Scottish Terrier Coat

[Clyde]

I only groom the one Scotty. Her owner has recently bought another and he came in the other day for this first clip The owner mentioned that his body shape is slightly different to most Scottys but we were more curious about his coat. It is very soft and fluffy, only wirey in parts (across his back legs). His skirt is incredibly soft like a Poodle and when drying it fluffed up and out :rolleyes: so it was re-dried flat. His skirt is also very patchy and curly in parts and at nowhere near the length of the female at that age. Dog was bought from reg'd breeder via the net. His beard/eyebrows are soft and silky like a Malts - none of the wirey texture.

So I'm wondering if some Scotties can take a while for their true coat to come in?

Or has she unwittingly bought a ScottiPoo

[Doggrooma]

Not sure Clyde, I have just started doing two young ones as well. But both have lovely wirey coats. Normally its only soft on the back when clipped. All scottys I have ever clipped grow back a harsh coat too. So ???? sounds a bit strange. Maybe someone who knows scottys can shed some light on you question.

[westiemum]

Hi Clyde,

I can't speak for scotties (haven 't had one since I was 4!), but I can speak for westies - both are double coated breeds and closely related,originating from the same areas of Scotland. Although having said that, I'm no expert so happy to be corrected.

I don't know what my boy westies coat was like originally (I got him as an adult rescue) - but he had to have his coat completely shorn off after he came out of the pf, which apparently can soften up their coats substantially - or else it was always soft - no way to know. And yes he blows up like a fluff ball after a stint with the blow dryer as well! My westie girl has a soft, thin, slightly curly coat, compared to my westie boys thick soft woolly coat. Neither of mine have that wiry top coat mentioned in the breed standard. Yet a recent foster westie did (after we returned him to reasonable health and his undercoat grew back). So three very different coats in the same breed.

So the sort of coat you describe sounds like a breed variation to me - and as long as your client is not planning on showing I wouldn't worry about it, even though strictly speaking its probably a breed fault (The truth is I love the soft coats my guys have - wonderful to snuggle with!)

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Westiemum

Ed 'cos I can't type and spell at the same time.

Edited May 18, 2008 by westiemum

[Garloch]

I only groom the one Scotty. Her owner has recently bought another and he came in the other day for this first clip The owner mentioned that his body shape is slightly different to most Scottys but we were more curious about his coat. It is very soft and fluffy, only wirey in parts (across his back legs). His skirt is incredibly soft like a Poodle and when drying it fluffed up and out :rolleyes: so it was re-dried flat. His skirt is also very patchy and curly in parts and at nowhere near the length of the female at that age. Dog was bought from reg'd breeder via the net. His beard/eyebrows are soft and silky like a Malts - none of the wirey texture.

So I'm wondering if some Scotties can take a while for their true coat to come in?

Or has she unwittingly bought a ScottiPoo

Hi Clyde -

Perhaps its just one of those genetic issues that turn up with various matings. Even a repeat mating with the same dogs can produce very different litter offspring. Scotties should look like a solid little brick shaped dog, with a narrower (but still brick-shaped) snout. Can you tell me how old the scottie is please? Most of us give the pups a headclip before they go home, but not much done to the body apart from brushing. Its obviously a pet, as a showdog wouldn't be clipped - they are hand-stripped.

They have a double coat - soft minklike inner layer, with the harsher outer layer. Together the two types make for a waterproof covering for the dog. The furnishings (skirt) on the dog take a long time to grow long enough to reach the ground, and as with any dog, is individual in their coat growth speed. (My youngest scottie is about 11mths, and her furnishings are almost down to the ground.) The short answer is - the coat can be soft to begin with. You can bring a coat up, only by careful hand stripping though. And it can take a while for it to come through this way. A soft coat to begin with, generally means a softer than normal coat at the end. True scottie coats should be harsh and wirey, but not curly.

Breeders do their utmost to produce a better dog every time a mating is done, but sometimes a soft coat does appear. Brindles will generally be harsher than blacks, with wheatens the softest (IMHO). Not everyone agrees with this synopsis though. When you dry the coat, don't fluff it sideways with your hand to get the coat dry. Brushing straight down towards the ground will get the best result on a scottie coat. You will soften the coat if you use conditioner on it - most just use a little on the furnishings as they tend to tangle if they are soft. Please advise your scottie owner to take great care with daily brushing - soft coats tend to knott VERY easily, and in summertime a hotspot can very quickly occur under the knott, effectively burning the skin, and can kill the dog.

Does that answer your question?

Regards,

Garloch

[Clyde]

Thanks guys for replying. This thread me me realise that Garloch is our only Scotty member

Can you tell me how old the scottie is please? Most of us give the pups a headclip before they go home, but not much done to the body apart from brushing. Its obviously a pet, as a showdog wouldn't be clipped - they are hand-stripped.

I'm not sure how old he is, older than 7-8 months at least. He didn't have his head clipped when bought. He was sold on main register as I believe the owner wanted to breed. But not show, so yes he was given a pet clip. I'm rather dubious of my Scotty clips, lol, but she's been elsewhere and loves them. I thank God for my trusty grooming book

Owner said he is 'enormous' too. To be fair, she's not that hung up on it as she loves him, I am just curious. She said she'll wait and see what happens with his coast and is now thinking of desexing.

When you dry the coat, don't fluff it sideways with your hand to get the coat dry. Brushing straight down towards the ground will get the best result on a scottie coat. You will soften the coat if you use conditioner on it - most just use a little on the furnishings as they tend to tangle if they are soft. Please advise your scottie owner to take great care with daily brushing - soft coats tend to knott VERY easily, and in summertime a hotspot can very quickly occur under the knott, effectively burning the skin, and can kill the dog.

I ended up haing to brush it downwards after the first dry. The female I brush with the dryer to work the knots out and whichever way you dry the skirt falls beautifully. I don't condition any terriers, but was tempted to put a gallon of hairspray in instead :D Parts of the skirt area had only grown about one cm, there was the faintest brown tinge too. Thankfully owner takes good care of the coats and I usually only find a few small knots on the inside forelegs.

Thanks Garloch

[Garloch]

Clyde - I'm not quite your only scottie member. Couple of others around that I know of. Shy quiet little people we are.......

I'm only new at all this, and probably for this reason I have a funny way of looking at things. I'm very happy to help people and to guide them on which way they can go to source some educational materials about my wonderful breed!

I've seen some interesting clips on scotties too - some look like Westies and some look like schnauzers, but although I'm sure you and your book are doing the right clip, if you want to run a pic past me, I'd be happy to have a look over it for you. I've never seen a grooming book that's used by groomers, so it would educate me as well!

Please don't use hairspray on scotties. Their skin can tend to be somewhat prone to itchy's, and the perfumes used in hairsprays can exacerbate any problem that may be in the background. In saying that, the show world is full of people that use gel or the like on them. :D

The feint brown tinge is quite normal. Suggests that there is a brindle somewhere in the background breeding, and after all, brindle is the original colour for scotties. Most people assume its black, but that's a secondary (but stunning) colour. I have a pure black, a silver brindle, and a brown brindle. Alas, no wheatens........ My upcoming litter should all be silver brindles.......send puppy dust!

If your owner wants a chat about whether her darling might be suitable to breed or not, I'm happy for them to run a couple of ideas past me too. Sometimes it helps to have an independant look at your animals, give you some feedback, to enable you to make a more balanced decision. Might be the same decision as you were moving towards, but could be different too. Just a thought........

Garloch.