Bruin who is 6.5mnths old and is a yellow working bred labrador has a wonderful silky, soft & shiny coat, just wondering if he still has a puppy coat or whether its down to feeding (he is completely raw fed with plenty of fish) or whether genetics play a part or if there is a difference in coat texture in different colours of labs?
I'm no expert on coats but it's very possible that Bruin still has a puppy coat if he hasn't had a proper moult yet. It does seem that all our dogs costs are different though - some thicker, some coarser, some more wavy, some shed more or less all the time . The main thing is that he is healthy with a shiny coat
They are very different. My boy has a very shiny coat - it shouldn't really be shiny though (strictly speaking). A proper undercoat often makes a coat have a matt look. And the waterproof layer along their backs should have a coarse feel to it. Charlie feels like soft silk to touch, and cuddling up to him in bed is amazing. I say enjoy whatever coat your dog has, fur is a wonder thing. Apart from when you are sweeping it up....
My two dogs, from the same litter, and obviously fed the same, have very different coats and not just in colour. Willow, who is a black girl, has a shiny coat, which is smooth but quite wiry. She doesn't have the wavy bit on her back. Shadow, who is yellow, is more matt. but very soft. He has a bit of a wave on his back, and that's much coarser than the rest of him. Shadow moults like the devil and Willow barely sheds in comparison. I've heard that neutering your dog can lead to a poor coat, but it doesn't seem to have affected Willow's at all.
I know that thing about the proper undercoat giving a matt look is written somewhere but I don't agree with it. I think the coat should be shiny/glossy and a shiny coat can have a good undercoat. Both my dogs have had excellent coats (proper undercoat, 'hard' feeling along the back, and highly water-repellent). My black dog was shiny as anything, almost to the end of his 14 years, and even Obi, though yellow, has a gloss in the right light. Both desexed. The only dogs I've seen who could be described as matt have: - had no undercoat and a short, very soft coat overall (with no 'hard' feel anywhere) - been very underweight and with a poor coat overall - been extremely stressed due to a stay in a boarding kennel. I wouldn't describe a really proper Labrador coat as feeling silky...except for the ears. It should feel a touch coarse, or wiry as Snowbunny described it. The two important features are the undercoat (which is not usually found right along the top of the back so don't look for it there, it's more along the sides) and the water-shedding characteristic. When a Labrador emerges from the water and has a shake s/he really shouldn't look too wet afterwards. I think all these different answers show how much variation there can be in real life I've read on here that desexing can take away the soft feel of a Spaniel's coat (in females anyway). Have not heard of it affecting Labradors.
No, I don't think a 'proper' coat should feel silky - Charlie does though. . I wasn't claiming my dog has an ideal coat. I don't mean any coat should look 'dull' but I think when you see a very high shine on a Labrador, they often do have a thinner coat than is ideal. That's not to say those coats aren't fabulous to look at, and cuddle.
I dunno...I have seen many coats that are both shiny and very thick/plush with good undercoats. Of course, what each person considers very shiny is not necessarily exactly the same thing... What I think of as shiny might not be as shiny as the examples of shinyness that you are thinking of. I was wrong, though, to say that the undercoat and waterproofness are the two important features... Cuddleability is of course the most important feature
Or picking bits out of your bra..... I think that washing your dog has an effect too (well actually I know it does) Using detergents of any kind make a coat feel rougher because the oils are stripped and it is less water repellent. I find that a good soaking in the rain makes the coat feel more silky than usual after drying. I agree with Rachael about the not looking wet after coming out the water bit. When we have a stretch without poo=rolling and consequent full bathing, it really makes a difference to Lilly's coat.
Ah, yes, the water thing. That's another area where my two differ. Willow dries instantly. Shadow stays wet forever. I think shininess is very subjective. Shadow is currently laying on me and the sun is shining onto him. I can see a slight glossiness where the light is reflecting, but in general he's a bit too "fluffy" to be really shiny. I wonder if I'll see any changes to his coat as I get more weight on him - which is a work in progress.
Genetics certainly play a role. Working Labs often do not have the proper double coat. Our field trainer's young bitch, same age as Oban, ( 18 months when we started working so puppy coat had been shed) had the loveliest coat to pet. Thick, soft, soft, soft, short, single coat. Not shiny. Completely improper and not like any other single coated dog I've ever petted including other working bred Labs. Oh, but so nice to bury your face in. It's hard to see shine on a yellow coat, much easier on black and some chocolates. Black is interesting, the coat can reflect another colour; brown for some like my Jet, silvery grey for some like my Oban and for some the wondrous raven black that, just like a raven, can reflect highlights of shimmering purple and blue. Jet's coat was actually very like my own hair, black but in bright sunlight highlights of reddish brown would show up.
I'd say the Labs with the best coats (at least that I've met) have coats that reflect the light slightly - it's more of a sheen than a shine, definitely not dull. Where I see the light 'bounce' off in a high shine, I think the coat is often thiner. I'd say this is a high shine coat: And I'd say this is a coat has a general healthy looking sheen but not high shine (shiny on the head and ears though where the fur is thin) and more likely to be closer to a proper coat.
Well being only 61/2mnths old Bruin is still entire, his coat seems to have good waterproofing qualities... he is never out of the water, I'm sure he thinks he is a fish, he insists on sticking his nose under water in every puddle we come across!! Definately in the right light there is a lovely shine to his coat not as obvious as a black with him being yellow, his coat is longer and thicker in some places more than others and he only shed a little a few mnths back so maybe he is still to get his adult coat in.. who knows, he's lovely and cuddly soft at moment though! they are all so different I think but again I think health a food and living conditions has to play a part to a certain degree in coat condition. Screenshot_2015-11-17-12-24-19.png by Susan Brown, on Flickr 2015-10-27 20.32.04 by Susan Brown, on Flickr 20151122_192545 by Susan Brown, on Flickr
My old dog, Bones, had a thick and waterproof, but very shiny, black coat. People were always commenting on it. Poppy's coat is every bit as thick and waterproof, but it isn't shiny like his was.
LOL, I just have to add, Jet's coat was SO shiny. We got comments and compliments on it all the time. I particularly enjoyed conversations with those types of people who, without seeing your dog, will give volunteer advice on all kinds of things. Several told me if I fed a certain food (often the one they sold) my dogs coat would get shiny. All innocence I'd ask, "Shinier that it is now?" Remember, no dog for them to see, and none clued in, and they'd always, always assure me that, yes, her coat would get shinier. Then I'd smirk and reply, "If her coat gets any more shiny I'll have to wear a welding helmet to look at her."
Casper our black lab has a beautiful coat. Very shiny and naturally so, it is not as dense and wiry though as Benson our chocolate labrador. When Casper first arrived though it was dull and matt, with scaly, itchy dandruff. Interestingly as the suprelorin has worn off, Bensons coat..(chocolate) has gotten shinier, that may just be co-incidence though. shiny casper by foxy bean, on Flickr
I think Ella has a 'medium shine' coat. It's definitely not like the photos of the black labs in this feed but does reflect the light. Her coat is a bit softer under her belly and on her legs but has that wiry feel down her back.
All three of our Labs have had shiny coats. Cooper's is much coarser and longer than Tilly's, and looks to be be better at shedding rain. Cooper also dries faster when she has been swimming. Both of them have Lab double coats and can shed enough undercoat that we have taken to naming the dustbunnies. Cooper has a lot more fur on her tummy than Tilly. She is almost completely covered while Tilly's tummy is bare. Cooper still doesn't come close to my Malamute or my neighbors Sammy.
My boys have all had v. different coats , Harry was the shiniest and looked SO like shiny Casper it has brought tears to my eyes just looking at the photo.
I'm curious. When your black Lab is looking very shiny, what colours does his coat reflect? In strong sunlight Jet's coat threw back deep, rich browns to the extent a few people asked me if she was a chocolate. Oban's coat reflects silver. I have seen some that are almost iridescent and show hues of blue, turquoise and purple like some birds do. Very rare I think those latter colour highlights are.
