A question about puppy fur....

[kalija]

This may be a dumb question, but all my previous dogs came to me as adults. Zuki is is about 7 months old now (we think). When we got him as a pup about 8 weeks, he was very fluffy coated, and we thought he would have long fur. He is a mix of possibly BC, plus who knows? Anyhow, the baby fur fell out, and his coat was very sleek and short, kinda like lab fur, except ultra soft. Well, now it is growing , but very slowly. Its growing longer at his neck and shoulders, and he is getting feathering on his back legs.The rest is still kinda short, and he has NO undercoat. So I was thinking about it and wondering if all puppies fur totally change like this, and will it keep changing? I guess my question is, when do dogs get their adult coat? It would be nice if it keeps growing, since it gets pretty cold here in winter and he loves to play outside.

[britishbandit]

I'd say the coat he has now, is the coat it's gonna be. It's hard to tell, since you aren't positive what his mixes are.

[Spiritus]

If he's going to be long-coated, at seven months of age, the coat is not growing. With my Belgians, there is a very distinct difference between puppy coat and adult coat. I would think that the only breeds where there aren't the diffences would be the "hair" breeds (Poodles, etc.) that don't shed, but continually grow.

IME, Belgians don't reach full mature coat until about three years of age.... I've seen 6 month old labs with an adult coat stripe down their back.

[poodlesmom]

Actually poodles' hair changes quite a bit from puppyhood to adult. As puppies it is very soft and the curl is looser. As they mature and start getting clipped it turns to a "harder" feel and the curls are tighter. I was quite surprised when Farley's changed so much. Chloe's changed as well although hers is a little softer but no where as soft as it was when she was a pup.

[kalija]

Hmmm, its definetely still getting longer, that sounds like its out of the ordinary then. Guess we have to wait and see.....

[Camz]

I know that with some breeds, it can take from two to three years for an adult coat to fully come in.

[Pondwader]

With old english sheepdogs they are very soft anf fluffy as puppies, but as they mature the coat becomes coarser. They have an abundant undercoat, but it's the guard coat that is harsh and gives it that texture. With OES most usually start changing coat at 6-8 months but many are not finished til 2 years of age or more.

[llsnwtsn]

Yes. All puppy fur changes. In most cases the puppy fur will fall out by 9 or 10 months and the coat will remain for most of the pets adulthood.

[Elli]

Ok here is another question about puppy fur... I have two long coat chihuahua's one is a year and the other is six months...my female's coat is growing beautifully but my little boys coat is well not growing as well and as soon or fast as my females. How long does it take for their coats to grow? he has the long hair around is ears and neck but everything else is still kinda short.

[linnie]

Hi Elli I have owned 3 long hair chi's and each pne had different hair growth.
Chloe had a very thick coat and lovely fluffy ears.
Lucy had a finer coat but a delightfull ruff around her neck.
You need to wait till they molt then you should see their final type of coat

[Elli]

ok thanks just didnt know how long it would take....thanks!!

[Sugardog]

I think that the only way to know for sure is just wait and find out

My GSD had puppy fuzz when I got her at 9 weeks. At around 4 months, she got a stripe of adult fur down her back and by 6 months lost all her puppy fuzz. Now she's 8 months, but her coat is still growing longer, especialy around the shoulder and neck area, tail, and back of theighs. I think with shepherds it takes about 2 years for them to fill out and and actually look an adult shepherd rather than a scrawny adolescent.

[Elli]

lol yeah it took ours a long time to look like an "adult" hes almost three now and getting gray around his nose!! it looks like a beard.