# Is your smooth coat a double coat?



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I have been looking at all the great pictures and really studying the smooth coats and I have seen a great variation in coats. Some are really thick and look double coated, with an undercoat and a lot of feathering on the tail and around the ruff (neck and chest). Others are really, really smooth with no undercoat at all. 

Which coat is correct? What is a smooth coat really supposed to look like??

Brodys coat is slick and shiny with NO undercoat at all. Even the underside of his tail is really smooth and tight with no extra feathering. He doesn't shed at ALL. He feels warm to the touch, like velvet. 

Just wondering if others have noticed this difference/variation in coat types in the smooth? 

Will his coat change as he gets older and maybe get thicker???

Brodysmom


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## Chili-mom (Sep 7, 2008)

my folks have one of each. Their apple head is s/c and has an under coat and sheds all the time the other is a deer head s/c no under coat and doesnt shed as much. they are both over 4 yrs old. been that way the whole time.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

hmmmm... I just looked up the AKC standard. (Guess I should have done that before I posted!) 

*Coat
In the Smooth Coats, the coat should be of soft texture, close and glossy. (Heavier coats with undercoats permissible.) Coat placed well over body with ruff on neck preferred, and more scanty on head and ears. Hair on tail preferred furry. *In Long Coats, the coat should be of a soft texture, either flat or slightly wavy, with undercoat preferred. Ears – Fringed. Tail – Full and long (as a plume). Feathering on feet and legs, pants on hind legs and large ruff on the neck desired and preferred. (The Chihuahua should be groomed only to create a neat appearance.) Disqualification – In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.

So I guess that is what the standard calls for! I wonder if his coat will thicken as he grows? I think he is lovely the way he is, I'm just curious.  

Brodysmom


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## rocky scotland (Jun 15, 2008)

Mmmmm I dunno, hadn't really heard of that. Rockys coat is pretty short but sheds a lot. I love how he has slightly longer hair on the top his back legs near to his bum and also the hair on his chest/neck comes togeter to a point. Sooo cute!


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## nadias_mom (Dec 23, 2008)

goodness good thing i dont show...nadias hair is falling out LOL shed be disqualified.. eeek.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Well Brody would be disqualified too! NO doubt. His coat is like a mouse. I can't think of another way to describe it. It's really soft and sleek and really short, like velvet almost. He doesn't have any longer hairs, even around his neck or on the back of his legs. In fact, his coat is really thin there. We think he's beautiful but he's no show dog! LOL!


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## katsrevenge (Nov 24, 2008)

Him, I think Kali has the same kind of coat. Very short and dense hairs, but not heavy at all. If you've ever petted a girl-rat... it feels like that, but softer. Actually, she has a few baldish patches near her bum/tail and around the elbows. 

I've taken to leaving her in clothing more, since when I don't she is always cold and won't leave the blanket pile on the bed. But, I am afraid I'm ruining her coat???? Ah! I don't know. Does anyone?

I'm hoping it grows back on the bald spots though!


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## 4chis (Dec 16, 2008)

3 of mine are very smooth coats but Dexter has a rough coat which is just a thicker version of sc. I love it, he stays warmer than the others...


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

I think carrera has the undercoat your talking about, hers isnt that velvety. 
are your coats like a dobermans?
carreras is more course,kind of like terrior fur, and she sheds ALOT, but it is really shiny from her fish oil, and she has her really soft spots like around her ears and so forth.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

carrera said:


> I think carrera has the undercoat your talking about, hers isnt that velvety.
> are your coats like a dobermans?
> carreras is more course,kind of like terrior fur, and she sheds ALOT, but it is really shiny from her fish oil, and she has her really soft spots like around her ears and so forth.


Yes! Brody's coat is like a doberman. A single, flat, very short and satin like coat. I described it earlier like mouse fur. LOL! I should have thought of a dog that it was similar to. So many dogs have double or harsh feeling coats. My sister had a dalmatian. It's nothing like that. Maybe a really soft smooth Dachshund?

Well, according to the standard - his coat is not correct but that's OK. He's so soft and warm to the touch that I can't stop petting him. 

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but his coat is really shiny, short and smooth....


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## jeanie brown (Jan 5, 2009)

i think dodges coat must be the sasme as brodys. you describe it the same actually they even look similar


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

I really like brody's kind of coat, i thought thats what carreras would be like,being that she was a short coat, but its not looking like it will change. I thought the standard was what he has, never looked it up-- if you put him and carrera next to each other and asked whose is smoother it would be his, so i wonder why his isnt the standard. 

At the end of the day i like them both!


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

oh and thinking about it---carreras mom was a lc,so thats probably why hers is the way it is. was brodys parents very smooth?
I'll try to get a close up picture of carreras fur when i find my camera charger...


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I think Brody's parents had the same fur as him. Neither of them show dogs, just pets. Just take a look at the show dog smooth coats and they have that thick, full coat with the long hair on the tail and the gorgeous thick ruff around the neck. Brody's hair is so thin compared to theirs!

You can go to Westminster Dog Show's page and look at the videos of last year's breed judging. I went to toys and then to Chi's and here it is:

http://video.westminsterkennelclub.org/player/?id=217215

All these Chi's are champions and were invited to participate, depending on their national ranking. So it's safe to say that they are an accurate and good portrayal of our standard. Look at those thick coats! 

Brodysmom


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## unchienne (Mar 29, 2009)

Sorry to come so late to the discussion, but I just had to pull this one up since it touches on a subject that I was curious about as well. I love, love, love the double coat on a smooth chihuahua, but I haven't seen many of them. Pablo from YouTube is a beautiful double-coated fellow, but his baby pictures show him as being a sparse little puppy. Poppet was smooth coated when he was younger, but his coat really seemed to thicken (mostly on the neck area) when he became elderly. Boo's always been smooth. He has no fur on his chest and is very bare around the ears. The old "real life" double coat I've seen on a chi was at Tilly's breeder's house. Her father was a long-haired chi and her mother a smooth. I don't know if that's why her and her brother came out with thick, slightly wavy caots, but it might be. 

Here's a picture of Pablo, my idealized chi in looks. He has a great personality too.


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## lynx8456 (Feb 26, 2009)

Both of Jasper's parents were long coated chi's. Mom had a nice 
smooth long coat as did his daddy. Jasper ended up with a wavy,
long double coat. He has the fanning on his tail and toes,
the ruff around the neck and fluff around his legs.


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## rcj1095 (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm so glad I found this thread!!! Same question as I've been having. Bambi's coat was just like Brody's (I loved it). Chloe's is much softer and feels so different. Her Dad was LC and her Mom was SC so I didn't know if that was why. I also didn't know if she'll lose this coat? She's 4 months old. Both shortcoat but so different. I have to be honest, I loved Bambi's coat. It was so sleek and shiny. That's what I thought a SC was. I've only had the LC so this is new to me but now I'm so hooked on the SC. I love Chloe's but I really loved Bam's.


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## WeLoveHiro (Apr 14, 2009)

hiro's mommy is long coat his dad is smooth coat... hiro turned out smooth but with thick coated...( so it seems to me) i have no idea if hiro is show standard by any means becuase i dont understand how that works... but he sure is a handsome dog... and i love him...good enough for me.


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## jeanie brown (Jan 5, 2009)

lol brodys mum dodge would fail to as yes hes coat is mouselike soft and sleek but id mark dodgebtop if i was the judge maybe i am a little biased


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Jeanie - I agree with you completely! Our little mousey coat boys may not be correct as to the standard but they are FIRST PLACE in our HEARTS!  Right?! LOL! 

Brodysmom


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## Guest (Apr 24, 2009)

My Kozanna, who came from a puppy mill, has a thick, double coat and sheds profusely. She gets baths regularly and gets brushed a couple of times a week, but keeping up with the hair is a job. Guess I'm pretty spoiled with my Bichons, who don't shed at all.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Chance & Gianna have double coats. Gia has so much hair that I think she got confused as to weather she is supposed to be a SC, or LC. :lol: Lexie's coat is shorter and more silky like, but she does have the ruff, and feathers at her hiney like C & G.


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

i posted earlier but managed to get some close ups of carrera's fur...the pictures dont really show it too well but her coat is definately thicker then chicco's. carrera's belly has filled in with fur, where as with chicco his is completely bald!


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## Harley Ridin Chopper (Nov 8, 2007)

I have a SC and a DSC. Chopper is smooth but still has ruff on his neck and slight pants on his legs like Carrera. Ryleigh is a DSC. She has really long hair on the backs of her legs and the ruff around the neck. She has a fawn undercoat and black top coat. Her fur is short but not as short as Chopper's. The fawn hair is half the length of the black hair, thin and kind of wavy looking. The black hair is really shiny and straight. I have actually had people ask me if she was an LC (obviously not very chihuahua knowledgable people LOL)

Both my babies came from SC parents but Ryleigh's dad is a DSC and his mother was an LC


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## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

I have a smooth double coat. She's so soft and fluffy with a nice furry ruff and thick, well furred tail that feathers out. I don't have a pic of her tail but this pic seems to show her coat up close nicely.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Faith is beautiful!! That's what a smooth coat is supposed to look like! Just gorgeous!!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

carrera said:


> i posted earlier but managed to get some close ups of carrera's fur...the pictures dont really show it too well but her coat is definately thicker then chicco's. carrera's belly has filled in with fur, where as with chicco his is completely bald!


I love Carrera's coat and color. She has beautiful skin!! That's hard to get on a white. Sometimes they have allergies or turn yellow tinged as they age. She really looks GREAT.


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## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Thank you Brodysmom! We think she's got a gorgeous coat too but there is a little bit of bias on our part!

I have to agree with you also on Carrera's coat too. She looks awesome. How do you keep her so clean and white, Carrera? I would love to have a white chi someday.


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## Jessica (Jul 11, 2004)

Harley has a thick "smooth coat". His fur is thicker at the ruff of the neck and his tail is very feathered. The pic below is the best that I could find. His tail is almost thick and fluffs out especially when he's barking at something or alert. He sheds at times too. Best not to wear black when you're holding him. His coat changed a lot over the first two years. His tail and fur on the neck didn't fill out till he was about a year. Shiloh I'm starting to notice is getting thicker/courser coat... not sure how her tail will turn out yet. The fur on her neck is getting a little thicker but it's also a darker color so I'm sure if it just "looks" like it is. Shi is starting to shed too... I think she's losing all her soft baby fur.  

Here's the pic of Harley I found, he's a little under a year old. And the pic in my siggy... (first pic in this thread) shows his coat well too.










http://www.chihuahua-people.com/showthread.php?t=32850&highlight=Harley+Pics


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

thanks for the compliments! well she has been taking the nupro and gets fish oil once a day, she also gets half a boiled egg a couple times a week. i also try to stick with fish for wet food (salmon or tripe by before grain) i think that also helps. she is fed orijen as well, i think all these things combined mix well together to form a great coat/skin. as for keeping it clean, it surprises me!-carreras favorite thing to do outside is to roll around in the grass and dirt, she only gets a bath every 4-6 weeks, shes probably due for one in a week or so. 

faith's coat seems to be fluffier around the neck, more then carrera's is, carrera's is just really thick but lays flat...except when shes barking then her fur rises!

jessica--i think carrera has the same markings on her head as shiloh does, the markings on her body are different though, she just has tan running down her right leg, the rest is all creamy white.


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## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Well I tried to get pics of Faith's flurry tail this weekend and this was the best I could get. It's a little hard to tell but the lighter fur on her tail actually feathers out. She also has thick, longer fur on the back of her rear legs (part of it is shaved off from her recent surgery).


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## unchienne (Mar 29, 2009)

She's so pretty. I love that double coat look.


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## MyieshaJenkins (Jun 25, 2020)

hey Tink has reallllyyyy soft fur, like it soo soft and it is kind of long .. i can’t tell if she long hair or short hair , she’s full of hair . Her hair is more of a fur coat type of feel, real soft and thick, but again she’s only 2 months so i can’t really tell, she’s a Apple head, mom has long fur and dad has little to no fur


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