# Coat questions



## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I'm just curious if offsprings inherit dam or sire's coat type? If both dam and sire have straight silky hair, do they produce puppies with straight silky hair? What if each parent has different type of hair? I'm trying to understand if parents are good indication of what you'll get in a puppy. 

My gang are not show dogs and I love them to bits but their hair are so different and do require lots of work (times 3). Raine's mom is a champion but Raine has cottony hair. Both of Napoleon's parents are champs but he has thick (not silky) hair. I met the moms of both but their hair were already cut short so couldn't tell you what their hair was like. 

Is it possible to tell when they're puppy what kind of hair they'll have when grown? Napoleon's hair was thick and straight but now that he's going through his coat change his new hair on the back is coming out wavy.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

The best guesstimate would be from a breeder who knows what the lines they are dealing with produce and what types of puppy coats tend to turn into what type of adult coat. Unfortunately, I don't think coats are a simple inheritance of just mom's or dad's.


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## ckim111 (Dec 17, 2008)

Leah has a very silky coat and according to Bonnie, her dad produces many offspring with this type of coat. I guess genetics plays a big part but I'm sure there is no guarantee.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

So far Lola's coat is straight and silkyish, but still puppy. I think the only way to get a certain coat or look you want is to buy maybe a year old, that has already got the look. Seems really hard to tell from a puppy. Even the breeders get surprised I think.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

There are so many different types of Maltese coats. When the puppy is about 12 weeks old you can tell if it is going to be straight or wavy by parting the hair down the back and pulling it out and seeing what the coat looks like at the parted line. 
Some dogs pass on their coat and some don't. Genes. My two girls that were finished earlier this year each had a different coat. They are siblings. One had the dams coat and the other had the sire's coat. It is not always easy to say what coat they will end up with.
And product can make a differnce too.

Tina


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks for the info, Tina...I didn't realize that. I figured hair type was always an inherited thing...hmmmm.... :huh:


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Wow, I guess it's not as simple as I thought. I supposed it's somewhat like us people with different hair texture/color than our parents.  

Tina, you mentioned products. Could you please elaborate.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

The products you use, your water, and your grooming technique have a large influence on what the dog's coat is like. A lovely silk coat can mat and be a frizzy mess with improper care. Same said a coat that is too soft can look great and silky with great care.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

QUOTE (JMM @ Dec 16 2009, 10:17 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=863166


> The products you use, your water, and your grooming technique have a large influence on what the dog's coat is like. A lovely silk coat can mat and be a frizzy mess with improper care. Same said a coat that is too soft can look great and silky with great care.[/B]


Jackie said it quite well. You'd be surprised how the product can change the coat and coat texture. The water might not work well with the product too. 

Tina


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Got it. Thanks Jackie and Tina. The hard part is all my 3 have 3 different coats. I'm noticing that one responds better to a certain shampoo and conditioner. I guess there's no one size fits all. :blink: Perhaps with any luck my next Malt (working on DH but he said NO on a fourth one) will have easy to manage and hopefully straight silky hair. I'll definitely look closer at the hair on the back.


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