Undercoat...gone!

S

Samba

Forums Regular
Okay, I have only shown Shepherds. They completely blow coat at times. I know some handlers try to leave as much of that undercoat in to get through a show sometimes. I have always just taken the undercoat out that was giving way, and get on with growing new coat.

But, then, there is this Sheltie youngster. I upped his brushing schedule this spring. His undercoat came out. All out. Seemed similar to my Shepherds coat blow. Now he is rather slick and not poofy! Someone suggested I should have left more undercoat in there. How does it go with these guys on coat turn over?
 
Many people strip (remove) there shelties under coat to keep them cool in the summer and unless you are showing him I don't think there's anything to worry about. How old is he? His fur may not be fully grown yet, some shelties take up to three years for there fur to reach full maturity.
Tabs
 
He is 17 months. But, he did have a good bit of undercoat and was a poofy dude. Operative word...DID!:eek2:

So, when I show him I have to somehow line brush line frequently and still leave undercoat? Funny stuff after 20 years of the GSDs. I am used to taking no prisoners when it comes to the fluffy stuff. :smile2: On the GSD, it doesn't come out unless it is ready to go. Oooopsie:o
 
I usually remove as much undercoat in the spring as I can to prepare them for the summer heat, but I don't show any of my shelties.

Shelties often don't get their full coats till their around 2-3 years old, so I'm not surprised if you accidentally groomed away the undercoat on your young sheltie. :smile2:

Milo, my parent's sheltie didn't get a thick coat till he was 3 years old.

Don't worry, it should start thickening up in the fall. :smile2:
 
remove all of the undercoat, there will be times when you cant show because they are out of coat..its just the name of the game...You are better to get it all out though so that the new will come in..you can speed things along by doing warm baths once a week and that will help pull out all the dead undercoat.
If you leave the shedding undercoat in it will make their coat fall clumpy and funny so they wont look their best in the ring anyway so your better off just taking it all out..
 
Oh, Linda, thanks for this word! I just could not bear to leave what appeared to be easily giving way undercoat in there! He carried a coat all poofed out with undercoat all winter. I did not brush fanatically then, but the fluff also did not easily pull away then either.

Also, I think I have "ruined" his show coat in anothet way. I feed my showing GSD Eukanuba and supplement with Omegaderm. It makes a soft, shiney coat come in. Feeding the Sheltie guy this way, I have a softish top coat that looks like patent leather with shine. His coat is much harsher if I don't feed like this? I like the softness, shine and moistness but I wonder if I am making him into a better silken wind hound than Sheltie for exhibition??!
 
It sounds like he went through his first full blow. If the undercoat wants to come out, brush it out! With males, you will generally have a full shed out once a year. It still amazes me how much undercoat you can brush out in one area when they are blowing.
I don't see how you can ruin a coat with supplements. It's in the genes. Some shelties are soft and others are harsh. They are officially suppose to have a harsh feeling coat... but not dry, and course.
 
SheltieLuver said:
It sounds like he went through his first full blow. If the undercoat wants to come out, brush it out! With males, you will generally have a full shed out once a year. It still amazes me how much undercoat you can brush out in one area when they are blowing.
I don't see how you can ruin a coat with supplements. It's in the genes. Some shelties are soft and others are harsh. They are officially suppose to have a harsh feeling coat... but not dry, and course.
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yup thanks for replying...coat type is entirely genetic..supplements will help a coat but nothing drastically..
 
It makes sense that much of a dogs coat is genetic. Though I do not like the corn in it, I have seen GSD coats transformed by Eukanuba many times over the years. After years of trying various oil supplements, I will also pay whatever Virbac asks for those darn Omegaderm packets. :winkgrin:
Sure, the genetics must set the limits as to what is achievable. Little guy just had a much harsher top coat before I put him on the "diet" so I am thinking it will return to its previous state once off the program. The before and after on his fur has been an amazing change. It will be an interesting experiment.

In the meantime, coarse coat shampoo and something with some stiffness may help. I have felt very soft, silky and fine coats on Shelties that seemed more like hair than a correct coarse coat. His isn't like that.
 
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If you brush it and it comes out, then it SHOULD be brushed out. That's a given. Don't forget to line brush though. You want the undercoat out, not the guard hair. Also, a certain amount of undercoat is normal. It serves as an insulator. You only want to strip out the loose stuff.

My recommendation....don't ever shave though unless in extreme circumstances. Shaved guard hair may not ever grow back properly. I know some people shave their dogs, but that is not my personal preference. It really comes down to exactly that.....personal preference and what you are able to maintain.

A comparable example is a Shih-tsu. Show standard is a long flowy coat, but every owner that comes into my stores wants them shaved. They just don't want the up keep. My opinion is then get a Jack Russel, but hey, that's my opinion. :gaah:hide
 
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