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Double coats and grooming Updated with PIPs further down.
Hi Pesties!! I hope you haven't forgotten about me. Cori and Salty are doing great and we miss you all!
I have a question about coats and grooming. How can you tell if you your mutt has a double coat if his fur is all wonky? I know Salty does, his is really easy to tell. Cori, OTOH, has crazycakes fur. Its all different textures and sticks up all different ways and there's no uniformity to it all. Its all different lengths too. My uncle says he looks like a brillo pad with legs. Im thinking about getting him shaved for the summer, but I know if he has a double coat I really shouldn't. If I go to the groomers, will they be able to tell if he has a double coat?
I've heard horror stories about groomers and I know they will shave your dog even if they know they're double coated. I've never taken a dog to be groomed, so this is all new to me and I dont want to mess Cori's coat up. Any tips?
Re: Double coats and grooming Updated with PIPs further down.
Unfortunately I don't really have an answer about the coat - I just wanted to say I'm happy Salty and Cori are doing well. I told everyone I knew about Salty and your reunion so I'm glad they're both good.
Our guy has a double coat, but it's pretty obvious that the fur underneath is a different color and different texture than the fur on top. Hope you get it figured out!
Cavet - This might be completely wrong, the following are my uneducated guesses.
Would a dog with a double coat grow his coat to a certain length and then it stops growing vs. a dog w/o a double coat, whose coat would just, keep growing? For example, shih tzus just keep growing vs. a golden retriever that has fur that grows to a certain length then stops. I know you said it's different lengths, but maybe the longest parts are all the same length?
Also, with all of the different textures, I'd think indicates more towards a double coat?
My other uneducated guess is that you may be able to tell soonish with the weather changing whether Cori has a double coat if you start seeing his fur everywhere.
Yes, a good groomer will be able to tell if your dog has a double coat and they should discourage you from shaving him/her (although it seems like you understand its not in your dogs best interests). They shoudl be able to just give him a bath and clean him up for you, it sounds like he does have a double coat based on your description. Good luck!
This is the best pic I could find of his coat. This was soon after I adopted him and it does seem that the fur around his neck especially is longer now. Im telling you, I've never seen a coat like his. I have a friend that has had all types of dogs all her life and she couldnt stop commenting about how odd his coat is.
You can kind of see the different crazy lengths in this one.
I don't want to hijack here, but could someone explain to me why you shouldn't shave a dog with a double coat? We have a golden and it is very hot here in Louisiana. We aren't planning on shaving him, but one of our neighbors shaves his golden, so I'd like to know the reason not to do it in case I get a chance to bring it up with him. It does seem like the long coat is a lot of fur in our summer weather.
Thanks!
And Loony, your dog is super cute, hope someone has an answer for you!
When you shave a double coat its like taking away the dog's personal air conditioner. The bottom layer let's the hot air out but still keeps the cool air in (I have no idea the science of this, I just know that's what happens) so when you shave it off they have no way of keeping the cool air anymore.
http://woof.doggyloot.com/truths-and-myths-about-shaving-dogs-with-double-coats/
Thank you, I was not aware of this. Sounds like we could still shave a patch on his belly and be okay, but I should let my neighbor know that they might not actually be making their dog cooler.
Hope you find a solution for your pup!
No.
Here's an article on double coats and which types of breeds have them: http://www.ehow.com/info_8203526_dog-breeds-double-coats.html