Oh, yeah that looks just like Max's hair! A thick black coat. I actually thought Max was going bald on top when it first starting growing in lighter
I trim Max's ears. They are supposed to help the ears stand up, but we are still working on that. I think you should do it. Make an appointment with a groomer after Saturday. Be careful though. I read a thread recently where the groomer chopped off all the puppy hair and the dog looked completely different. The OP was so unhappy.