Coat Types - ChristiesDirect.com

Coat Types
Every dog breed has a specific coat type. Each breed has a coat which suits their designed purpose.
For example, the poodle has a ‘curly’ coat. Poodles were designed to be water dogs; the curly coat
helps them to be more buoyant and helps the water bead off easier.
There are several common coat types;
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Smooth
Curly/ Wool
Long
Short
Wire
Combination
SMOOTH COAT
This is one of the easiest coats to maintain. These breeds include Greyhounds, Pointer, Bulldog. This
coat is very short, and the coat lies very flat to the skin, making it very smooth, with no texture and
shiny. Although it sheds, this coat requires little or no grooming.
Shampoo
As this coat sheds, a de-shedding shampoo works
well to loosen the dead hairs during grooming, and
reduce future shedding.
A shiny coat shampoo can also be good.
 Pozer Fly Away Shampoo
 Espree Simple Shed
Shampoo
 Groom Professional
Raspberry Gloss
 Groom Professional
Argan Oil Shampoo
Conditioner
As the coat is not long, or not matted, conditioner
is not essential. However a conditioner may be
used to add shine
 Groom Professional
Argan Oil Condtioner
 Espree Silky Show
Conditioner
Grooming
Sprays
No dematting sprays are required, however shine
sprays and serums work well on this coat
 Show Dog S-Factor
Serum Spray
 Artero Flash Spray Shine
 Warren London K9 Silk
Shine
 Chris Christensen Silk
Spirits
 Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum
Health Care
Brushes
These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears
No everyday brushing is required, but as their coat
sheds, some de-shedding tools are very useful.
 Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
 Groom Professional
Shed Stoppers
 Shedding Blade
 Groom Professional
Luxury Ionic brushes
 Chris Christensen Ionic
brushes
 Groom Professional Jelly
Scrubber
Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and
dander and add a superb shine to the coat as they
evenly distribute the natural oils through the coat
In the bath, a scrubber is advised to loosen the
coat and give a really deep scrub
Other Coat
Products
Very low maintenance coat, but colognes are a
great add on
 Any cologne spray
CURLY/WOOLY COAT
Also called a ‘poodle’ coat. Breeds include Bichon Frise and Poodles. This coat is very thick and curly
and has a lot of volume. This coat requires a lot of regular grooming – the better pet owners and
breeders will groom daily. One of the hardest coats to maintain. It matts very easily and can grow
quite quickly and these dogs have continuous growth throughout the year.
Shampoo
Use a shampoo with no added conditioners
as this would weigh the coat down, and
makes it more difficult to scissor or clip.
 Show Dog Crisp Coat
Shampoo
 Chris Christensen
Spectrum One Shampoo
 Groomers Seaweed and
Cucumber Shampoo
Conditioner
If the customer wants to use a conditioner
all over, advise a ‘lighter’, more coat specific
one.
A concentrated conditioner may be used
sparingly on concentrated areas of matting
to make the de-matting process kinder on
the dog.
Grooming Sprays
The coat needs ‘hold’ to make scissoring
easier
This coat is quite hard to blast out, so Fast
Dri is advisable
Dematting Spray is essential. One which is
anti-static is more beneficial. Never brush
any coat type without a grooming spray as
this can damage the coat and cause further
matting.
Require volume for the best effect
 Chris Christensen After U
Bathe
 Chris Christensen
Spectrum One Conditioner
 Les Poochs Creme Rinse
Light
 CONCENTRATED: Show
Dog Intense Coat
Conditioner
 Show Dog Scissor Spritzer
Health Care
Requires ear plucking and cleaning
Brushes
Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for
everyday grooming
Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to
ensure tangles are out, and fluff up the coat
Dematting tools are generally required!
Other Coat
Products
Bows, Clips and Latex bands are great for
this coat
 Fast Dri Spray
 Groom Professional
Wonder Coat
 Show Dog Magic Mist
 Any other detangling spray
 Chris Christensen Thick n
Thicker Spray, Moose and
Foaming Protein
 Ear Powder
 Forceps
 Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
 Groom Professional
Curved Slicker (soft for
puppies or finer wool, firm
for very thick and matted
coats)
 Groom Professional Luxury
Pin Brushes
 Groom Professional Luxury
Wooden Pin Brushes
 Fantasia Comb (longer
works better, although a
comb is a personal thing
and groomers tend to have
their favourite size!)
 Matt Splitters
 Dematting Combs
 Matt Breakers
 Coarse Coat Kings
 Groom Professional
Fashion Clips
 Groom Professional
Fashion Bows
 Latex Bands
LONG COAT
Dog breeds with a long coat also require a lot of maintenance. This coat needs brushed three times a
week, if not daily. Breeds include Old English Sheepdogs, Shih Tzus, Maltese and Afghan Hounds.
Long coats can vary in texture – from coarse (old English) to silky (afghan)
Shampoo
A long haired, smoothing shampoo is
essential. Any other type of shampoo will
make the coat harder to brush and manage.
Conditioner
Conditioner is a must. It will help weigh the
coat down, add strength and shine, and
protect the coat while brushing.
 Show Dog Silk Coat
Shampoo
 Pozer Forget me Knots
Shampoo
 Groom Professional
Almond Detangle
Shampoo
 Groom Professional 2 in 1
Protein
 Groom Professional Argan
Oil Shampoo
 Espree Silky Show
Shampoo

 Espree Silky Show
Conditioner
 Groom Professional Argan
Oil Conditioner
 Show Dog Intense Coat
Conditioner
Grooming Sprays
Anti-static Grooming Spray is essential. Due
to the nature of the coat, the hair can
become very static and hard to manage
during brushing/after drying.
Also, advise the customer that a spray with
added conditioners is essential for everyday
brushing to reduce future matting. Even if
not brushing, a mist of a conditioning spray
will add condition to the coat and avoid
matts. Never brush this coat without a
spray!
 Groom Professional
Wonder Coat
 Show Dog Magic Mist
 Les Poochs Detangling
Spray
 Groom Professional EPO
Spray
 Pet Silk Leave in
Conditioner
A shine spray will also work well
 Artero Flash
 Show Dog S-Factor Serum
Spray
Health Care
Ear cleaning essential. Some long coated
breeds are susceptible to ear problems
Brushes
Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for
everyday grooming. A pin brush works
better.






Wooden pin brushes are effective on long
coats, as they gentle detangle and cause less
hair breakage
Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to
ensure tangles are out.

An ionic brush works well on the silky type
long coats to add the final shine






Dematting tools are generally required!
Other Coat
Products
Bows, Clips and Latex bands are great for
this coat



Ear Powder
Forceps
Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
Groom Professional
Curved Slicker (soft )
Groom Professional Flat
Slicker
Groom Professional Luxury
Pin Brushes
Groom Professional Luxury
Wooden Pin Brushes
Fantasia Comb (longer
works better, although a
comb is a personal thing
and groomers tend to have
their favourite size!)
Bronze Ionic Brushes
Matt Splitters
Dematting Combs
Matt Breakers
Coarse Coat Kings
Groom Professional
Fashion Clips
Groom Professional
Fashion Bows
Latex Bands
SHORT COAT
This type of coat has two layers of short coats, making these coats very dense. They were designed
to protect the pet against the elements. The hair is short in length, between 1cm – 3cm. Unlike the
‘smooth’ coat, this coat has more texture, and you can put your fingers through it. Example breeds
are pugs, Labradors and beagles. This breed requires little grooming, however the coat can hold
more water and scent, making it hard to dry and can be a little smellier!
Shampoo
As this coat sheds, a de-shedding shampoo works
well to loosen the dead hairs during grooming, and
reduce future shedding.
A deep cleaning shampoo can also work well
If the customer complains about drying time, offer
the Super Dri shampoo
 Pozer Fly Away Shampoo
 Espree Simple Shed
Shampoo
 Groom Professional Dirty
Dog Shampoo
 Pozer Truly Madly
Deeply Shampoo
 Groom Professional
Super Dri Shampoo
Conditioner
As the coat is not long, or not matted, conditioner
is not essential. However a conditioner may be
used to add shine
 Groom Professional
Argan Oil Condtioner
 Espree Silky Show
Conditioner
Grooming
Sprays
No dematting sprays are required, however shine
sprays and serums work well on this coat
 Show Dog S-Factor
Serum Spray
 Artero Flash Spray Shine
 Warren London K9 Silk
Shine
 Chris Christensen Silk
Spirits
 Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum
 Groom Professional Fast
Dri Spray
Fast Dri works well on these breeds, as this coat
holds water
Health Care
Brushes
These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears
No everyday brushing is required, but as their coat
sheds, de-shedding tools are very useful, if not
essential.
Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and
dander and add a superb shine to the coat. They
evenly distribute the natural oils through the coat
In the bath, a scrubber is advised to loosen the
coat and give a really deep scrub
Other Coat
Products
Very low maintenance coat, but colognes are a
great add on
 Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
 Groom Professional
Shed Stoppers
 Shedding Blade
 Groom Professional
Luxury Ionic brushes
 Chris Christensen Ionic
brushes
 Groom Professional Jelly
Scrubber
 Any cologne spray
WIRE COAT
The wire coat is a unique coat with specific grooming. Full grooming generally needs to be done by a
professional groomer, or someone who is trained to deal with this coat. Westies, different Terriers
and Schnauzers.
The proper way to look after this coat is by a process called hand stripping. Hand stripping maintains
the strong colours of the wire coat and maintains the coarse texture. This is a process which must be
done from a puppy – once the coat is clipped using clippers, it is very difficult, if not impossible to
get the texture back by hand stripping and it would be very sore on the dog. Hand stripping has to be
taught, and can be difficult to master at the beginning. It is very labour intensive, and some
groomers may not even offer this service.
What is hand stripping?
Hand stripping involves pulling out the dead outer coat of wire coated and rough coated breeds by
hand, rather than clippers. This allows the new harsh wire coat to grow. Wire coats pull out very
easily, making this not a painful process for the pet.
Why does clipping ruin the wiry texture?
Wire hair has a unique structure. There is three parts;
Hard Wire Point
Semi Hollow Hair
Soft base, and lightly anchored into the skin
Coat growth is determined by DNA. The DNA will state, “I am a Border Terrier, so my coat has to be
coloured brown and 1 inch long before I shed”. Every dog will shed their coat, but some is not as
regular as others. This helps give each breed its unique look. Our human hair is not determined by
DNA and will continue to grow until we cut it.
When you clip the hard wire point will be removed, all that will be left is either the semi hollow hair,
or the soft base. When this tip is removed, the hair will continue to grow until the DNA tells it to
shed. Because it does not have any hard tip, it will grow soft and semi hollow, making the coat soft
and the colour will be diluted, as it only had enough pigment to do one hair growth cycle. That’s why
some black dogs when they are clipped begin to turn grey.
When hand stripping is done, the whole hair is removed, and the cycle will begin from the beginning
again. Meaning the hair will grow with a wire texture and maintain its strong colour.
Hand stripping must be done on a dry coat. Hand stripping equipment is listed below;
o
Stripping knives – Groom Professional and Mars
o
o
o
o
o
Coat Kings – use these before and after stripping. These help to remove the ‘really’ loose
hair, meaning they save time and effort. There would be no point in stripping hair with
fingers or a knife that would have easily brushed out! Use after stripping to help blend
Chalk – adds grip as it helps dry and absorb any oils
Finger Condoms – add grip to the finger
Grooming Stones – Helps strip the hair quicker, but are less precise (customers either like a
knife or a stone)
Artero Grooming Razor – Blend after (really sharp – only use after stripping!)
Shampoo
This coat needs no conditioner, and needs a
shampoo that will not leave the coat soft. If you
want to hand strip, adding conditioner will make
the coat impossible to grip! Some groomers don’t
wash before hand stripping... however if they do
advise the best shampoo. Even if the groomer does
not use handstripping, these shampoos will make
clipping this coat more manageable.
 Show Dog Crisp Coat
 Chris Christensen
Spectrum One Shampoo
 Groomers Seaweed and
Cucumber Shampoo

Conditioner
Conditioner should never be used before stripping.
However, if the dog is in for a bath, a conditioner is
good to help restore the coat and add some
nourishments. Use a ‘lighter’ conditioner.
 Les Poochs Light Creme
Rinse
 Chris Christensen
Spectrum One
Conditioner
 Earthbath Creme Rinse
Grooming
Sprays
Shine Sprays add a nice shine to the coat after
stripping or clipping
 Show Dog S-Factor
Serum Spray
 Artero Flash Spray Shine
 Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum
For dogs that want to keep the wiry texture, and
freshen between baths
 Chris Christensen Dry
Breeze Shampoo
Chalk may be useful when stripping
 Chalk Block
These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears
Coat kings are good to use before stripping, plus
the stripping tools mentioned previously.
Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and
dander and add a superb shine to the coat after
clipping and stripping.
 Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
 Groom Professional
Curved Soft Slickers
 Groom Professional Flat
Slickers
 Groom Professional
Luxury Ionic brushes
 Chris Christensen Ionic
brushes
Colognes are a great add on
 Any cologne spray
Health Care
Brushes
For everyday grooming, slicker brushes work well
Other Coat
Products
COMBINATION COAT
The combination coat is another unique coat type. A breed with a combination coat has areas of
longer coat and shorter coat. The two types of coat will be very distinct and easy to tell apart.
Generally, the shorter coat is on the body and the longer coat is on the ears, legs and tail. For
example a Cocker Spaniel, Gold Retriever. Generally the grooming is aimed more at the longer areas,
as the shorter areas need less maintenance.
Shampoo
A long haired, smoothing shampoo is useful.
Any other type of shampoo will make the
coat harder to brush and manage.
 Show Dog Silk Coat
Shampoo
 Pozer Forget me Knots
Shampoo
 Groom Professional
Almond Detangle
Shampoo
 Groom Professional 2 in 1
Protein
 Groom Professional Argan
Oil Shampoo
 Espree Silky Show
Shampoo
Conditioner
Conditioner is useful on the longer areas. It
will help weigh the coat down, add strength
and shine, and protect the coat while
brushing. In some occasions, conditioner
will be precisely applied to the longer areas.
 Espree Silky Show
Conditioner
 Groom Professional Argan
Oil Conditioner
 Show Dog Intense Coat
Conditioner
Grooming Sprays
Anti-static Grooming Spray is essential. Due
to the nature of the coat, the hair can
become very static and hard to manage
during brushing/after drying.
 Groom Professional
Wonder Coat
 Show Dog Magic Mist
 Les Poochs Detangling
Spray
 Groom Professional EPO
Spray
 Pet Silk Leave in
Conditioner
Also, advise the customer that a spray with
added conditioners is essential for everyday
brushing to reduce future matting. Even if
not brushing, a mist of a conditioning spray
will add condition to the coat and avoid
matts. Never brush this coat without a
spray!
A shine spray will also work well
 Artero Flash
 Show Dog S-Factor Serum
Spray
Health Care
Ear cleaning essential. Some long coated
breeds are susceptible to ear problems
Brushes
Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for
everyday grooming.






Wooden pin brushes are effective on longer
areas, as they gentle detangle and cause
less hair breakage
Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to
ensure tangles are out.
An ionic brush works well on the shorter
areas to add shine
Dematting tools are generally required for
the longer areas
Other Coat
Products
Colognes are a good add on








Ear Powder
Forceps
Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner
Groom Professional
Curved Slicker (soft )
Groom Professonal Flat
Slicker
Groom Professional Luxury
Pin Brushes
Groom Professional Luxury
Wooden Pin Brushes
Fantasia Comb (longer
works better, although a
comb is a personal thing
and groomers tend to have
their favourite size!)
Bronze Ionic Brushes
Matt Splitters
Dematting Combs
Matt Breakers
Coarse Coat Kings
Any cologne