# when do adult coats come in?



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

iorek has been shedding quite a bit lately. they actually comment about it when we pick him up from daycare. they said that maybe his coat is changing or he is getting his adult coat. i honestly thought that he already had his adult coat!! iorek's fur has always been "different". my friend has iorek's brother and ryder's fur is THICK!! it was always thick, even when he was a pup. iorek's fur is LONG. he has long guard hairs and a nice undercoat (? is that what it is called ) but the warm fur underneath is coming out. it is -19 and -30 (-2 and -22 F) with the wind chill today! i didn't think that he would be shedding now, with it still being really cold out - or does that have nothing to do with it?? 

i posted in the training forum about iorek scratching because he was bored or that was what i was thinking. he has one part on his "mane" under his neck scratched almost all free of the undercoat! he is also shedding a lot all over. i brushed out his back legs yesterday and tons of fur came out! it is hard for me to brush really well along his back since his skin is kind of loose, it moves all over when i am brushing! my trainer used to be a groomer and she said to hold his fur against the grain and kind of brush down (with the grain - or whatever you want to call it ) and move your hand up while brushing down to make sure that we get right in there when we are brushing him. that is how i do his neck, legs, and sides, but his belly and back are hard to do like that so i just brush them as best as i can. 

i am wondering if maybe he actually is really itchy, maybe because he is shedding? do dogs get itchy when they shed? i don't bathe him much because he takes a long time to dry and i don't want him to get cold! i use natural chemistry waterless bath every now and then if he is extra stinky from daycare. it is not scented so i don't think that he could be allergic to it. and, i haven't used it for a few weeks now. we are planning on taking him to the u-groom on saturday so we can give him a bath and use the dryer there and see how much fur we can get out. maybe that will help. he really seems to be itchy... do you think this will help??

sorry for the super-long post! 

thanks for any suggestions!

mindy


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

It could be a few things. He could be changing from puppy to adult coat. It can happen anywhere from 6 months to 18 months, depending on the breed and the lines. It could be that he is just blowing some winter coat. The actual weather has nothing to do with it, its length of days/daylight, and I have been seeing some huskys lately that are blowing ALL their winter coat right down to a light summer coat, and we have been well into the negatives without wind chill for a few weeks now. It could also be a health issue. Thyroid comes to mind first. It can affect the coat, and skin, cause itching, coat loss, etc. I think getting him a good bath at the U wash is a great thing. If any shampoo, etc. was left in the coat from his last bath, it could be causing the itching. Make sure you rinse him super good..When you think its all out, rinse him all over again. Very important. And when you use the HV dryer there, use it with the nozzle (if they have one) and put it close to the skin and keep it moving fast, back and forth. It will blow the coat out and make brush out a breeze.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

thanks for the response 

they do have a nozzle at the u groom so we will try it. iorek is not a fan of baths and especially not a fan of the dryer! we have taken him 2 times so far and we try to make it a little longer each time. maybe we can try treats, hopefully they don't get too soggy! 

we didn't think about his thyroid. he was at the vet for his tooth and we asked about the itching but then he was really only scratching 2 spots and chewing on one leg so we thought it was displacement. he is not really scratching much more, he has added his ears (which are good, normal colour and not dirty), but he is now chewing on all his legs. he is going to get the rest of the tooth out today so i will ask the vet about the itching again when i pick him up.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

I believe that dogs blowing their winter coat is a function of the increased intensity of sunlight at this time of year. Even though it seems awfully cold to be switching over to a spring wardrobe, the sun is much stronger than it was at the time of the winter solstice. My Golden hasn't started yet--and probably won't 'til mid-March--but your pup is designed for more northerly climes.

My Golden's topcoat started coming in at about 6 months of age (about mid-October) and he did almost no shedding 'til the following spring. He more than made up for the lack of shedding, though.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

iorek got what i thought was his adult coat when he was about 8 months old. he may be just shedding right now. i am going to try the bath with the hv dryer and see how it goes. he didn't really shed lots until the last month or so. (he turned 1 today)


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