Double-Coated Dogs: From Fluffy Puppy to Fur Explosion

Grooming
Written By Molly Reilly

If you have a double-coated dog, you know that grooming is about more than just keeping your pup looking cute. It’s about comfort, health, and the ongoing battle with fur tumbleweeds taking over your home.  

I don’t show my dogs and I’m not a professional groomer, but my dogs (Newfs) need to be groomed regularly or they get matted. Over the years, I’ve learned (often the hard way) how to keep my furry roommates healthy, my house less hairy, and grooming sessions chill.

Here’s what I wish I’d known—and what I still remind myself every time a puppy arrives.

The Newfoundland puppy phase (and probably other double-coated dogs, too)

When you first bring your Newf puppy home, their coat is lovely, manageable, and barely sheds. The puppy coat is silky, shiny, and stays tangle-free for ages. It lulls you into a false sense of security.If you’re like me, you think: “She’s perfect. Other Newf owners must just not care for their dogs—this is easy.”

Your pup barely sheds, and what little hair there is? It’s easy to sweep up. And… you skip brushing for a week, or a month, and your puppy still looks and feels great.

Then, out of nowhere, comes the first time she blows her coat in the fall—and you’re not ready for it. You vacuum a bit more, use a lint roller on your clothes, pull hair off the towels. It passes, and you’re right back to those luscious locks, thinking your dog has the best coat ever that you’re so smart to give him fish oil, feed him the right food—you’re great at this.  (and you are) Then the spring blow happens. Maybe there’s a bit more shedding, but honestly? Still so manageable. No need to brush daily (or, let’s be real, even weekly). Brushing feels optional.

Don’t be fooled that your dog’s coat is different—this is just the calm before the storm. Somewhere between ages two and three, your dog’s full coat comes in. Suddenly, your pup’s adorable fluff turns into a full-blown double coat.

What changes when the adult coat comes in

  • A double coat means your dog has a soft, insulating undercoat beneath a tougher outer layer. The undercoat is what sheds (a lot), while the top coat protects from dirt and water.

  • The undercoat gets much denser, trapping more heat—and more debris.

  • Expect mud, snow, grass, and even treats to get caught in your dog’s fur. Regular checks are essential.

  • Seasonal shedding (“blow coat”) is intense. You’ll need to brush more often and be ready for fur everywhere—for a few weeks, twice a year.

Your dog’s coat is now thicker, denser and much more prone to matting and shedding.

The “I don’t need to groom much” era is officially over. You’ll see it: clumps of fur everywhere, no matter how much you brush. This is normal—and it’s your cue to step up your grooming game. If you’ve skipped regular brushing, you now have a 100+ pound baby-monster who will absolutely freak out when you try to groom them, let alone put them on a grooming table.

You’ll need to brush him regularly - and when his coat blows twice a year, daily until he’s done. If you don’t he’ll matt up, and if you don’t tackle those matts, you will see more matts and hair everywhere.  And that’s if he’s not swimming, rolling in mud, grass wrestling—— all of which creates master matts.

With the thicker coat comes a new challenge: absolutely everything sticks. Mud, burrs, leaves—and if you live in my house: velcro rollers, pens, a piece of pizza (yes, really), and once, a bra hooked on a tail that was proudly paraded in front of guests. Your dog becomes a living Swiffer.

I don’t groom for the dog’s looks.

I groom for his or her comfort—for my furry roommates comfort and for everyone in our household. My goal is to keep the dog comfortable, prevent mats and skin issues, reduce fur in the house, keep ’em clean.

Regular Grooming

  • Prevents mats

  • Reduces skin issues

  • Keeps 'em clean and smelling nice

  • Makes each grooming session manageable

Here’s how we simplified things and kept the house cleaner:

  • Grooming is a routine - bonding time, able to check everything is alright - lots of treats

  • Comfort first, aesthetics second

  • consistency beats intensity

Here’s our weekly routine

Do a full brush-through every week, sometimes breaking it up into two sessions.

  • Comb high-friction areas (ears, behind legs, tail)

    • Mats form due to debris, including shedding hair and friction. So you’ll find them most often behind the ears, in the armpits, the bottom of the chest, the top of the neck, from drinking water, drooling, on the hindquarters, and where the hair feathers.

  • Rake the undercoat

    • Use a canister or cordless vacuum to clean up the dog's hair and the surrounding area.

  • Slicker brush


This same process is followed before a bath, whenever needed or every 3 months.

Remove mats first, then rake the undercoat, and finally brush fully with a slicker or pin brush. Do all of this before you wash your dog, or you will mat her hair further. After washing, dry thoroughly and brush with a slicker. We’ll share more about that in a separate post.

On walks — I carry a comb and brush the burrs, seeds, and whatnot out before we get home.

After big romps — I leave tools near the door so it’s easy to

  • Check for burrs

  • Removing them immediately

  • Quick pin or slicker brush where anything is hanging out that shouldn’t be

What we do when we fall behind

  • Use the Matt Cutter or Finishing Comb with Spinning teeth on small mats.

  • Run the undercoat rake through the hair gently. Do this outside, and wear clothes you're okay with getting covered in hair. Then the dematting rake.

  • If the matts are large I’ll cut them out

  • If it’s really bad, shave the affected areas, then brush every day with a soft brush so the undercoat and overcoat don’t snarl as it grows back in.

Regular Grooming Toolkit

Molly Reilly
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