Do Doodles Shed? The Genes That Decide How Much

Yes, doodles shed, but many shed far less than a Golden Retriever or a Labrador. How much any one doodle sheds depends mostly on whether it inherited furnishings and curl from the Poodle side, on a second gene linked to shedding, and on whether it has an undercoat. That's why two puppies from the same litter can shed very differently, and why no doodle is truly shed-free.

The short version

• All dogs shed. Hair grows, rests and falls out in a cycle; some coats drop less or hold onto it.
• Furnishings matter most. Doodles with the furnishings gene, the one behind the beard and eyebrows, tend to shed least.
• Curl traps loose hair, so less lands on the floor, but it has to be brushed out.
• A second gene, MC5R, is also linked to shedding.
• An undercoat from the retriever or Bernese side brings seasonal shedding.
• Improper-coat doodles, with no furnishings, shed much like their non-Poodle parent.
• Low shedding isn't low allergen. Studies haven't found any dog breed to be hypoallergenic.

Why some doodles shed and others barely do

A 2016 study of more than 4,200 dogs linked shedding to two genes: RSPO2, the furnishings gene, and MC5R. Minimal-shedding breeds such as the Poodle and the Bichon Frisé carry two copies of the furnishings variant, while heavy shedders such as the Akita and the Alaskan Malamute lack it and carry the original version of MC5R.

For a doodle, furnishings are the big one:

• Furnished doodles (one or two copies) usually shed noticeably less than their retriever or spaniel parent. Every F1 and F1B from a typical Poodle parent is furnished.
• Improper-coat doodles (no copies) shed much like a Golden Retriever or a Labrador. They can turn up in F2, reverse-cross and some multigen litters.

The furnishings gene is one of three that together explain most coat types in purebred dogs, alongside the genes for curl and coat length, according to a study of more than 1,000 dogs from 80 breeds. Our guide to doodle generations shows how the odds for each shift from F1 to multigen, and our guide to the genetics of shedding covers shedding across all breeds.

Curl hides hair rather than stopping it

Curly and wavy coats catch loose hairs inside the coat instead of dropping them on the floor. So a curly doodle can look as if it doesn't shed at all, but the trapped hair builds up and turns into mats unless it's brushed out regularly. Low-shedding doodles trade hair on the sofa for time with a brush and regular trips to the groomer.

Does my doodle have a double coat?

Poodles have a single coat. Golden Retrievers, Labradors and Bernese Mountain Dogs have a double coat, with a soft, dense undercoat under longer guard hairs. A 2019 study found a region of the genome strongly associated with whether a dog has an undercoat, and a doodle can inherit either kind of coat.

A doodle with an undercoat usually sheds more, especially when the seasons change and the undercoat comes out in clumps, often called blowing coat. You can check by parting the fur: a soft, dense layer close to the skin, under the longer outer coat, is an undercoat.

Hair or fur?

There's no biological difference: hair and fur are made of the same protein, keratin. When breeders say a doodle has hair, they usually mean a furnished, wavy or curly coat that keeps growing and sheds less, rather than a coat that grows to a set length and sheds out. It's a useful way to describe a coat type, but it's not a guarantee about shedding or allergies.

Why littermates shed differently

Each puppy inherits its own mix of furnishings, curl, length and undercoat genes. In an F1 or F1B litter from a typical Poodle, every puppy is furnished, so shedding is fairly similar. In an F2 litter, about one puppy in four is expected to have no furnishings at all, and curl can range from tight curls to straight. Those puppies can shed very differently, even when they share a label and a home. Our guide to improper coats explains the furnishings odds litter by litter.

Why is my doodle shedding?

A doodle that sheds more than expected usually has one of these going on:

• An improper coat: no furnishings, so it sheds like its non-Poodle parent.
• An undercoat: seasonal shedding, especially in spring and fall.
• A straighter coat: fewer curl copies than its littermates, so loose hair falls out instead of staying trapped.
• The adult coat coming in: many owners notice more loose hair and matting as the puppy coat gives way to the adult coat.
• Trapped hair coming out: a curly coat that hasn't been brushed in a while can release a lot of hair at once.

Sudden, patchy or very heavy hair loss, or skin that's red, flaky or itchy, is different. That's a reason to see your vet rather than a coat-genetics question.

Shedding and allergies

Low shedding isn't the same as low allergen. In a study of the main dog allergen, dogs of so-called hypoallergenic breeds, including Labradoodles and Poodles, actually had higher allergen levels in their hair and coat than other dogs, and airborne levels in their homes were no different. Another study found no difference in home allergen levels between homes with "hypoallergenic" dogs and other homes. If someone in your home has dog allergies, spend time with the specific dog first and talk to an allergist. Our guide to what the science says about hypoallergenic dogs covers the research in more detail.

What a DNA test can tell you

The PuppyGenes report's physical appearance section predicts furnishings, curl, coat length and shedding, each where the sample supports it, alongside breed ancestry. That can show whether your doodle carries the furnishings that usually go with lower shedding, which helps explain why it sheds more or less than its littermates. It can't promise how much hair a dog will drop, and the report doesn't include health screening. See what the results look like in our example reports, or read how the Goldendoodle and Labradoodle coats compare.