# I need to make Hobgoblin's coat softer



## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Hobgoblin's coat hurts me. Like I've been scratching myself for hours now because he laid in my lap for 10minutes. I love him so much and want to cuddle with him but his coat is so coarse I can't. I need to make his coat softer. Is that possible? He is a Dobe x GSD, possibly something else too. He leaves little hairs in the couch, in my clothes, in the blankets and they make me itch really bad so I've had to ban him from all of the furniture. It's almost like I'm allergic to him it is so bad.


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## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

What's his diet like? That can have an effect on coat 
Coconut oil or salmon oil seem to work well too


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## mudypony (Jul 31, 2014)

This: http://www.amazon.com/Wholistic-Pet...lmon+oil&pebp=1421325949429&peasin=B005Q0JGDQ

It makes my dog's coat so soft and shiny and reduces shedding a ton! Whenever I happen to run out my dog's coat becomes much more course, and he starts shedding like crazy. I've also tried different brands of salmon oils and none of the others seem to work as well.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

mudypony said:


> This: http://www.amazon.com/Wholistic-Pet...lmon+oil&pebp=1421325949429&peasin=B005Q0JGDQ
> 
> It makes my dog's coat so soft and shiny and reduces shedding a ton! Whenever I happen to run out my dog's coat becomes much more course, and he starts shedding like crazy. I've also tried different brands of salmon oils and none of the others seem to work as well.


Be careful with fish oil though. It can deplete a dog's vitamin E and make him sick. 

This stuff has vitamin E in it to make up for the depletion: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N2VOU0...UTF8&colid=19FN3DF1AKAHM&coliid=I97XKH0Z894C5


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## fourdogs (Feb 3, 2014)

Are you near a TSC?

They have a product in the horse section "Cowboy Magic Detangle and Shine." 
Should help some.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Yes I buy the dog's food at TSC. We have been through several different foods trying to find one that improved his coat and nothing so far. This last one is the worst, I won't be buying it again as his coat looks really dull on it. I can't really cuddle with him or hardly pet him I just sit and scratch for hours because his hairs are in everything. It's almost like I'm allergic to him but I don't think that is really possible. I've never been allergic to a dog before and it seems odd to be allergic to just one. I'm pretty sure it is sensory but his fur really bothers me.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Usually dry foods higher in fat tend to make for a softer coat, like the performance foods with 20-25% fat as compared to the more common 12-18% 

The Missing Link Skin and Coat supplement may be helpful, here's the ingredient list:

Ground Flaxseed, Rice Bran, Primary Dried Yeast, Cane Molasses, Sunflower Seed, Freeze Dried Beef Liver, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dried Carrot, Ground Beef Bone, Dried Fish Solubles, Ground Barley Grass, Dried Kelp, Freeze Dried Oyster, Zinc Methionine Complex, Lecithin, Selenium Yeast, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Garlic, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Supplement.

(there are various brands of skin and coat supplements, I mention this one because I have used and liked their Hip and Joint supplement and their prices are solid)

You could have him wear a tee-shirt around the house so you have less contact directly with his fur. 

I second the vote for Cowboy Magic products making for soft coats, I have used that stuff on show horses many times.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

Remaru said:


> Yes I buy the dog's food at TSC. We have been through several different foods trying to find one that improved his coat and nothing so far. This last one is the worst, I won't be buying it again as his coat looks really dull on it. I can't really cuddle with him or hardly pet him I just sit and scratch for hours because his hairs are in everything. It's almost like I'm allergic to him but I don't think that is really possible. I've never been allergic to a dog before and it seems odd to be allergic to just one. I'm pretty sure it is sensory but his fur really bothers me.


That's really weird. He's a Dobe mix, right? They should have silky soft coats, I think? It almost sounds like you're describing a short terrier hair. 

Have you tried external things, instead of internal? Lotions, creams, oils? Is his coat unhealthy at all, or is it just itchy-feeling?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I am allergic to some dogs and not others. My sister's Doberman caused an itchy rash if he gave me a kiss and I got the same from a Bouvier. I had to give Sassy a bath monthly as she would make me start feeling itchy but Max and Ginger don't cause any trouble.

Give him a bath and brush him until he is dry to get out the old hairs. I bet he has a lot of dead hair that is getting brittle and coarse. Furminating him might curl the hairs but he would be super shiny and softer after. After using the Furminator I thought Sassy was going gray on her back but it was glare from sun on her back! Other ways of getting dead hair out, grooming stone or possibly undercoat rake. A rake worked on Sassy's coat which seemed really odd to me as her fur was only about 1" long on her sides but it did take out lots of old stuff when she was shedding.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

His skin is healthy other than his feet, he has little sores on his feet that I think are either an environmental allergy (maybe grass or weeds, in TX those never really die out completely even in winter) or possibly yeast/some sort of fungal infection. I have him on probiotics and he is going to the vet to see if we can get a grip on what is causing them. He is dandruffy, it is dry because of the heater running so all of the dogs are but I would say he is more so than the others. His coat is sort of like my American Bulldog's coat was but even stiffer. Each individual hair is almost like a barb. They are only maybe a 1/4inch long and very stiff, not the silky soft that you think of with a pit bull. So with him shedding heavy right now his fur is in everything and poking me all of the time. The odd thing is that even after I get his fur off of me I seem to stay itchy for a while. It's very irritating. I have been grooming him with the "zoom groom" (rubber curry brush) and then wiping him down with a microfiber cloth to catch all of the loose hair left behind. 

Do you think a furminator would work on a dog with such a short coat? I'm totally up for trying it. His coat is irritating just as it is but would be much better if the little hairs weren't coming out everywhere and I think it would be better with the dead stuff gone. I was thinking I would put him in the bathtub and give him a sponge bath with some warm water and white vinegar. I understand that is supposed to help (plus it has been a while since his last bath and he has doggy odor) then I was thinking maybe rub him down with a tiny bit of coconut oil but I'm afraid he will lick himself trying to get it off because he likes how it tastes.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

mudypony said:


> This: http://www.amazon.com/Wholistic-Pet...lmon+oil&pebp=1421325949429&peasin=B005Q0JGDQ
> 
> It makes my dog's coat so soft and shiny and reduces shedding a ton! Whenever I happen to run out my dog's coat becomes much more course, and he starts shedding like crazy. I've also tried different brands of salmon oils and none of the others seem to work as well.


We also use this salmon oil. The girls' fur is soooo soft and shiny!

Edit: I prefer the zoom groom over the furminater for short coats. It's a lot messier, and I always have to vacuum after, but I think the furminater irritates the skin too much on shorter coats. Marley and Nova hated it, and they would always take off when I brought it out. They love the zoom groom! The furminator did get a lot of fur out, though.


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## Jen2010 (Feb 12, 2013)

I was just reading this morning about how good coconut oil is for dogs! But I haven't yet tried it.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Well I gave him a sponge bath and rubbed him down with coconut oil. He shed like crazy despite having been brushed every day. He is still shedding everywhere. Didn't really help much. He is also all dandruffy even after the bath so I don't know that it did much for him. It did make him really delicious to the other dogs, Freyja won't stop folling him around trying to lick him and he keeps licking his legs. This may have been a bad idea. He has been eating coconut oil for a month with no change unfortunately.


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## mudypony (Jul 31, 2014)

chimunga said:


> Be careful with fish oil though. It can deplete a dog's vitamin E and make him sick.
> 
> This stuff has vitamin E in it to make up for the depletion: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N2VOU0...UTF8&colid=19FN3DF1AKAHM&coliid=I97XKH0Z894C5


Really?!? I had no idea! Thanks so much for the tip, just ordered some vitamin E and will start giving that to him as well!


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

mudypony said:


> Really?!? I had no idea! Thanks so much for the tip, just ordered some vitamin E and will start giving that to him as well!


The fish oil we use, mudpony, has vitamin included in the formula, one of the reasons I picked it. Be careful when supplementing Vitamin E. It is a fat soluble vitamin and overdose is possible.


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## mudypony (Jul 31, 2014)

pawsaddict said:


> The fish oil we use, mudpony, has vitamin included in the formula, one of the reasons I picked it. Be careful when supplementing Vitamin E. It is a fat soluble vitamin and overdose is possible.


Oh, it does! Thank you! Just canceled my order of vitamin E tablets, haha!


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## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

My lot rotate foods and are always shiniest after fishy food! I'd mention brands but that'd be useless to you lol. If you can find a good quality fish based wet food you could mix in with his current food until you can change to something that suits him better? Or even tinned fish mixed in a couple of times a week!

Rather than bathing him, maybe try a spray on conditioner/moisturiser for him?
Dont know if you can get Nootie stuff over there, but it smells lovely... only US brand I know lol
http://www.nootie.com/mobile/category.aspx?id=44&404;http://www.nootie.com:80/category_s/44.htm=


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

mudypony said:


> Oh, it does! Thank you! Just canceled my order of vitamin E tablets, haha!


No problem!


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

We used a fish based food for a while but it smelled awful (like chum and something else equally bad). I think the next food we try will either be 4health performance or 4health salmon, I may try both to see which suits him best. I will try the fish oil as well. I rubbed him down with a wash cloth to rub in the coconut oil better and he is softer and looks very shiny. He is still trying to lick himself though. Freyja is still following him around. He smells lovely.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

For some reason when I first looked at a picture of Hobgoblin, I was thinking he looked like he had Shar Pei in him. This breed has two different hair coats and many humans find themselves allergic to them. The one type of coat, I believe it is called a horse coat 


instead of spraying the dog with coconut oil give him the oil in a capsule and have your dog take it internally. Or you can spray the oil on their food.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

We aren't really certain, he's 26inches tall now but only 55lbs. 

He has been taking coconut oil (I just give him a spoonful a day) for a month and I haven't see any difference in his coat. That is why I decided to try rubbing him down with it. I use it in my son's hair because he has super dry curly hair (that little wild child Hobs is sitting on in the picture, I do manage to capture and bathe him from time to time). I do not know if the coconut oil didn't work if fish oil will but it is worth a try.


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## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

He's never looked particularly dobe-ish to me to be honest. Coat colour is one of the only similarities; natural dobes have pretty heavy floppy ears
I see xolo


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

There is a conditioning spray called "The Stuff". I have never used it personally, but have seen it usued and felt dogs before and after. The dogs are very soft.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

Foxes&Hounds said:


> He's never looked particularly dobe-ish to me to be honest. Coat colour is one of the only similarities; natural dobes have pretty heavy floppy ears
> I see xolo


Wow. He really does have a Xolo face.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

He really does. We have Xolos here being in TX. They are not like super common but not uncommon either (like I see them at rescue fundraisers ect) but I haven't seen a coated one yet. I know they come in a coated variety. Anyone know what the coat is like on one? Also anyone know how to get his fur out of all of my belongings? I can't tell if softening his coat is working because all of his old stiff hair is stuck in my clothes, couch, blankets ect. I vacuum, wash my clothes, none of it works they just stick in there like tiny needles. It's awful, I itch all day.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

My terrier mix's coat is like that, and I'm not going to lie, I've never been able to really solve the problem and I'll probably be picking her needle hairs out of things a decade after she's passed on.

When I basically stopped bathing her (she gets a bath maybe once a year) it got a little more tolerable but it's still pretty bad. She's been my motivation to only ever have hair coat dogs in the future.

I've gotten into the habit of choosing clothing and home furnishing fabrics on the basis of what will be most dog hair repellent, lol.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

A month for taking something internally is not that long to see if a difference is made. I would continue to give Hobs oil internally. 

I do work for a girl that when she holds the short hair dog she breaks out all over. Dogs that have a longer coat does not bother her at all. I work with another person who is allergic to brown tabby cats. I thought she was nuts when she told me till I witnessed the break out myself. 

With those new pics, I take back about the Shar Pei thing. He does look like he does have a super short coat.

you can try a shampoo with essential fatty acids (EFA) in it. Also you can get EFA to give internally. You may do all this and in the end it just might be how his coat will be.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

I've never had a reaction to a dog like this before but this is my first time actually living with a dog with a coat quite like this. Duke had a coarse coat but not quite like this. I think the shedding exacerbates it considerably. I will look into the shampoo. A Dobie person told me flax oil is what she recommends for dobes. Salmon oil or Flax should have EFAs right, seems like that is what I'm looking for when I buy supplements for the kids. My fear is that his coat won't change and I'll keep reacting. I'm scratching myself raw right now.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

Remaru said:


> He really does. We have Xolos here being in TX. They are not like super common but not uncommon either (like I see them at rescue fundraisers ect) but I haven't seen a coated one yet. I know they come in a coated variety. Anyone know what the coat is like on one? Also anyone know how to get his fur out of all of my belongings? I can't tell if softening his coat is working because all of his old stiff hair is stuck in my clothes, couch, blankets ect. I vacuum, wash my clothes, none of it works they just stick in there like tiny needles. It's awful, I itch all day.


The internet says they looks a lot like Mr. Hobgoblin.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

I give my 4 nupro and it works great


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## WTFCas (Jan 20, 2012)

luv mi pets said:


> For some reason when I first looked at a picture of Hobgoblin, I was thinking he looked like he had Shar Pei in him. This breed has two different hair coats and many humans find themselves allergic to them. The one type of coat, I believe it is called a horse coat.


THIS. I had a known(both parents, 50/50 mix) GSD/Dobe as well as a purebred Doberman and Hobgoblin doesn't resemble a Doberman whatsoever to me except for his coloring. Given his size and the mentioning of "barb" like hairs, I could buy a Shar Pei/GSD being somewhere in his ancestry. Or maybe even a Xolo depending on how common the breed is in your area.

This is the known GSD/Dobe I had:


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

He really does look like those pictures. Lately I have seen many (as in more than 10) Xolos in my area and they are starting to pop up on petfinder in rescues. However mostly they are in the mid size range not the larger and they all seem to be of the hairless variety. I guess that does not mean there are not coated variety being labeled as something else sitting in rescues and shelters because no one guessed what they were. He was labeled as a Dobe x and I just always went with it. He was smaller then, and he reminded me of the Dobe x GSD my friend had when I was a teen. Shadow was larger (90lbs fit, not chunky or anything) he had perk ears but his coat was slightly longer and softer than Hobgoblins. I think it was closer in length to what Remus has, not long but not short (yeah I know that doesn't make sense but it was soft and maybe 1/2 inch long definitely double coated). I remember him blowing coat at least once a year. But he was Dobie color not shepherd. Hobs could certainly be almost any mix, he was a stray. It would explain why he isn't getting as large as we expected, and the coarser coat.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

He is gorgeous. I would suggest fish oil with vitamin e, and coconut oil. I give my boys a liquid fish oil in the Am, and in the PM I give them coconut oil.

I can't hold dogs with short prickly coats, they make me break out in hives and get bright red.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Damon'sMom said:


> He is gorgeous. I would suggest fish oil with vitamin e, and coconut oil. I give my boys a liquid fish oil in the Am, and in the PM I give them coconut oil.
> 
> I can't hold dogs with short prickly coats, they make me break out in hives and get bright red.


I've started getting a rash if he lays on me or rubs against me. I've washed him two more times using warm water with a little white vinegar (just in case I was allergic to the shampoo) using the zoom groom to remove more coat and rubbed him down with coconut oil to soften his coat. He is taking fish oil and vitamin E plus the coconut oil now but I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the rash. His shed hair gets in things and then gets on me and I wind up itchy. I'm going to talk to my doctor and see what my options are.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

luv mi pets said:


> For some reason when I first looked at a picture of Hobgoblin, I was thinking he looked like he had Shar Pei in him. This breed has two different hair coats and many humans find themselves allergic to them. The one type of coat, I believe it is called a horse coat
> 
> 
> instead of spraying the dog with coconut oil give him the oil in a capsule and have your dog take it internally. Or you can spray the oil on their food.


I was thinking the same thing. He looks part shar pei to me too and they have really itchy coats that bother a lot of people that are usually ok with dog hair.

ETA: Wait no, I was thinking of one of your other dogs. Nevermind. :/


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Laurelin said:


> I was thinking the same thing. He looks part shar pei to me too and they have really itchy coats that bother a lot of people that are usually ok with dog hair.
> 
> ETA: Wait no, I was thinking of one of your other dogs. Nevermind. :/


I think Magic, she sort of has a Shar pei look to her. But it may be the bully look, she has super super silky fur, single coat about 1/2 inch long. I think she is some sort of bully mixed with some sort of herder (maybe kelpie).


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