What is a double coated dog? If you have not adopted any dog before, you may not be knowing what is single coat and what is double coat in dogs.
A dog’s coat is the first thing that attracts a person’s eye.
Who can miss looking at the shiniest coat that tempts you to pat a dog and experience the silky and smooth texture? However, the purpose of the coat is not only to enhance the look of a dog. The coat on the body of a dog is to protect it from extreme weather conditions such as rain, wind, and heat.
Now there are multiple varieties of these coats—some of them can be silky, soft, corded, wavy, straight, fuzzy, curly, or wiry, and more. On the other hand, there are some of the dogs that do not have a coat. So, whether a dog would have a coat or not would depend on the breed of a dog.
What is Single Coat and What is Double Coat?
A dog is said to have a single coat when it only has a topcoat on its body and not an undercoat. Dogs having a single coat need to put on a dog jacket, as these do not have any added insulation in their body. However, the fur’s texture may differ across different breeds.
On the other hand, a dog is said to have a double coat when it has both—an undercoat and a topcoat. Dogs having a double coat usually have a shorter undercoat and a longer topcoat. These dogs have dense hair with woolly texture.
In a general sense, the dogs having longer fur can be said to be double-coated. These types of dog shed their undercoats nearly twice a year, as a response to the seasonal changes. As these dogs have dense furs, they require additional care and grooming as compared to their single-coated counterparts.
You can consider the care similar to people that have long hair.
Related: How To Tell If A Dog Has A Double Coat?
Which Dogs are Double-coated Ones?
Below are some of the dog breeds that possess double coats:
- Akita
- Alaskan Husky
- Shiba Inu
- Samoyed
- Swedish Lapphund
- Alaskan Malamute
- American Eskimo
- Chinook
- Siberian Husky
- Australian Shepherd
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Chow Chow
- Finnish Spitz
- Finnish Lapphund
- German Spitz
- Icelandic Sheep Dog
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Great Pyrenees
- Newfoundland
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Havanese
- Norwegian Elkhound
- Norwegian Lundehund
- Keeshond
- Korean Jindo
- Pomeranian
I have ensured to compile a complete list of the dogs’ breed having a double coat. Did you miss out on a breed? Post a comment and let us know.
Related: Does Dog Hair Grow Back After Shaving?
How to Take Care of Double-coated Dogs?
Let’s follow a simple rule—a dog that has a fluffier coat requires high maintenance. Fluffier coats and rougher coats mean that your dog would simply need some time for grooming.
Grooming can be a difficult task, indeed. But the good news is there are numerous grooming products available in the market that you can use to save time and carry out the task in a proper manner.
You can choose among the stripping combs, dog brushes, rake brush, de-shedding tools, shedding rakes, etc. Below are some of the pointers that you need to keep in mind:
- Have a grooming schedule at least twice or thrice a week to prevent tangles and mats.
- If your dog’s fur is long and dense, you would need to use a slicker brush so that the combing is done from within.
- If there are a lot of tangles and mats, you can untangle hair using a wide-tooth comb. When you feel that the fur has become too rough, do not hesitate to cut some of the tangles.
Final Thoughts
A double-coated dog breed has topcoat and undercoat. Due to high shedding level, grooming is the quiet difficult task, when you get a double-coated dog breed. If you can deal with high shedding, you may consider adopting a double-coated breed.
If you are allergic to dog shedding or if you can’t deal with shedding, then you can get a low-shedding or hypoallergenic dog.
Also Check:
5 Best Brush For Double Coated Dogs
