Coat Types

Every dog breed has a specific coat type. Each breed has a coat which suits their designed purpose.

For example, the poodle has a ‘curly’ coat. Poodles were designed to be water dogs; the curly coat

helps them to be more buoyant and helps the water bead off easier.

There are several common coat types;

Smooth

Curly/ Wool

Long

Short

Wire

Combination

SMOOTH COAT

This is one of the easiest coats to maintain. These breeds include Greyhounds, Pointer, Bulldog. This

coat is very short, and the coat lies very flat to the skin, making it very smooth, with no texture and

shiny. Although it sheds, this coat requires little or no grooming.

Shampoo As this coat sheds, a de-shedding shampoo works well to loosen the dead hairs during grooming, and reduce future shedding. A shiny coat shampoo can also be good.

Pozer Fly Away Shampoo Espree Simple Shed

Shampoo Groom Professional

Raspberry Gloss Groom Professional

Argan Oil Shampoo

Conditioner As the coat is not long, or not matted, conditioner is not essential. However a conditioner may be used to add shine

Groom Professional Argan Oil Condtioner

Espree Silky Show Conditioner

Grooming Sprays

No dematting sprays are required, however shine sprays and serums work well on this coat

Show Dog S-Factor Serum Spray

Artero Flash Spray Shine Warren London K9 Silk

Shine Chris Christensen Silk

Spirits Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum

Health Care These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes No everyday brushing is required, but as their coat sheds, some de-shedding tools are very useful. Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and dander and add a superb shine to the coat as they evenly distribute the natural oils through the coat In the bath, a scrubber is advised to loosen the coat and give a really deep scrub

Groom Professional Shed Stoppers

Shedding Blade Groom Professional

Luxury Ionic brushes Chris Christensen Ionic

brushes Groom Professional Jelly

Scrubber

Other Coat Products

Very low maintenance coat, but colognes are a great add on

Any cologne spray

CURLY/WOOLY COAT

Also called a ‘poodle’ coat. Breeds include Bichon Frise and Poodles. This coat is very thick and curly

and has a lot of volume. This coat requires a lot of regular grooming – the better pet owners and

breeders will groom daily. One of the hardest coats to maintain. It matts very easily and can grow

quite quickly and these dogs have continuous growth throughout the year.

Shampoo Use a shampoo with no added conditioners as this would weigh the coat down, and makes it more difficult to scissor or clip.

Show Dog Crisp Coat Shampoo

Chris Christensen Spectrum One Shampoo

Groomers Seaweed and Cucumber Shampoo

Conditioner If the customer wants to use a conditioner all over, advise a ‘lighter’, more coat specific one. A concentrated conditioner may be used sparingly on concentrated areas of matting to make the de-matting process kinder on the dog.

Chris Christensen After U Bathe

Chris Christensen Spectrum One Conditioner

Les Poochs Creme Rinse Light

CONCENTRATED: Show Dog Intense Coat Conditioner

Grooming Sprays The coat needs ‘hold’ to make scissoring easier This coat is quite hard to blast out, so Fast Dri is advisable Dematting Spray is essential. One which is anti-static is more beneficial. Never brush any coat type without a grooming spray as this can damage the coat and cause further matting. Require volume for the best effect

Show Dog Scissor Spritzer Fast Dri Spray

Groom Professional

Wonder Coat Show Dog Magic Mist Any other detangling spray

Chris Christensen Thick n

Thicker Spray, Moose and Foaming Protein

Health Care Requires ear plucking and cleaning Ear Powder Forceps Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for everyday grooming Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to ensure tangles are out, and fluff up the coat Dematting tools are generally required!

Groom Professional Curved Slicker (soft for puppies or finer wool, firm for very thick and matted coats)

Groom Professional Luxury Pin Brushes

Groom Professional Luxury Wooden Pin Brushes

Fantasia Comb (longer works better, although a comb is a personal thing and groomers tend to have their favourite size!)

Matt Splitters Dematting Combs Matt Breakers Coarse Coat Kings

Other Coat Products

Bows, Clips and Latex bands are great for this coat

Groom Professional Fashion Clips

Groom Professional Fashion Bows

Latex Bands

LONG COAT

Dog breeds with a long coat also require a lot of maintenance. This coat needs brushed three times a

week, if not daily. Breeds include Old English Sheepdogs, Shih Tzus, Maltese and Afghan Hounds.

Long coats can vary in texture – from coarse (old English) to silky (afghan)

Shampoo A long haired, smoothing shampoo is essential. Any other type of shampoo will make the coat harder to brush and manage.

Show Dog Silk Coat Shampoo

Pozer Forget me Knots Shampoo

Groom Professional Almond Detangle Shampoo

Groom Professional 2 in 1 Protein

Groom Professional Argan Oil Shampoo

Espree Silky Show Shampoo

Conditioner Conditioner is a must. It will help weigh the coat down, add strength and shine, and protect the coat while brushing.

Espree Silky Show Conditioner

Groom Professional Argan Oil Conditioner

Show Dog Intense Coat Conditioner

Grooming Sprays Anti-static Grooming Spray is essential. Due to the nature of the coat, the hair can become very static and hard to manage during brushing/after drying. Also, advise the customer that a spray with added conditioners is essential for everyday brushing to reduce future matting. Even if not brushing, a mist of a conditioning spray will add condition to the coat and avoid matts. Never brush this coat without a spray! A shine spray will also work well

Groom Professional Wonder Coat

Show Dog Magic Mist Les Poochs Detangling

Spray Groom Professional EPO

Spray Pet Silk Leave in

Conditioner Artero Flash Show Dog S-Factor Serum

Spray

Health Care Ear cleaning essential. Some long coated breeds are susceptible to ear problems

Ear Powder Forceps Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for everyday grooming. A pin brush works better. Wooden pin brushes are effective on long coats, as they gentle detangle and cause less hair breakage Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to ensure tangles are out. An ionic brush works well on the silky type long coats to add the final shine Dematting tools are generally required!

Groom Professional Curved Slicker (soft )

Groom Professional Flat Slicker

Groom Professional Luxury Pin Brushes

Groom Professional Luxury Wooden Pin Brushes

Fantasia Comb (longer works better, although a comb is a personal thing and groomers tend to have their favourite size!)

Bronze Ionic Brushes Matt Splitters Dematting Combs Matt Breakers Coarse Coat Kings

Other Coat Products

Bows, Clips and Latex bands are great for this coat

Groom Professional Fashion Clips

Groom Professional Fashion Bows

Latex Bands

SHORT COAT

This type of coat has two layers of short coats, making these coats very dense. They were designed

to protect the pet against the elements. The hair is short in length, between 1cm – 3cm. Unlike the

‘smooth’ coat, this coat has more texture, and you can put your fingers through it. Example breeds

are pugs, Labradors and beagles. This breed requires little grooming, however the coat can hold

more water and scent, making it hard to dry and can be a little smellier!

WIRE COAT

The wire coat is a unique coat with specific grooming. Full grooming generally needs to be done by a

professional groomer, or someone who is trained to deal with this coat. Westies, different Terriers

and Schnauzers.

Shampoo As this coat sheds, a de-shedding shampoo works well to loosen the dead hairs during grooming, and reduce future shedding. A deep cleaning shampoo can also work well If the customer complains about drying time, offer the Super Dri shampoo

Pozer Fly Away Shampoo Espree Simple Shed

Shampoo Groom Professional Dirty

Dog Shampoo Pozer Truly Madly

Deeply Shampoo Groom Professional

Super Dri Shampoo

Conditioner As the coat is not long, or not matted, conditioner is not essential. However a conditioner may be used to add shine

Groom Professional Argan Oil Condtioner

Espree Silky Show Conditioner

Grooming Sprays

No dematting sprays are required, however shine sprays and serums work well on this coat Fast Dri works well on these breeds, as this coat holds water

Show Dog S-Factor Serum Spray

Artero Flash Spray Shine Warren London K9 Silk

Shine Chris Christensen Silk

Spirits Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum Groom Professional Fast

Dri Spray

Health Care These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes No everyday brushing is required, but as their coat sheds, de-shedding tools are very useful, if not essential. Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and dander and add a superb shine to the coat. They evenly distribute the natural oils through the coat In the bath, a scrubber is advised to loosen the coat and give a really deep scrub

Groom Professional Shed Stoppers

Shedding Blade Groom Professional

Luxury Ionic brushes Chris Christensen Ionic

brushes Groom Professional Jelly

Scrubber

Other Coat Products

Very low maintenance coat, but colognes are a great add on

Any cologne spray

The proper way to look after this coat is by a process called hand stripping. Hand stripping maintains

the strong colours of the wire coat and maintains the coarse texture. This is a process which must be

done from a puppy – once the coat is clipped using clippers, it is very difficult, if not impossible to

get the texture back by hand stripping and it would be very sore on the dog. Hand stripping has to be

taught, and can be difficult to master at the beginning. It is very labour intensive, and some

groomers may not even offer this service.

What is hand stripping?

Hand stripping involves pulling out the dead outer coat of wire coated and rough coated breeds by

hand, rather than clippers. This allows the new harsh wire coat to grow. Wire coats pull out very

easily, making this not a painful process for the pet.

Why does clipping ruin the wiry texture?

Wire hair has a unique structure. There is three parts;

Hard Wire Point

Semi Hollow Hair

Soft base, and lightly anchored into the skin

Coat growth is determined by DNA. The DNA will state, “I am a Border Terrier, so my coat has to be

coloured brown and 1 inch long before I shed”. Every dog will shed their coat, but some is not as

regular as others. This helps give each breed its unique look. Our human hair is not determined by

DNA and will continue to grow until we cut it.

When you clip the hard wire point will be removed, all that will be left is either the semi hollow hair,

or the soft base. When this tip is removed, the hair will continue to grow until the DNA tells it to

shed. Because it does not have any hard tip, it will grow soft and semi hollow, making the coat soft

and the colour will be diluted, as it only had enough pigment to do one hair growth cycle. That’s why

some black dogs when they are clipped begin to turn grey.

When hand stripping is done, the whole hair is removed, and the cycle will begin from the beginning

again. Meaning the hair will grow with a wire texture and maintain its strong colour.

Hand stripping must be done on a dry coat. Hand stripping equipment is listed below;

o Stripping knives – Groom Professional and Mars

o Coat Kings – use these before and after stripping. These help to remove the ‘really’ loose

hair, meaning they save time and effort. There would be no point in stripping hair with

fingers or a knife that would have easily brushed out! Use after stripping to help blend

o Chalk – adds grip as it helps dry and absorb any oils

o Finger Condoms – add grip to the finger

o Grooming Stones – Helps strip the hair quicker, but are less precise (customers either like a

knife or a stone)

o Artero Grooming Razor – Blend after (really sharp – only use after stripping!)

Shampoo This coat needs no conditioner, and needs a shampoo that will not leave the coat soft. If you want to hand strip, adding conditioner will make the coat impossible to grip! Some groomers don’t wash before hand stripping... however if they do advise the best shampoo. Even if the groomer does not use handstripping, these shampoos will make clipping this coat more manageable.

Show Dog Crisp Coat Chris Christensen

Spectrum One Shampoo Groomers Seaweed and

Cucumber Shampoo

Conditioner Conditioner should never be used before stripping. However, if the dog is in for a bath, a conditioner is good to help restore the coat and add some nourishments. Use a ‘lighter’ conditioner.

Les Poochs Light Creme Rinse

Chris Christensen Spectrum One Conditioner

Earthbath Creme Rinse

Grooming Sprays

Shine Sprays add a nice shine to the coat after stripping or clipping For dogs that want to keep the wiry texture, and freshen between baths Chalk may be useful when stripping

Show Dog S-Factor Serum Spray

Artero Flash Spray Shine Pet Silk Liquid Silk Serum

Chris Christensen Dry

Breeze Shampoo

Chalk Block

Health Care These breeds can be susceptible to dirty ears Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes Coat kings are good to use before stripping, plus the stripping tools mentioned previously. For everyday grooming, slicker brushes work well Also, bronze pin brushes help remove dust and dander and add a superb shine to the coat after clipping and stripping.

Groom Professional Curved Soft Slickers

Groom Professional Flat Slickers

Groom Professional Luxury Ionic brushes

Chris Christensen Ionic brushes

Other Coat Products

Colognes are a great add on Any cologne spray

COMBINATION COAT

The combination coat is another unique coat type. A breed with a combination coat has areas of

longer coat and shorter coat. The two types of coat will be very distinct and easy to tell apart.

Generally, the shorter coat is on the body and the longer coat is on the ears, legs and tail. For

example a Cocker Spaniel, Gold Retriever. Generally the grooming is aimed more at the longer areas,

as the shorter areas need less maintenance.

Shampoo A long haired, smoothing shampoo is useful. Any other type of shampoo will make the coat harder to brush and manage.

Show Dog Silk Coat Shampoo

Pozer Forget me Knots Shampoo

Groom Professional Almond Detangle Shampoo

Groom Professional 2 in 1 Protein

Groom Professional Argan Oil Shampoo

Espree Silky Show Shampoo

Conditioner Conditioner is useful on the longer areas. It will help weigh the coat down, add strength and shine, and protect the coat while brushing. In some occasions, conditioner will be precisely applied to the longer areas.

Espree Silky Show Conditioner

Groom Professional Argan Oil Conditioner

Show Dog Intense Coat Conditioner

Grooming Sprays Anti-static Grooming Spray is essential. Due to the nature of the coat, the hair can become very static and hard to manage during brushing/after drying. Also, advise the customer that a spray with added conditioners is essential for everyday brushing to reduce future matting. Even if not brushing, a mist of a conditioning spray will add condition to the coat and avoid matts. Never brush this coat without a spray! A shine spray will also work well

Groom Professional Wonder Coat

Show Dog Magic Mist Les Poochs Detangling

Spray Groom Professional EPO

Spray Pet Silk Leave in

Conditioner Artero Flash Show Dog S-Factor Serum

Spray

Health Care Ear cleaning essential. Some long coated breeds are susceptible to ear problems

Ear Powder Forceps Ear Wash/Ear Cleaner

Brushes Require a curved slicker and a pin brush for everyday grooming. Wooden pin brushes are effective on longer areas, as they gentle detangle and cause less hair breakage Finishing comb/Poodle comb required to ensure tangles are out. An ionic brush works well on the shorter areas to add shine Dematting tools are generally required for the longer areas

Groom Professional Curved Slicker (soft )

Groom Professonal Flat Slicker

Groom Professional Luxury Pin Brushes

Groom Professional Luxury Wooden Pin Brushes

Fantasia Comb (longer works better, although a comb is a personal thing and groomers tend to have their favourite size!)

Bronze Ionic Brushes Matt Splitters Dematting Combs Matt Breakers Coarse Coat Kings

Other Coat Products

Colognes are a good add on Any cologne