I've noticed the fur along our 4-month old chocolate puppy's spine is starting to curl/wave. There is about a 5cm wide strip that looks darker, more coarse and sort of oily-looking... that makes a wavy pattern all along his back. When we first got him he consistently fluffy and the same colour all over, but this wave strip seems to be getting more and more pronounced. I don't mind it, in particular, and I've seen other puppies with the same thing. I'm really just curious about it! Has anyone seen this before? Could it be related to his new diet? We switched his food to a higher-protein one than he was started on. He's only had one bath, but maybe his fur dried funny? Do you think the waves/curls could be "calmed" with regular brushing? We haven't been brushing him much so far, as he's not shedding yet. (This seems funny to post among the discussions of real health concerns - but here I amfacepalm: Any insight would be great! Thanks!
Axel developed a wave in his coat around the same time. He is growing out of it each time he moults (currently moulting for the second time, he is 11 months old) So he does still have it but it's not as pronounced as it used to be. The darker more glossy hair I believe is just the adult coat coming in
Hi- Jubilee had a beautiful coat when she was a puppy, but I worried that it was too long and wavey. It was especially noticeable along her back - it looked like a different layer. Now she is two and her coat still looks great but the wave is barely noticeable.
This is perfectly normal! It's your Labrador's 'rain coat'. Labradors have double, waterproof coats and the wavy slightly oily strip down their back is the top of their waterproof raincoat. All it means is that your Labrador is a proper Labrador, with a proper Labrador coat.
*digs out the breed standard* "coat should be short and dense and without a wave". Xena has a wave but at 7 months it seems to be growing out. Her wave started coming in at about 3 months I think.
Some Labs seem to have a much more pronounced wave than others. My two barely have one at all, but as much as there is comes in and out with the seasons. I know other Labs that have very strong, permanent waves. It's certainly nothing to worry about
You have to interpret the breed standard sensibly otherwise you fall into the trap of exaggeration. 'Without a wave' does not mean that the oily waterproof strip down the back of a Labrador should be missing. It means that the coat should not be wavy - in general. As in not a wavy coat. For example the specification for 'broad and deep through chest' or 'barrel chest' was - originally - to distinguish the Labrador from the rib cages of hounds and flat coats that are somewhat flat sided along the chest. It does not mean that we should have exaggerated barrel chests at the expanse of a decent length of leg. And so on....
That just seems so obvious - of course the coat shouldn't be wavy - which is why I thought a back wave was a bad thing. Anyway, great to know that her coat is normal. I love to dig my fingers into it, but I am glad that it's less pronounced now. She looked like she had a bad perm for a couple of months
Benson has a very thick top coat..with (I think.) a beautiful wave down his spine benson on bank france by foxy bean, on Flickr
Molly is getting this wave now too. Someone we know named their chocolate bitch Mars because the ripple down her back reminded them of a mars bar
Pongo's wave comes and goes. I like it - it looks like he's been to a particularly sophisticated hairdresser.
How interesting. Molly has a very coarse and wavy strip down the centre of her back and I'd always assumed it was because she's a cross, and that it came from her Chessie mum. I don't remember my proper Lab having a wave - I'll have to dig out my old photos of him.
There's a yellow lab at training (Coco's love interest) who is curly all over. She looks like a cross to me, but owner says no. Whatever, she's gorgeous. A little lazy, but gorgeous.
Homer has a corse stripe down his back which make the ignorant think he is a ridgeback. When we chose his at 8 weeks old his one brother has a slightly more waiver coat.
Well I'd be delighted to see a wave start to develop on Betsy's back! She has far too much undercoat, and not enough top coat right now.
Thanks, everyone. Good to know it's a common thing! It will be interesting to see whether George's wave sticks around or if it changes as he grows!
@Beanwood gosh, Benson's wave is very distinctive. Jet had a wave that was most pronounced down the centre of her back but it was wider than his and tapered out gradually to the sides. Oban has a straight, flat coat. The standard in Canada says both are correct. Interesting though, is that Jet, from about 6 months to past a year, had a mane of hair down the centre of her back, from her neck to her tail. It was longer than her other coat, very coarse, stuck up straight in the air and it was BROWN. Jet was black. I called the breeder and she said she had seen it before, it wasn't common but did happen and it would grow out, which it did. She compared it to cradle cap in human babies. Human babies have that at birth, puppies seem to get it later but it acts the same way.
