Ever wondered what made your dog’s hair unique and how to better take care of it? We at Friday’s Dog want to help you understand your fuzzy buddy better! So, we’ve created a coat guide to help you know what kind of fur your dog has and how you take the best possible care of your dog. Whatever hair dew your fuzzy buddy has, we have the guide and the resources to help you take care of him.
Let’s start today by looking at some basic lengths and types.
How Long Is Your Dog’s Coat?
Your dog’s hair length is the first thing you’ll probably notice about your dog’s coat. The length of your dog’s hair may determine more about how you take care of the coat than anything else. So, let’s review the available hair lengths and how to take care of them.
Short
A short-haired dog is any dog with hairs less than 1 inch long. This coat type might be the easiest on the owners, and they don’t need the extra help hairless dogs need. They also don’t need to be groomed as often as longer-haired dogs: all the protection and none of the hassle.
However, it may be helpful to determine some distinguishing characteristics. There aren’t necessarily short-haired “breeds.” All dogs can be bred and mixed to create something new. For example, there are short-haired chihuahuas and long-haired chihuahuas. There are also normal golden retrievers and curly-haired golden retrievers. These coats still need regular washing but not as often as longer-haired breeds.
Despite what you may think, short-haired breeds also require brushing, but unlike longer-haired dogs, they don’t shed in clumps or stop shedding as they continue to shed year-round. So a brushing routine is essential for a short-haired dog due to the persistent shedding. If you don’t brush its hair out, your couch will do the work for you!
Medium
Medium-coated dogs are longer than one inch but shorter than two inches. Brushing most medium dog coats is less about managing shedding and more about keeping its coat from becoming matted and tangled. You might not have to do as much maintenance with medium-length coats as a long-haired dog but expect to do a little extra work as you brush more often.
Other than that, the washing routine is straightforward. As a fun bonus, medium-coated dogs’ coats act as a defensive shield, and their fur doesn’t tend to get dirty or smelly quickly. But if it’s been a couple of weeks or your dog starts to fail its smell test, give it a feel-good bath!
Long
Finally, there are our long-haired friends. A dog is classified as having a long-haired coat if it’s longer than 2 inches. The good news is that tracking long-haired dogs’ shedding periods is pretty straightforward. They tend to shed seasonally in the spring and fall. The bad news is that when they do shed, they shed a lot, and their long hairs also make it more obvious where they’re shedding.
If you decide to get or already have a long-haired dog, prepare your brushing routine and get your favorite shampoo ready! Your grooming routines are now more important than ever.
Those long and luscious locks are beautiful, but you must take extra good care of them. One way to take extra special care of your especially furry doggy is to use a conditioner.
Conditioners help all dogs’ coats since shampoos eliminate many of the oils in their fur. However, long-haired dogs can use them even more than the others. Long-haired dogs need to produce more oil to coat the extra hair fibers.
Introduction to Coat Types: How Many Layers Does Your Dog Have?
There are two coat types: double and single coat. After that, they are put into different categories. The most basic coat is the single coat. Your dog being single-coated means it only has one layer of hair.
Double-coated dogs have, like their name suggests, 2 layers of hair. Double coated dogs have an “undercoat,” which acts as a protectant. The shorter inner layer acts as an insulator during the winter.
The main difference between single and double-coated dogs is that single-coated dogs shed less and may need a little something extra when it’s freezing outside. Double-coated dogs are typically much warmer in the winter and, at times, can counter-intuitively be cooler in the summer. Although it’s common for dogs to shed their “winter” coat and carry a lighter one during the summer, it’s probably best to keep double-coated dogs away from high heat for too long.
More to Come About Your Doggy’s Coat
You know your fuzzy buddy and his friends a little better. Knowing your doggy’s hair will help you keep up with his needs. Grooming is much easier when you know what to do about your dog’s hair length and whether it’s a single or double coat. For example, a single-coated short-haired dog will need less care than a double-coated long-haired dog.
This was just the beginning of what there is to learn about your dog’s wondrous hair! After reading both parts, we believe you’ll feel ready to care for your dog’s specific hair needs.