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Sheltie Coat Texture?

Discussion in 'Grooming' started by BarbV, Apr 15, 2012.

  1. BarbV

    BarbV Forums Celebrity

    I've got Indy who is soft and fluffy, still almost like a puppy!

    I've got Bacca who's guard hair coat is definitely of a harder texture.

    And I keep meeting other Shelties, whose coats are so soft and smooth compared to Bacca. His hair a slightly wirey texture to it.

    I reviwed the breed standard for Shelties which describes them:

    The coat should be double, the outer coat consisting of long, straight, harsh hair; the undercoat short, furry, and so dense as to give the entire coat its "standoff" quality. The hair on face, tips of ears and feet should be smooth. Mane and frill should be abundant, and particularly impressive in males. The forelegs well feathered, the hind legs heavily so, but smooth below the hock joint. Hair on tail profuse. Note: Excess-hair on ears, feet, and on hocks may be trimmed for the show ring. Faults-- Coat short or flat, in whole or in part; wavy, curly, soft or silky. Lack of undercoat. Smooth-coated specimens.

    What is meant by "harsh" hair?

    And the 2nd question is: If I wanted softer hair for Bacca, what product(s) would you recommend? I've experiemented with Isle of Dogs Silky Brushing Spray with some success as well as Naked Care.

    Or should I just relish that he has the classic harsher coat that the breed standard endorses.

    Eyes spinning! Your's probably too!
     
  2. mbfrench

    mbfrench Forums Celebrity

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    You have described Trapp to a "T"!

    He has a totally differant texture of coat than Jasper. Jasper is so soft & snuggly,and Trapp is snuggly..but with a very harsh standoffish coat.And alot of it!
     
  3. Justicemom

    Justicemom Forums Celebrity

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    Of my dogs, Justice and Jamie have the correct coat type. I think Birch will too. It is diffinitely straight. It is still little soft but blues tend to be slightly softer than the other colors. Ember has a nice straight, harsh coat too not as hard as the boys. Diva has a softer coat.

    The texture is slightly on the wiry side but not as prickly as a wire coated terrier if that makes sense. The wire coat will poke and stick into your skin but a correct sheltie coat does not. If the testure is right, the dog will look full even if the undercoat is lacking. However, it is not brittle or dry. It just stands up and away from the body. If the coat is too soft, it kind of drapes flatly on the body. Only with a massive amount of undercoat will the coat look full.

    Also the soft coat picks up everything, sticks ,leaves, burrs, etc. The harsh coat is like teflon everything falls right off. I covet the harsh coat and finally I am being able to see it even in puppies. The coat just feels worng. It took me years to figure it out.

    Look at this picture of Jamie- this picture he is out of coat and ungroomed and still looks like he has a full coat. The same amount of undercoat in Diva.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2013
  4. Lightplum

    Lightplum Forums Sage

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    the best way to describe "harsh" hair would be to relate it to humans..sort of..think of African American hair its a different texture than say a blonde Swedish person..the AA hair is harsh/coarse, its a different strand makeup than the blonde.

    Once you feel a harsh coat you can immediately feel the difference from there on out...The harsh coat is 100 times easier to work with than an incorrect soft coat....and with keeping to the standard it protects the dog out in the elements with a harsh coat, it keeps the burrs/brambles from getting into the dog..not that they dont stick in the coat because they do, but a softer coat attracts and holds the debris more.

    Not to mention when show grooming a harsh coat you really have to use little product in it to get it to "hold".
     
  5. Lightplum

    Lightplum Forums Sage

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    Yes exactly I can show Noah completely Naked and will never know how little coat undercoat he has from a distance, only when you get your hands in the coat you go ahhhhhhhh:lol:
     
  6. eneda

    eneda Forums Regular

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    You can try conditioning her hair before drying with either a rinse or leave on conditioner. I love Pet Head conditioners and Pebbles hair is puppy soft afterwards, and smells so nice.
     
  7. romeosangiovese

    romeosangiovese Forums Enthusiast

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    Hmm.. this is odd. Juliet has what I would regard as the harsher coat (her fur sticks out) but she always brings home half the field when we go out (takes forever to pluck the bits out). Her fur also gets matted very easily.

    Romeo on the other hands has a softer coat and never gets anything tangled in his coat and also rarely ever gets any matts (soooo easy to groom). Even my husband always says Romeo's coat is smoother and softer than Juliet.

    Maybe I've got it the wrong way round..:confused2:
     
  8. Chris

    Chris Premium Member

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    Beckon has the "perfect" Sheltie coat. That harsh outer coat sheds dirt, doesn't tangle, and generally is the perfect weather-beater. Everyone else has the softer coat, to varying degrees.

    I wish my hair was like his!!!
     
  9. Justicemom

    Justicemom Forums Celebrity

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    It could be the undercoat. When the dogs have alot of undercoat that is what seems to clump and collect the field bits. Ember has a very cottony undercoat and it likes to stick together and mat. That is the spay coat part, I think because it didn't happen until she was spayed.
     
  10. Sheltiemama

    Sheltiemama Forums Enthusiast

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    My littlest Sheltie, Max, has what the groomer called a "cotton" coat. He is just one big puff ball! LOTS of hair but soft as cotton.

    Casey has what I think of as normal Sheltie hair.

    Rascal being only half sheltie has a flatter coat but still is double coated.
     

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