How to get more and longer hair?

My Paddy is is about 14 months now. She is eating well and gets a bath at least once a month.

I don't think she has a full cavalier hair/fur 'look'. We do have a warm climate here as you can imagine and perhaps the fact that she sleeps in our bed doesn't help either.



Any suggestions?


Thanks,
Yaron
Jerusalem

She looks really sweet. I think coat texture & length are largely genetic & then environmental. If you live in a warm climate and/or the dogs are never subjected to the winter cold, then the coat would likely remain silky & finer than those subject to the cold.

I wouldn't mind if my Sonny's coat was a little less luxuriant, despite the fact that I don't think he has known a cold day in his life {sigh}

BTW, at 12 months, your girl is probably still not fully mature so there is probably still time for her coat to change some.

Hello!

Coat is a huge thing with me, I always want more, yet when I bath Logan in particular I am moaning he has so much of it!!

As a general rule it is the males who get the really thick heavy coats, although I do have a couple of girls here with a wealth of coat the majority have just enough. The other thing is with the girls is that they can have the most horrendous coat loss just around the time of their season, Tasha and Bella's Mum Rosie has just totally "blown" her coat, she is due in heat any time now! If you were to look at her she looks awful, her coat is all dry and wispy, it is dead, I am getting as much out as I can and she is getting balder by the day! However I know that once she is over her heat it will all grow back again! :razz:
Must say though that most bitches who have been spayed seem to grow a wealth of thick, although slightly dryer, coat, very rarely have I seen a spayed bitch with a sparse coat!

Coat inheritance is mostly genetic, I had 2 girls from the same litter many years back, one had a massive coat, the other had barely any at all yet they had the same breeding, it is all in the luck of the mix of genes I reckon.

Lastly, Yes climate will also play a huge part in her coat too, I see that you live in a very hot part of the world? So that is a consideration, also most bitches are nearly 2 before they get their full coat.

Just keep her clean, brush daily, this will stimulate her circulation and encourage the follicles to grow but at the end of the day she will only have the coat she was meant to have genetically short of spaying there is not much else you can do to achieve a long full flowing coat!!

Hope this is of help??

I dont know about little girls coats but Barneys coat has gone all fine he is 1 year and a half
-----Aileen and the gang (JJazzie---Barney---Sam)

My four, I include Izzy, now at The Bridge, have different coats. Monty's is quite harsh on his back but his chest hair,side skirts and leg feathers, which are softer, are heavy. Izzy had a fine but long coat, with lots of feathers. Joly's coat is extremely soft, but tends to wave. His chest hair and side skirts are luxuriant, but his leg feathers only middling . Teddy had quite a full, though harsh, coat until he started itching and scratching. Regrowth may have been delayed because he was on steroids, according to the vet.

Paddy is still young; I would wait until she is 18-24 months of age to see what her full coat will look like.

Some people prefer to comb the ears rather than brush them, perhaps it pulls out less hair.

Thanks for your reply Cathryn. It is great and very informative.
She is about to go into season any day so maybe it is part of the answer.

At the show ring, is coat legth and thickness a major concern?

Ohh!! To be honest it shouldn't make a difference as they are being judged on conformation and movement foremost, HOWEVER, most judges are looking for the "Complete Picture" and that includes a long flowing coat!!

Having said that I was showing a very young and out of coat Merlin many years ago and was amazed when I won my class and was awarded Best of Breed over a far more coated up dog, I remember saying to the judge, "But he's so out of coat!" her reply? "but my dear, he has nothing to hide!!"

At the end of the day the judges opinion is just that, The Judges Opinion!! They are all looking for their own idea of the perfect Cavalier and will place dogs accordingly. Some will overlook something like being out of coat if the rest of the dog is of sufficient quality to match up to their ideal!!

Hope that is of help?

have just got to say that she looks lovely and i love her little saddle!!!!

I agree, I think she is beautiful.....Judy