Do shelties have different coat textures?

[GordonDaSheltie]

I've always looked at shelties as a long but smooth coat breed. Now that i have my very own sheltie puppy i've noticed that his adult coat as it begins to grow ( he's 6months) looks wavy but is not rough to the touch. In fact its very fine and soft/smooth. Just curious to know if the follicle will straighten out or is it possible that he could have a wavy coat.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Wavy/soft coats do exist. They are a pain in the butt to deal with and knot up easily. They also collect random things like branches and leaves and dust, and tend to hold dirt/mud more than other coat types. I wouldn't judge it until he's a year old and you know what you are really going to get.

 

[Cara Sandler]

My Spirit Joy has some wavy patches in her hair, but she's very soft and silky. She's a year and half and her coat hasn't changed.

 

[tesslynn]

Two of mine had what I dub ruffle rear, and wavy underpants. Stuff hides in and burrows deep and sometimes you don't know what you will comb out. My other two were straight furred and not as soft unless I used a conditioner. They had thick ruff that made getting a collar that didn't bug them more difficult. All my girls have grown more fur than their parents.

 

[Mignarda]

Dickens has very soft, sleek fur that never tangles. I would say that his outer coat isn't as long as the typical Sheltie's, but that could be because he's much larger than standard. Perhaps the genes for coat length don't match up with those for size.

 

[Daisy1015]

It isnt breed standard but it happens to varied degrees. Mine have all been correct coAt type. It is my understanding that really cant be predicted until mature coat starts to come in. A family member has one with patches of waves and a softer coat type than my dogs have had become still not silky soft and still thick. His got a little straigher at 2 or so.

 

[Caro]

Deska had fairly wavy coat when he was younger, but as the fur got longer with age the wave kind of disappeared.

As for texture, coats can vary widely. Tully's outer coat is soft and doesn't tangle, Deska's coat is coarse and he's always getting knots behind the ears. I know the rough coat is preferable in a show dog, but for a pet the softer coat is much easier to manage.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Dickens has very soft, sleek fur that never tangles. I would say that his outer coat isn't as long as the typical Sheltie's, but that could be because he's much larger than standard. Perhaps the genes for coat length don't match up with those for size.

Thanks for sharing that because I've often wondered that about Bailey. He is bigger than most Shelties, sometimes mistaken for a small collie, but his coat is not as long or as thick as Katy's coat. I've often wondered about the difference.

 

[Silaria]

All three of mine have different textures in their coats. Edan's is the straightest and has the course top coat that is mostly water proof. CJ has a softer coat, but not sliky. Her coat holds onto water a little more than Edan's does but it's not soft it tangles, though she does have very thin, soft fur behind the ears that mats almost immediately. Keiran's coat is somewhere in between the other two and, currently, is a bit wavy. He also has the super soft fur behind the ears that seem to immediately mat. Keiran's only 16 months old so his adult coat is still growing in and changing regularly.

 

[ute_fan]

My Callie and my daughter's Shelby are litter mates -- and their coats are definitely different feelings. Callie's is a little fuller than Shelby's, but it's more a different texture than anything else. I have no idea which one is closer to standard as I'm not into breeding or showing, but it's interesting to me.