Will my puppy be a furball? How to tell if a puppy will have long hair? If you are an enamored pet parent who doesn’t like dog fur all over their sofa, I am sure these questions might have come to your mind. Read on to learn more about how you can make sure.
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One sure shot way to learn if a puppy will have long hair as an adult is to check its coat a few weeks after birth. However, many people do not know other methods to prevent the same.
Dogs are considered to be God sent. Why shouldn’t they, when these furry beings bring so much love and happiness into our lives? So, their appearance shouldn’t matter to us either.
That’s so true, but there are certain dog features that every pet parent should be concerned with. For instance, will their pup have long hair? Long-haired dogs need more grooming and care than short-haired dogs. They also shed more and have more chances of flea infestation.
So, yes, you should consider these reasons before adopting a long-haired pup. Now the question is that how would you know whether your pup will grow up to have long hair or not? Read on, because this article will help you make sure!
What Are the Signs To Check Hair Growth on a Puppy?
The best sign to check the hair growth is via its coat or fur. You will have to wait for at least eight weeks to learn if your pup will have long hair or not.
However, you can start checking for the fur on their ears, tails, and hind legs. This will help you determine if they will develop fluffy coats and long hair when they reach adult age.
You must also know that puppies shed their coats and develop permanent skin. This new coat of hair and skin will last all through their adult lives.
So, do not worry; if you don’t see a lot of hair on your puppy, even after crossing the eight-week mark. The growth will continue to occur over time.
How To Tell If a Puppy Will Have Long Hair?
Most people will tell you that all it takes is a dog’s coat to guess whether it will have long hair or short. While a puppy’s coat is one of the best ways to tell if a puppy will have long hair, it is not the only way.
Also, if you want to know if your newborn pup will have long hair or not through its coat, you will have to wait until it is eight weeks old. You can tell a lot about the hair growth of your puppy, but you have to be patient.
There are, however, a few ways through which one can tell if a puppy will have long hair before or right after its birth. Check them out below.
Do their parents have a thick coat?
Probably the best way to know whether your puppy would have long and fluffy hair is to check their parents’ fur. If you are getting a puppy from a breeder, they would know about its parents.
If both parents have a long and shiny coat, the chances of your pup having long hair are definite. However, if one of the parents has long hair and the other has short hair, it is still quite possible for the pup to have long hair.
So, keep your fingers crossed and hope that your dog will have the kind of coat you prefer.
Which breed do they belong to?
Another way to learn about whether your furry friend will have long hair is by learning about its breed. Many dog breeds naturally have long coats and fluffy fur, such as Poodle, Pomeranian, Siberian Husky, Samoyeds, Golden Retriever, etc.
On the other hand, breeds like Pug, Pit Bull, Doberman, Boxer, etc., usually have shorter hair. Thus, you can learn about different dog breeds and choose the one that suits your interest the most.
Did you check their ears, tail, and hind legs?
If you do not know the parents or the breed of the pup right after its birth, you can still see whether it will have long hair and a fluffy coat.
All you have to do is check the ear, hind legs, and tail and see if there is long hair on these parts. If there is, the chances are that it will grow up and have long hair and a fluffy coat.
DNA tests? Yes, please!
If it is that important to learn about your puppy’s hair, you should spend some bucks and get a sure shot answer! What we mean is that a simple DNA test will help you get authentic information about your pup’s body, its ancestors, breed, temperament, and of course, hair!
Can I Grow Hair on My Dog?
We cannot guarantee that you can grow longer hair on your dog if it belongs to breeds like Pug, Pit Bull, Boxer, etc., but if your dog has shed hair and is not growing back, you can try the following methods to do the same.
Create a good diet plan for them
If you want to grow longer hair on your dog, you should include omega fats in its diet, and an omega-rich diet will increase its chances of developing long hair quickly.
Consult your vet
It is essential to have a conversation with your vet about your pet’s diet and what changes you want in it to help your pup grow.
Usually, people include Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats in their pup’s diet to increase hair growth. There are several supplements that the vet recommends to help with the same.
Brush its hair every day
One of the simple ways to contribute to the growth of your dog’s hair is to brush the remaining ones regularly. When you touch its hair every day, it removes the dirt, debris, and dead hair from his body and increases the blood flow, which encourages new hair growth.
Use aloe vera and essential oils.
Itching and scratching are among the most common problems in dogs, resulting in hair loss. Regularly rubbing aloe vera on your pup’s coat, especially the itchy parts, leads to:
- Removal of dead skin cells
- Reduced inflammation of the skin
- Reduces flea infestation
- Reduces allergic reactions, and more.
All of these problems contribute to hair loss, and the use of aloe vera or essential oils helps get rid of them from your dog’s body.
However, it is necessary to consult your vet before applying any essential oil on your pet. Essential oils can be toxic for dogs if ingested. So, it is best to only to use the oils recommended by your vet.
Use oatmeal shampoo
Once a week, apply oatmeal shampoo to your furry friend to remove unwanted bacteria and dirt that stops hair growth on the coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast do puppies grow their hair?
It takes about 100 to 140 days for puppy hair to grow.
However, the average hair growth of a puppy also depends on the breed. A puppy takes around 4 to 5 months to grow a permanent coat.
Do puppies shed the fur they have on as babies?
Yes, they do.
Yes, puppies do shed the fur that they are born with. It makes way for an adult coat as and when they progress towards maturity. The shedding happens around four to five months, but it also depends upon which breed we are looking at.
Sometimes, the shedding is so much that the pup is left with nothing but patches of hair on its skin. Do not worry, for slowly but surely, your dog will start growing a smooth and steady coat, which will last for a lifetime.
Does a Chihuahua have long hair?
One particular type of Chihuahua has long hair.
The long-haired Chihuahua has an average of 5-inch long hair, which is not the case with their short-haired counterpart.
It is presumed that long-hair Chihuahuas require a lot of care because of their flowing hair; it is truly not so. All it takes is regular brushing to maintain their beautiful long hair.
How to know if a Dachshund pup will have long hair?
Check its ears and tail, if the hair is long, then it is likely the pup will grow to have longer hair.
If a newborn Dachshund pup has feather-like hair on its ears and tail, the chances are that its hair will be naturally long. By newborn, we do not mean the minute after their birth, but a few weeks later, you will be able to tell the growth of the pup’s hair.
What is considered long hair in a dog?
Anything more than an inch.
Any hair that is longer than an inch or two belongs to hair in a dog. Short hair is less than an inch, and medium hair is little more than one inch but less than two inches.
Long-haired dogs do need extra grooming compared to short-haired puppies, but they also have enough coats to keep them warm.
A Few Final Words
The appearance of a dog should never be the deciding factor for adopting or taking it from a breeder. However, it is essential to know the pros and cons of keeping a long hair dog. It will help you decide if you would be able to keep up with the care they require.
Usually, it is nothing more than brushing them every day and shampooing them once or twice a week, but every dog comes with its own set of care-taking. So, it is essential to learn about the breed, not just their hair, before you become a dog parent.
Thank you for reading the article, we hope it answered all your questions. You might also like to read: Does Dog Hair Grow Back After Cut and Will Dogs Hair Grow Back After Scab?