I am often asked, “Do your Labradoodles shed?”

I only like to talk about my program, so I cannot tell you if other breeder’s dogs shed.

One of the main reasons for the Labradoodle appeal is that they are touted as ‘non-shedding’. Not only do many people suffer from dog coat allergies but many more don’t enjoy dog hair all over their house, clothes, and car.

My short answer is no; I strive to produce non-shedding dogs only at Great Day Labradoodles. And that is about how long most people will listen to my answer.

But I should be clear; there is not a definitive genetic test for shedding quite yet. There is a test that I have been using for three generations now that seems to be very reliable. How?

The long answer about whether Labradoodles Shed

The first genetic test to help eliminate the shedding came out a few years ago, and it is called “Improper Coat/Furnishings.” Doodles with two copies of improper coat gene were the ones that might shed. They can have one copy of Improper and one copy of Furnishings or carry two copies of Furnishings and not shed. Interestingly the ‘furnishings’ has to do with the look of the dog’s facial hair, think fluffy beard. I began to notice that pups with no copies of the Furnishings gene had smooth faces and that became an indicator to me that they were going to be shedders. These dogs often look like spaniels.

I hate to say infallible but knock on wood, once I started testing the breeding dogs for Improper Coat/Furnishings and never again bred any two dogs that both carried for Improper Coat, I stopped seeing the flat-coated shedders. Within 1 or 2 more generations I hope to have no Improper Coat carriers at all.

That’s the long answer.

Do you have other questions? Please reach out to me here.