergic to dogs, you may develop a rash, have hives, itch, and have an anaphylaxis event in severe cases.

If you have allergies to your pets you will notice these symptoms:

• You are sneezing
• Your eyes are watery
• You have itchy skin
• Your eyes are swollen
• You develope hives

If you notice any of these symptoms when you are around pets and other animals, you are probably allergic to them. You can see an allergy specialist and they can run tests to see if you are indeed allergic to pets.  

Are Goldendoodles Considered to be Hypoallergenic?

Goldendoodles were first developed by the crossing of a Poodle and Golden Retriever. This was first done to produce a dog breed that causes less shedding and fewer dander deposits in your house. For this reason they are often considered to be hypoallergenic. There is no scientific evidence showing that there are particular dog breeds or crossbreeds that are hypoallergenic. People who have milder dog allergies will not react severely to particular breeds of dogs such as Goldendoodles. Still, there is no reputable breeder who will guarantee 100% that their dogs will be hypoallergenic.

The allergic reaction that you have to dogs will be different from each dog breed that you come into contact with. Dogs within the exact same litter can cause you to have different reactions. If you have allergies to dogs or other pets, you should go and interact with different breeds of puppies. This will help you see how you may react to a dog from the breed. A great way to do this is to visit your local humane society or pet store that has puppies.

If you do have allergies to these puppies, you need to look for low shedding dog breeds to see if you have allergic reactions to these breeds too.

A Goldendoodle’s coat is similar that of a curly poodles coat, which causes these dogs to shed less. These curls will help keep loose skin and dander close to your dog’s skin, which then causes less dander to fall throughout your house. The curly hair of a poodle would help people who have reactions to their pet’s dander.

Do Goldendoodles Shed Less Than  Other Dogs?

The main reason that Goldendoodle’s do not shed very much is that they do not have fur. They have hair. Most people believe that fur and hair are the same things and use the words interchangeably.

Looking at the chemical makeup of fur and hair, it does contain the same thing. Microscopically you also cannot differentiate between fur and hair. The difference between hair and fur is when you look at how your dog sheds their hair or fur.

Hair Vs. Fur

Your Goldendoodles has hair that is constantly growing. If you did not cut your Goldendoodle’s hair, it would eventually be very long. This is why you have to have your Goldendoodle groomed. For dogs who have fur, fur grows to a certain length and then falls out. This is what is seen in short hair dogs, like German Shepards or Chihuahuas. These short hair dogs will never need to have a haircut, and their hair will grow only so long before stopping.

Do Goldendoodles Shed At All?

Goldendoodles do shed, but not very much. Goldendoodles who have straighter hair will shed more than those with curly hair. Each Goldendoodle will be different in the amount of hair that they shed. Usually, if a Goldendoodle looks like a Poodle with curly hair, it does not shed as frequently as a Goldendoodle that looks like a Golden Retriever with straighter or wavy hair. Some Goldendoodles that look like a Golden Retriever shed just as much as a Golden Retriever.

Which Breed of Doodles will Shed Least? 

If you want a dog that you can guarantee will have low shedding properties, look for a doodle that is a mix of two dog breeds that are known to be very low shedders. These are some other doodle breeds that do not shed much at all:

• Schnoodle
• Havapoo
• Maltipoo
• Yorkiepoo

Most of these breeds are small dogs under 15 pounds. If you are looking for a large dog that will shed even less than Goldendoodles, consider getting a Schnoodle. Schnoodle can come in Small, Medium, and Large breed sizes, just like Goldendoodles, and they tend not to shed much, if at all.

What Generation Goldendoodle Is Best For Not Shedding?

The best generation of Goldendoodle that does not shed much is an F1B. This generation is 25% Golden Retriever and 75% Poodle. This gives the mix more poodle traits with the curly hair. These Goldendoodles have the lowest shedding among the generations of Goldendoodles.

If you cannot find an F1B Goldendoodle, your next pick would be F2B. This crossbreeding is 37.5% Golden Retriever and 62.5% Poodle. The breed is bred by crossing F1 Goldendoodles to F1B Goldendoodles. These dogs are considered light shedders.

You may get lucky with F1 or F2 generations of Goldendoodles and have a dog that is a low shedding dog. These two generations are somewhat unpredictable as far as shedding. The only way to know for sure that your puppy would be low shedding would be to have a DNA test done to determine their hair.

Does A Flat-Coated Goldendoodle Shed More?

The disadvantage of getting straight hair or flat hair Goldendoodle is they tend to shed more. These are the main disadvantages compared to a wavy or curly-coated Goldendoodle.

• Goldendoodles with Flat coats tend to shed more than a curly and wavy-haired Goldendoodle. This is because a flatter coat has fewer Poodle genes, making your Goldendoodle’s coat not as curly. Having a Goldendoodle with a flat coat will mean you need to be ready to have a dog whose hair sheds on your floor. However, a Goldendoodle with a flat coat usually tends to shed a lot less than Golden Retrievers.
• Goldendoodles with Straight Coats are not hypoallergenic. These Goldendoodles have more of the Golden Retriever genes and fewer Poodle genes, a Goldendoodle with a straight coat will not be as hypoallergenic as curly hair Goldendoodles. The looked for hypoallergenic characteristics are found in Goldendoodle who has curly and non-shedding coats. These hypoallergenic features are found because curly hair on your Goldendoodle does not let dander or other allergens adhere to your dog’s skin for them to later deposit in your house.

Can You Test For Different Types of Hair In Goldendoodle’s?

The curly hair of a Goldendoodle usually means that your dog has the hypoallergenic and low-shedding feature, but this is not always true. An easy way for you to know your Goldendoodle’s hair type is by look at your dog’s DNA and genes.

Genetic Hair Testing

In these genetic tests, you will need to look at the Shedding Locus Gene and Furnishing Gene to figure out if a Goldendoodle is low-shedding or hypoallergenic dog. It is best to get DNA tests done on the Goldendoodle you plan to buy to help you figure out the Goldendoodle’s genetic makeup.

Genetic tests can easily and quickly be done. These genetic tests look at the Cu locus gene in your Goldendoodle’s DNA. The Cu locus gene is also called KRT71 gene. This helps determine if your Goldendoodle has a straight, curly, or wavy coat. The more the Cu locus gene that is found in your Goldendoodle, the more curly your Goldendoodle’s hair will be.

Which Goldendoodles Will Have Recessive Cu Locus Gene

Goldendoodles are made by mixing different generations of Goldendoodles to Standard Poodles. This will make the Goldendoodle’s coat more like the coat of a Poodle and will be wavy or at the least have the recessive Cu Locus gene.

Your vet can help you find a DNA test that is reliable for Goldendoodles to figure out what coat type they have. You can sometimes even tell what coat type a Goldendoodle has by looking at their puppy coat. Litters of Goldendoodle puppies often have a mix of different coats; straight coats, wavy coats, or curly coats.

After your puppy loses puppy hair, the adult coat does not change from one type of coat to another.

Does A Goldendoodle Puppy Shed More?

Some people think that a Goldendoodle puppy sheds more when when they are younger but tend to shed less when they get older. There are a few things that can cause your Goldendoodle to shed when they are a puppy.

Stress

Any stress will cause your Goldendoodle puppy to start to shed. This often occurs right after you bring home your new puppy. This transition is often stressful for your Goldendoodle puppy. They have just left their mother and sibling and now looking to begin their new life in a new home.

Some puppies shed a little more when they are a puppy. This would be a good indicator that your Goldendoodle will likely shed a lot as an adult. This may not be always true as some Goldendoodles will shed very little later in life.

Your Goldendoodle puppy will have a soft, fluffy, single coat. Their puppy coat should not be used as an indicator of how an adult Goldendoodle’s coat will look. As a Goldendoodle gets older, the coat will become stiffer, darker, and thicker.

Shedding Their Puppy Coat

Your Goldendoodle starts to shed the puppy coat around 6 to 10 months old. This is normal and not a cause for alarm. Your Goldendoodle may take about a year before it develops its mature coat.

Since a Goldendoodle will shed a little less than other dog breeds, you should pay attention how they are groomed when their adult hair coat begins to come in. At this time, your Goldendoodle will need to start to visit the groomer.

Your Goldendoodle puppy’s coat will start to shed, but can get trapped below the new hair that is trying to grow. This causes their hair to get tangled and develop large mats. This is seen more frequently as the adult coat starts to grow. You should brush a Goldendoodle puppy every day to prevent these situations from developing.

Other Reasons Your Goldendoodle Sheds a Lot?

There may be other reasons a Goldendoodle may shed a lot. These are some of the common reasons:

• They look more like a Golden Retriever. A Goldendoodle that has more Golden Retriever genes and looks will shed more than those that have more Poodle genes and appearance.
• This is a normal seasonal shedding. In the fall and spring of each year, a Goldendoodle will shed a little more because the weather is stimulating their hair to change with the season.
• The generation of your Goldendoodle sheds more. Goldendoodle from the F1 or F2 generation will shed more. These generations are not as predictable with their shedding. Many of these Goldendoodles will have a higher shedding index. An F3 generation of Goldendoodles is also moderate shedders.
• Your Goldendoodle has a medical condition causing your dog to shed. Medical conditions, like Cushing’s disease or hypothyroidism, will cause your Goldendoodle to shed more hair. As soon as you notice your Goldendoodle starting to shed, it is best for your vet to examine your dog to see if there is a medical issue causing them to shed. Your vet can run test and bloodwork to ensure that your Goldendoodle is healthy and happy.

How To Decrease Shedding And Allergens From A Goldendoodle

If you happen to be allergic to your pet’s dander, there are different things you can try to do at home to help prevent the amount of dander that your dog is leaving behind.

These are some very easy things you can do at home to decrease the amount of dander you find in your home:

1. Give Your Goldendoodle A Bath: When you give your dog a bath, you are removing the dander and loose hairs from their skin. You can bathe your Goldendoodle at least once a week to help control their dander. In severe allergy cases, you may want to bathe your Goldendoodle every 3 to 4 days. While the more frequent baths can help decrease the dander, the more frequent baths can cause your Goldendoodle’s skin to get dry. Be sure that you are using shampoo and conditioner to prevent your dog’s skin from becoming so dry.
2. Give Your Goldendoodle a brushing: Brush your Goldendoodle every day. This helps to remove dead and loose hair and pet dander. This will keep them from leaving extra hair or dander on your furniture and around your house.
3. Take Your Goldendoodle To the Groomer: By keeping your Goldendoodle groomed short, will also help. They will have fewer allergens and loose hairs to deposit in your house. Goldendoodles who have longer hair constantly lick themselves to keep their fur clean. This gets the proteins present in their saliva in the hair. This will eventually end up on your couch or around your house. A dog groomer will trim your Goldendoodle’s hair short to help them have fewer allergens and be more hypoallergenic.
4. Get Your Dog A Skin Supplement: When you give your dog supplements for their skin that contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids (OFA), this will help your Goldendoodles skin and coat stay healthy. If your Goldendoodle has a dry, dull coat, it can become very brittle. This will cause their hair to fall out and break more often. Fish oils or fatty acid supplements can be put in your Goldendoodle’s food to keep their fur shiny and nice. These supplements will help keep Goldendoodles from shedding.
5. Use Shampoo Made For Decreasing Shedding: Certain shampoos help decrease the hair that your Goldendoodle sheds. They will still shed some, these just help them shed less. Oatmeal shampoos are one that you can get to help stop your Goldendoodle from shedding as often.

Final Thoughts

Most people get Goldendoodles because of their low shedding properties, there are a few ways to know if your Goldendoodle is going to shed more than others. Looking at parents, breeding and genes can help you determine if your Goldendoodle puppy is going to shed more than others.

If your Goldendoodle is shedding, following these few tips and tricks can help decrease the amount of hair that they are shedding. By feeding them a good diet and proper grooming, your Goldendoodle will not shed as much and have a healthy skin and coat.