Coat Shine And Genetics

[Polgara's Shadow]

Just wondering about how much coat shine is genetic. My SBT boy's coat gleams, everyone who sees him comments on how healthy and shiny he looks. Getting his annual booster shots last week, the Vet positivly gushed about how shiny and healthy he looked. He has food allergies which has lead me to do much research into dog nutrition so my pride would like to think that his shine/gloss has alot to do with his nutrition and overall health. However I suspect his coat would forgive us many nutritional sins, although his allergies probably wouldn't. His allergies manifest in many ways, but interestingly his coast only lost some of it's shine when he was at his very worst.

I recall his breeders telling us they simply wiped his parents coats down with wet wipes before entering the show ring. I know there are plenty on here in the know about colour and genetics, so how about genetics and coat shine/gloss? Do breeders activly select for this trait?

[Greytmate]

The colour and the type of hair are determined by genetics. But the coat won't really shine unless the dog is healthy and is producing the right amount of oil from its skin.

Dark hair appears to be shinier than lighter hair, and it might be that your SBT is 'blacker' than many others are. SBT are not pure black, they are actually a dark brindle, and the lighter hairs tend not to be as reflective and shiny as the darker ones.

[Polgara's Shadow]

I'd say he's a very dark brown brindle Greytmate, but not a black brindle. He has a light amount of brindling, and after having a good look then I reckon the tan bits may shine a little bit less than the dark bits, or at least the gloss is a little less obvious there. But they are still glossy. Does that mean a white dog wouldn't have much gloss?

I had to do a bit of googling to find the words I was after but.. I understand that the way the cuticle lays on the hair strand results in gloss. Flat cuticles = gloss; raised cluticles =matt. Is that genetic or up to nutrition? Or both, nutrition to maximise the genetics, but your stuck with whatever the genetic potential is????? Is that what you mean by type of hair, or do you mean curly or straight?

Edited March 13, 2011 by Polgara's Shadow

[Greytmate]

I'd say he's a very dark brown brindle Greytmate, but not a black brindle. He has a light amount of brindling, and after having a good look then I reckon the tan bits may shine a little bit less than the dark bits, or at least the gloss is a little less obvious there. But they are still glossy. Does that mean a white dog wouldn't have much gloss?

I had to do a bit of googling to find the words I was after but.. I understand that the way the cuticle lays on the hair strand results in gloss. Flat cuticles = gloss; raised cluticles =matt. Is that genetic or up to nutrition? Or both, nutrition to maximise the genetics, but your stuck with whatever the genetic potential is????? Is that what you mean by type of hair, or do you mean curly or straight?

In a black nosed dog, the brindle can only be black brindle. If it looks brown it is because of the way the brindling is distributed over the coat.

To my eyes, a lighter coat has less shine, and I think it is because the darker hairs reflect back more light where as the lighter ones absorb the light. The opposite of what you get with paint. But unlike paint, light or white coats in dogs have reduced or no pigmentation, where as only red or black dogs have full pigmentation. I also think that dark hairs might be thicker than light hairs, and so might be shinier for that reason too.

If a dog is unhealthy or has hook worms, the coat can grow unhealthily and the cuticles would not be flat. In some breeds, the coat is supposed to be wiry or rough, and that is purely genetic.

The shiniest dogs I have ever seen are ones supplemented with oily fish. I really think that oil is important for coat shine.

[newfsie]

I have four dogs, who eat the same.....One is so shiny,even when she is dirty. One always looks like she still has her puppy coat and the other two are average, really shine after a shampoo. So I would put it down to genetics