Fleece Coat or Curly Coat? How to Tell What Your Oodle Has
Dog LoveFleece coat or curly coat, and how to tell which one you have
Two oodles can look identical in a photo and need completely different routines at home. The answer is not in the breed name. It is in how the hair behaves the moment you put your fingers into it.
A fleece coat forgives a missed week. A curly coat does not. Knowing which one you have is the difference between brushing on a routine and brushing in a panic.
Why coat type tells you more than breed does
Cavoodle, Groodle, Spoodle, Labradoodle. The name on the paperwork says almost nothing about the coat you have to look after.
Oodles are a cross, and coat type is one of the things that shuffles most freely in a litter. Two puppies from the same mother can grow up with completely different hair, which is why one owner swears their Cavoodle is easy and the next one is in the salon every five weeks with knots. Neither owner is doing anything wrong. They simply have different dogs.
In practice we see three coats in the salon. Fleece is the loose wavy one, soft and light, and it is the most common. Curly, sometimes called wool, is the tight springy one that holds its shape when you press it. Straight, sometimes called hair, is flat and silky, sheds a little more, and is the easiest of the three to keep on top of. Most of this article is about the first two, because those are the coats that mat. If you want the wider picture across all breeds, our guide on what coat type your dog actually has covers the rest, and our Cavoodle coat types guide goes deeper on the oodle side.
One more thing worth knowing before you test anything. Puppy coat is not adult coat. A lot of oodles carry a soft, forgiving puppy coat until somewhere between eight and fourteen months, then the adult coat comes through underneath it and the brushing suddenly gets harder. If your dog has just started knotting after a year of easy brushing, that change is usually the reason.
The two coats, side by side
The fleece coat
Loose open waves that fall rather than bounce. It feels soft and slightly cool in the hand, and it moves when your dog moves.
- It hangs. Lift a section and let go, and it drops back down instead of springing up.
- You can see skin. Part the coat with your fingers and it opens easily, all the way to the skin.
- A comb runs through. A metal comb reaches the base without fighting you, at least when the coat is dry and clean.
- Knots start at friction points. Behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits. The open areas usually stay clear.
- Brushing every second or third day holds it together comfortably, with a full groom around every six to eight weeks.
The curly coat
Tight defined curls close to the body. It feels dense and springy, more like a firm cushion than a soft blanket, and it barely moves when your dog runs.
- It springs. Press your palm into it and it pushes back, then returns to shape when you lift off.
- It resists parting. Push your fingers in and the coat closes over them rather than opening in a clean line.
- A comb stalls. You will feel it stop partway down, which is the point where felting begins if it is left alone.
- Knots form everywhere. Not just at friction points. Across the back, down the legs, over the whole chest.
- Brushing daily is the honest answer, with a full groom around every four to six weeks.
Coat at a glance
If you want one table to keep on the fridge, this is it. Work down the left column and see which side your dog keeps landing on.
| What you are checking | Fleece coat | Curly coat |
|---|---|---|
| Shape of the hair | Loose open wave | Tight defined curl |
| Feel in the hand | Soft and light | Dense and springy |
| Press and release | Stays flat | Bounces back |
| Parting to the skin | Opens easily | Closes over your fingers |
| Brushing at home | Every second or third day | Daily |
| Full groom every | Six to eight weeks | Four to six weeks |
| Matting risk | Moderate, mostly at friction points | High, and fastest when damp |
Plenty of oodles sit between the two. A wavy coat with tight curls on the ears and tail is extremely common, and the kindest approach is to brush the whole dog on the curly schedule. The coat will tell you soon enough if that is more than it needs.
The thirty second test
Do this on a dry, clean, settled dog. A wet or dusty coat behaves like a curlier coat than it really is, so you will get a false answer.
Run these on the shoulder, where the coat is most honest
- The press. Flat palm into the coat, then lift. Springs back is curly. Stays put is fleece.
- The part. Push two fingers in. A clean line to the skin is fleece. A coat that closes over is curly.
- The lift. Take a small section, hold it up, let it drop. Falling is fleece. Bouncing is curly.
- The comb. One slow pass with a metal comb. Smooth to the skin is fleece. Stalling partway is curly.
Three or four checks pointing the same way is your answer. A split result means a mixed coat, and mixed coats do best on the curly routine. If the comb will not reach the skin anywhere at all, the coat is already past home brushing, and our oodle grooming team in Adelaide can reset it gently rather than you working at it.
What changes once you know
This is the useful part. Coat type does not change what you buy so much as how often you use it, and where you start.
Both coats want the same small set of tools. A slicker brush to open the coat, a metal comb to check your work, and a detangling spray so the hair slides instead of snapping. For fleece and curly coats a dematting rake is a fair addition for the stubborn spots, used lightly and only on a knot you can already slide with your fingers. Our Dogify Detangling Spray is the one we reach for on the table, because a dry coat is where most of the breakage happens.
The method matters more than the kit. Work in small sections, brush from the skin outwards rather than skimming the top, and finish every section with the comb. If the comb reaches the skin, that section is done. If it does not, the brush has only tidied the surface and the knot is still sitting underneath. Our guide on how to brush an oodle properly at home walks through the sequence, and how to get mats out without shaving covers the ones that have already set.
Then there are the days that undo a week of good work. Wet walks, beach sand, a swim in the dam, and damp from a long afternoon in a harness. A curly coat felts fastest while it is drying, so a comb through once your dog is dry is worth more than an extra brush on a dry day. If knots have become the normal state of things, the honest read on why is in the oodle matting crisis, and how often to groom an oodle sets the salon rhythm around it.
Not sure which one you have? Brush on the curly schedule for a fortnight. A fleece coat will look wonderful and a curly coat will finally keep up.
Coat type questions we hear in the salon
How do I tell if my oodle has a fleece or curly coat?
Press your flat palm into the coat on the shoulder, then lift it off. A curly coat springs back and holds its shape. A fleece coat stays where you put it. Back that up by parting the coat with two fingers, which opens in a clean line on a fleece coat and closes over your fingers on a curly one. Do it on a dry, clean dog, because a damp coat behaves curlier than it really is.
Which coat type mats faster?
Curly, and by a wide margin. A fleece coat tends to knot at friction points such as behind the ears, under the collar and in the armpits, while a curly coat can felt across the back, chest and legs. Curly coats felt fastest of all while they are drying after a swim or a wet walk, so a comb through once your dog is dry is the single most useful habit.
Can my dog's coat type change?
The coat you were brushing as a puppy often is not the adult coat. Many oodles carry a soft, forgiving puppy coat until somewhere between eight and fourteen months, then the adult coat comes through underneath and brushing gets noticeably harder. Nothing has gone wrong. It is worth running the test again around that age.
What is a wool coat, and is it the same as curly?
Yes. Wool is the word breeders use most often and curly is the word we use in the salon, and both describe the tight springy coat that sits closest to the Poodle side. If a breeder told you wool, read every curly note in this article as yours.
How often should each coat be brushed?
A fleece coat holds together nicely with a brush through every second or third day and a full groom around every six to eight weeks. A curly coat wants brushing daily and a full groom around every four to six weeks. A mixed coat, which is very common, does best on the curly routine.
My oodle has different coats in different places. Which one do I follow?
Follow the curliest part. A wavy body with tight curls on the ears, tail and legs is one of the most common combinations we see, and those curly patches will knot on their own schedule regardless of what the body is doing. Brush the whole dog on the curly routine and pay extra attention to the tight areas.