# Predicting adult coat type/feel from young pups



## Delisay (Oct 9, 2006)

How easy is it to predict how a dog's coat will turn out, when inspecting a pup that's only (say) 8 weeks old? What are the clues?

I'm not certain yet whether or not I will get a Maltese, but if I do I will be looking for fur that is...
- *Thick*. A nice dense covering - not whispy or sparse as it seems to be in some Malts.
- *Soft * to the touch.
- Looks *full* - not overly flat/thin in appearance.

...So all tips for puppy-picking appreciated!









Thanks,
D.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Your best chance of getting a puppy with the proper silky coat is to get one from a reputable breeder who is carefully breeding to the breed standard. The only way to guarentee that the dogs she is breeding are near perfect representatives of the breed is to find a breeder who has them judged by professionals at shows.

There is still no guarentee, though. We have had discussions on this before and some of our breeders have said that even with careful breeding, a cottony coat will pop up every so often.

A proper coat should feel cool to the touch.

Here are a couple of recent threads we've had on the subject:

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15636

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15888


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

There is no set rule. It depends on the lines, how they mesh, does that line have coat change, etc.? The ideal thing is to go to a reputable, responsible breeder. While it is still a crap-shoot to a point, they will be able to give you the best prediction of adult coat.


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## Delisay (Oct 9, 2006)

> The only way to guarentee that the dogs she is breeding are near perfect representatives of the breed is to find a breeder who has them judged by professionals at shows.[/B]


So is that what I accidentally described?..A perfect breed standard coat...? 

- Thick. A nice dense covering - not wispy or sparse...
- Soft to the touch.
- Looks full - not overly flat/thin in appearance.

I wasn't sure if the denseness/fullness/fluffiness that I prefer is the ideal Maltese standard, which I had interpreted as being quite flat... Either way, I guess that a good breeder would be able to predict fairly well.

I'm sure that these things are a lot easier to discuss with half a dozen dogs in the room than via the computer screen! Thanks for the links...

Del.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

This is what the standard calls for:

Coat and Color - The coat is single, that is, without undercoat. It hangs long, flat, and silky over the sides of the body almost, if not quite, to the ground. The long head-hair may be tied up in a topknot or it may be left hanging. Any suggestion of kinkiness, curliness, or woolly texture is objectionable. Color, pure white. Light tan or lemon on the ears is permissible, but not desirable.

http://www.americanmaltese.org/


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## MissMelanie (Feb 13, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=289692
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 You sound like you are describing "thelittlepet"'s dogs, Bentley and Lily to me. Their coats are amazing. PM her, I know her breeder currently does have puppies available to GREAT homes.

enJOY!
Melanie


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

Maltese coats come in all sorts of thickness, silkiness, and texture. I listened to Tonia and Tammy explain all this to a new judge. They had 6 dogs sitting on tables and each one had a different coat. Each one had a different head structure too. Basically you have coats that are thinner, medium, and thick. Of course there is not an undercoat. Then you have texture. You don't want the coat "soft". It breaks easily when soft. You want it to be like fine silk, so when you pick up a section it will fall back into place. It should be cool to the touch. It shouldn't be kinky or wavy. What coat you get is in the genes of the parents. But, the product you use on the coat can change the type of coat you have. You can make it cottony with too much conditioner or leaving conditioner in the coat. Using silicone on the coat can cause breakage down the line. 
A way to tell when the puppy is about 12 weeks old. Look at the part line. Pull the coat down on both sides and really look at the coat at the part line. The first few inches from the part line will tell you the type of coat the puppy will have as an adult. It's pretty accurate. At 12 weeks of age you are going to know if the coat is going to be thick, medium or fine. 
Listen to Melanie she knows who to get a nice puppy from. Good luck on your search. Maltese are such wonderful companions.
Tina


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

> Maltese coats come in all sorts of thickness, silkiness, and texture. I listened to Tonia and Tammy explain all this to a new judge. They had 6 dogs sitting on tables and each one had a different coat. Each one had a different head structure too. Basically you have coats that are thinner, medium, and thick. Of course there is not an undercoat. Then you have texture. You don't want the coat "soft". It breaks easily when soft. You want it to be like fine silk, so when you pick up a section it will fall back into place. It should be cool to the touch. It shouldn't be kinky or wavy. What coat you get is in the genes of the parents. But, the product you use on the coat can change the type of coat you have. You can make it cottony with too much conditioner or leaving conditioner in the coat. Using silicone on the coat can cause breakage down the line.
> A way to tell when the puppy is about 12 weeks old. Look at the part line. Pull the coat down on both sides and really look at the coat at the part line. The first few inches from the part line will tell you the type of coat the puppy will have as an adult. It's pretty accurate. At 12 weeks of age you are going to know if the coat is going to be thick, medium or fine.
> Listen to Melanie she knows who to get a nice puppy from. Good luck on your search. Maltese are such wonderful companions.
> Tina[/B]


 

Thank you Tina. I love it when someone is able to give us good and well said advice. You described it so well, I feel like there were six dogs in the room.


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## NewMom328 (Apr 15, 2005)

> Maltese coats come in all sorts of thickness, silkiness, and texture. I listened to Tonia and Tammy explain all this to a new judge. They had 6 dogs sitting on tables and each one had a different coat. Each one had a different head structure too. Basically you have coats that are thinner, medium, and thick. Of course there is not an undercoat. Then you have texture. You don't want the coat "soft". It breaks easily when soft. You want it to be like fine silk, so when you pick up a section it will fall back into place. It should be cool to the touch. It shouldn't be kinky or wavy. What coat you get is in the genes of the parents. But, the product you use on the coat can change the type of coat you have. You can make it cottony with too much conditioner or leaving conditioner in the coat. Using silicone on the coat can cause breakage down the line.
> A way to tell when the puppy is about 12 weeks old. Look at the part line. Pull the coat down on both sides and really look at the coat at the part line. The first few inches from the part line will tell you the type of coat the puppy will have as an adult. It's pretty accurate. At 12 weeks of age you are going to know if the coat is going to be thick, medium or fine.
> Listen to Melanie she knows who to get a nice puppy from. Good luck on your search. Maltese are such wonderful companions.
> Tina[/B]



That mustve been really neat to watch Tammy and Tonia explain about coat types and actually have dogs to exhibit the different types of coats!! Thats something I wish I couldve been there for! Great advice also!


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## Cathy (Mar 19, 2006)

> There is no set rule. It depends on the lines, how they mesh, does that line have coat change, etc.? The ideal thing is to go to a reputable, responsible breeder. While it is still a crap-shoot to a point, they will be able to give you the best prediction of adult coat.[/B]



Jamie,

You're sure right about it be somewhat of a crap shoot. Some lines are reported to not have coat changes and others there is a definite change. Some even have a mixture. Sophie's dam who is from one of the top lines had a cottony coat as a puppy and now as an adult has a lovely silky coat. Sophie as a puppy had a thick silky coat but as she grew older it remained silky over the shoulders but turned course and wavey from the shoulders toward the rear. You never know for sure what the adult coat will look like until it's here.

Cathy


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