# puppy with silky vs. fluffy coat



## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

There is another thread about course coats, but I thought I'd start a new one with my question. My puppy has very silky, fine hair/fur. When I see pictures of other Hav puppies, they seem to have much fuzzier fur, more poofy/fluffy and thicker. I love my puppy's soft silky fur/hair but my bf said he prefers the look of the poofier puppies. 

Is this a real difference I'm noticing or just a trick of the photos? I know it's difficult to judge without seeing the photos yourselves, but maybe some of you with experience in the breed will know what I'm talking about. If there are different kinds of puppy coats, what explains the different fur type? I know fur changes after blowing coat, so should I expect my puppy's coat to thicken or will it remain fine and silky?


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

Be thankful you have a silky one!!!!! I have a fluffy cottony one and it is NO fun to groom and keep mat free... especially during coat blowing!!
I'm sure your pups coat will fill in and thicken up over time!!


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Right now Brody has a combination coat. His black is nice and silky (although I wouldn't say it's fine) and lays much flatter and his white parts are much more cottony/sticky and pouffy and stick up all over the place. I'm hoping his white will become more silky as his coat changes (since so much black is creeping into his white anyhow, but I don't know if that is just a pipe dream). It's much harder to get matts out of his white sections than from his black.

As a puppy I really couldn't tell if he had the cottony or silky coat and I really don't recall there being such a difference in texture between his fur colours then.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I wish you had a picture. You will not know how the coat is until adolescents when the adult coat fills in. You can fluff your pups coat with product just like we do to our own hair.


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

Do our Havanese dogs have fur or hair? :laugh:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kalico said:


> There is another thread about course coats, but I thought I'd start a new one with my question. My puppy has very silky, fine hair/fur. When I see pictures of other Hav puppies, they seem to have much fuzzier fur, more poofy/fluffy and thicker. I love my puppy's soft silky fur/hair but my bf said he prefers the look of the poofier puppies.
> 
> Is this a real difference I'm noticing or just a trick of the photos? I know it's difficult to judge without seeing the photos yourselves, but maybe some of you with experience in the breed will know what I'm talking about. If there are different kinds of puppy coats, what explains the different fur type? I know fur changes after blowing coat, so should I expect my puppy's coat to thicken or will it remain fine and silky?


Puppies coats CAN change a lot as they mature. Kodi had a very straight, very silky coay as a puppy, and was not nearly as "pouffy" as some Havanese puppies. His adult coat is profuse, silky and slightly wavy... What I think of as the ideal Havanese coat... It looks good and is also low maintainence (at least comparitively). On the flip side, I have a friend who has had two puppies (from different breeders) that were incredibly "pouffy puppies". I was worried that they would continue to be a grooming nightmare even after blowing coat. But both have developed beautiful, silky, wavy adult coats too.

So I think it is entirely likely that your pup's coat will fill out as it matures. In the mean time, enjoy the fact that you will have less trouble with blowing coat than those with the adorable puff ball puppies!


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

My two who are half brother and sister have totally different coat types,and Dizzies coat is still changing even though he is nearly 3 years old.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

The coats vary so much, and even change. Especially after you spay or neuter, they lose the natural hormones that help keep the hair growing beautifully and soft, I even notice different areas and courser hair around Gucci's rump, ears and neck.

Kara


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Coats change a lot from Puppyhood to Adulthood.

Comparing my two at about 20 wks, I can see that Bumi's coat (which I found very silky back then) was not as silky as Toby's. Toby's is very very silky and has less curl than Bumi's had at the time.

Bumi is almost 3 and has grown a "very" profuse adult coat, which is not as silky as before. His White hair is a lot rougher than his Gold/black Hair (which happens to be a lot silkier).

Sorry, my post is a bit confusing...ound:


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

When Camellia was in full coat, her outer coat was wavy and silky. It matted quite easily. I brushed and combed her every day.

About six weeks after she arrived, I had a fabulous professional groomer clip her down. A neighbor with a Havanese referred us to Kate. Well, a great referral!

We cut her coat back quite short - and it's clear that the coat is curly underneath. I read the AKC breed standard, which indicates curly coat is NOT part of the standard!

As for me, since Camellia is close to twice the size of the breed standard, and she is spayed, I would never be showing her in conformation. Made jokes about it with an AKC judge, Chris Walkowicz, who isn't qualified to judge Toy Breeds. We agreed we'd meet in ring, none of us being qualified in any way to be there. I told Chris I'd gait Camellia on a loose lead, at a moderate pace. JOKE!

I take Camellia approximately every other month for this clip-down; we leave the coat longer in winter; in summer, clip her quite short.

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 08:02:06 (PST)


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## curly_DC (Nov 27, 2011)

Doesn't shorter hair tend to curl up a bit more? If it's not curly when grown longer, then why doesn't that meet the AKC breed standard?


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## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Sounds like I'll have to wait and see what kind of coat she'll have as a grown up. My bf commented that he doesn't like seeing her pink skin along her back where her hair/fur parts, which I think is a stupid thing to care about. Her silky fine hair is soft and beautiful and smells wonderful.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Kalico said:


> There is another thread about course coats, but I thought I'd start a new one with my question. My puppy has very silky, fine hair/fur. When I see pictures of other Hav puppies, they seem to have much fuzzier fur, more poofy/fluffy and thicker. I love my puppy's soft silky fur/hair but my bf said he prefers the look of the poofier puppies.
> 
> Is this a real difference I'm noticing or just a trick of the photos? I know it's difficult to judge without seeing the photos yourselves, but maybe some of you with experience in the breed will know what I'm talking about. If there are different kinds of puppy coats, what explains the different fur type? I know fur changes after blowing coat, so should I expect my puppy's coat to thicken or will it remain fine and silky?


Oh, you should be so lucky to have your puppy's coat stay silky...you will be so happy! It is easier to take care of, and beautiful too.


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

I think this is interesting...Notice the hair difference?

Oreo's mom when she was a show dog (now retired)









Oreo's mom after giving birth.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

narci said:


> I think this is interesting...Notice the hair difference?
> 
> Oreo's mom when she was a show dog (now retired)
> 
> ...


What a beautiful Mother Oreo has...love the curl and the color!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

curly_DC said:


> Doesn't shorter hair tend to curl up a bit more? If it's not curly when grown longer, then why doesn't that meet the AKC breed standard?


 I think the standard says preferred I could be wrong. Although Ill bet that corded havanese have curley coats and there are champion corded Havs out there.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

curly_DC said:


> Doesn't shorter hair tend to curl up a bit more? If it's not curly when grown longer, then why doesn't that meet the AKC breed standard?


I have no idea! My ignorance knows no bounds ;-^

Of course, I'm learning here, every day!

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 20:57:42 (PST)

Thanks for going out with me, Mummy! Bedtime soon! (00)

It's my pleasure, Camellia. Yes; I should shut this machine down. ;-^


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