Cockapoo fur

Discussion of grooming tips and questions.

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kendeb
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:19 pm

Cockapoo fur

Post by kendeb »

Our cockapoo is 16 weeks old. We got her when she was about 8 weeks old. About a week after we got her, she had a quarter sized bald spot on her side -- took her to the vet and there were no apparent causes. She was never bothered by the spot. Soon after, dark, thick, wavy hair started growing there. Since then, the dark wavy hair has grown across her back but only across the top of her back near her "shoulders". The rest of her hair is light and thin and very curly. The vet said he had never seen anything like it before. It is almost like the cocker spaniel part of her is coming out, but only across the "shoulder" area. Has anyone else ever experienced this? She certainly looks unique!
emmabeth
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Re: Cockapoo fur

Post by emmabeth »

It isnt unusual for dogs to have different textures of hair/fur in different places..

I have a wire haired terrier type here, his actual parentage is a mixture of sighthound, bull & terrier type and gsd... he is black and tan like all his litter were (his father was a german shepherd) but wire coated unlike any of the rest of his litter that I saw, and unlike either mother or father...

Unlike many terrier types though his hair is very very short on his legs but grows incredibly long on his body, and the texture over his shoulders and down his back is much harder than the fur on his sides or face.

When you mix up two breeds or more, you really don't know what you will get out in the offspring.

Some crossbreeds from two pedigree parents can be quite predictable, but this is usually found where the breeds involved are fairly similar and probably have a degree of shared ancestry even if it is 100 years ago or more.

One cross i have in mind is the Bedlington x Whippet, which around 8 times out of 10, (Nettle would know better though), come out a greyish blue with 'shaggy' slightly harsh fur. They are so predictable in outcome that lurcher shows will run classes specifically for that type and they can then be judged against one another just as pedigree breeds would be.

Other crossbreeds where the parents are really very distinctively different such as the poodle crosses to cockers, labradors, golden retrievers etc, can be very VERY varied (which is one reason they were found not to be a useful crossbreed for guidedogs for the blind, unlike labrador x golden retriever which are commonly used!).

It is not the case that crossing one breed with another will give you an even mixture of the appearance of each parent and even within the one dog you may well find different coat types, density, harshness, curl etc.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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Mercurykitty
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Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:59 am
Location: Newark, DE

Re: Cockapoo fur

Post by Mercurykitty »

Our cockapoo puppy has a patch of dark, thick, and very curly fur on her upper back, shoulders, and back of her neck while the rest of her is light, soft, and wavy.
kendeb
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:19 pm

Re: Cockapoo fur

Post by kendeb »

Thanks Mercurykitty! I thought maybe our puppy was unusual because it seems like everyone I have asked (the vet, breeders, groomers, etc.) tells us they have never seen this!! The fur that is darker and more wavy than curly on her back has gotten lighter underneath. I think that when we have her groomed again when the weather gets warmer that she will end up being all the same color although the textures will be different there. It looks better since it has gotten longer. At first, it was flat and wavy while the rest of her was curly hair that stood up. She looked like she had a saddle on her! Her ears have remained darker red, which is cute and matches her back. The rest of her is getting a lot lighter. She is almost 7 months old now. How old is your puppy?
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