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Curly/ Fluffy Coat

Luly

Member
Hi, One of my Cavi's has a Curly/ Fluffy Coat. The fur sticks up on her back from her head to tail. She does get her fur trimmed in summer as it can get quite hot. I don't think its because of it though as it sticks up even when its grown back. My Over Cavi's fur is straight and lays flat on his back no matter what length the coat is.

Just Curious

Thanks
 
My Blenheim has similiar hair as does my B&T puppy. The Blenheim's doesn't stick up as much since he's older, but is on the curly side. Puppy looks like a "Chia Pet" right now ( 8 months) but I think it shows some signs of becoming a bit tamer as it getss longer
 
There is something called Curly Coat/Rough Coat Syndrome known in cavaliers. http://www.cavalierhealth.com/curly_coat.htm Here is a link to some info. NOT saying your dog has it just suggestion you read this just in case... Cavaliers that have it also have eye problems a lot of times as well. Personally I want to brush my Fletcher 20 times a day so he always looks picture perfect but then I remember that he's a dog and the "wild" look is part of his happy-go-lucky personality.
 
I was quite surprised when I met Thistle's father, he had ringlets his fur was so curly. I had only ever seen photos of him from when he was groomed for a show or "glamor" shots and so they had him all brushed out smooth. But his "around the house" look was very curly.

Thistle's coat is almost entirely flat, with just one cowlick over her right shoulder.
 
Gracie has a ridiculously thick, fluffy coat and it is curly down her spine where it is shorter in length.
 
Our Charlie that we adopted a year ago has short, wavy hair on his back. It's not grown longer than an inch even though it hasn't been cut. His hair stays short half way down his side unlike any other Cavalier I've seen.
 
They really all vary. Most cavaliers I have seen, and all of mine do not have long hair on their back. This includes my dogs from a show line and my rescue dogs. Their back hair varies from about an inch to two inches long. Cavaliers aren't like, say, those show terriers just in Crufts , with really long back hair that grows to the ground! :D

Coats really vary! The breed is supposed to have a straightish coat (though chests are curly) and show breeders as noted will dry the coat out straight for showing. Mine all have fairly straight coats but Lily's (rescue) is dry and more curly and needs to be kept trimmed to look neat. Otherwise she looks like she stuck her paw in an electric outlet!! :lol:

If a dog has no longer hair at all on its side, and is a mature adult, that is a bit odder. If your dog's from a reputable show breeder, then I would certainly ask them about it -- any good breeder will want to know about a coat anomaly, or it may be that this length is right for this line. (people perceive things so differently that it is hard to know without seeing a dog whether things look totally normal or a bit unusual!). Great breeders keep lifelong relationships with their puppy buyers and will be happy to answer questions. :D

If the coat is really abnormally short, then I'd wonder if the dog has been repeatedly shaved -- this is never recommended for cavalier coats and some breeders say it can permanently damage how they grow and look; or whether there's a chance that there's a different breed mixed in? Maybe not in the immediate past but somewhere further back, as from your little pic, Charlie looks like a full cavalier. :)

If he's of unknown background (for example, a rescue dog) then it is hard to know for sure about reasons for short coat length.
 
Thanks for your answers, curly coats aren't as rare as i thought they were. I think Lucy is a mixed breed as she is also quite a bit bigger than she is supposed to be.
 
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