Sheltie Coat

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spjoap

Forums Regular
Hi I would like to know if you have any thougts or advice on how to make a very soft and silky coat a bit more like the classic sheltie coat, that is a bit courser.
 
Hormones and temperature play an enormous role in coat texture. If your Sheltie has been neutered or spayed, the coat will be softer and silkier (sometimes woolier, in bitches). Likewise, if your dog spends all of his/her time in the house with you, the coat is going to tend towards being soft, thin, and drapey. The benefits of having your dog "fixed" and keeping your Sheltie in the house 24/7 far outweigh the gains of a coarser coat, in my opinion, unless you are actively pursuing a show career for your dog.

There are some shampoos that are marketed as being able to make coats coarser (the terrier folks use them), and they might be worth considering.
 
I love the plush puppy line of products - they are hugely popular over here in Australia. The site has grooming guide for Shelties (using the Plush Puppy products of course), but it gives you an idea of the type of products to use on different parts.
http://www.plushpuppy.com.au/content/index.php?id=368

I have one of each type of coat - one with a very soft coat and one with a harsh coat. With my soft coated sheltie I use Puffy Puppy (thanks Smudge) - which is kind of like a mousse for dogs. There are also a couple of products specifically designed to harshen coats, I'm sure other grooming product companies must also produce coat harshening products (Plush puppy do one called Ruffy Tuffy coat). I dont use the coat roughening products (not showing anymore) which is why I stick to the Puffy Puppy - just adds extra volume to her coat.

And yep, Plush Puppy are available in the UK http://www.plushpuppy.co.uk/
 
She is a serious show dog and un-neutered.
I will look into the shampoos and see what happens.
Everthing else about her is excellent, she just needs to have a courser coat.
 
spjoap said:
She is a serious show dog and un-neutered.
I will look into the shampoos and see what happens.
Everthing else about her is excellent, she just needs to have a courser coat.
Click to expand...

how old is she? I know when Nickle was younger he had a really really soft coat that over time has gotten rougher. Cambria has a silky soft coat as well and I've noticed it already getting rougher. Are you supplementing with fish oil? I did that during the winter and the coat got a bit softer then too.
 
How hold is she? It could be just puppy coat still.

That being said, I know I saw something either here or on another site to deal with that soft fluffy coat (Indy has the same thing - and it causes his fur to stick out and curl, instead of drape down). I'll try and see if I can track it down and post later. (I do not think it was Plush Puppy, btw - it might have been Chris Christensen)
 
I agree with the advice you've gotten -- age is such a factor. You can do a lot with shampoos and chalk!
 
Thanks Pippa is 16 months now, our other dog has a perfect coat, exactly the right texture.
We will follow the advice and try a few things suggested.
Though she is due to be mated in August/ September and we have been told that it is likely her coat will improve eventually after this.
She is going to serious show dog breeders who breed champions in the UK, so Pippa is not that far off being a very good babe.
 
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