Dog Community

Westie and coat?

Posted : 4/6/2008 3:29:17 AM

*mods* feel free to move if wrong forum.

Coco is 20 months old and is on timberwolf regularly, some raw and canned, and table scraps. (My parents are terrible at feeding her from the table... I yell at 'em....but can't really stop them.... My parents dont like animals... so when I got CoCo, I snuck her in... now though they're both IN LOVE WITH HER and cant resist her I'M STARVING puppy eyes... my mom will actually feed her right from her fork!)

Anyways....when she was a puppy she had the soft puppy coat.... now that she's older, it has been replaced with some wiry hard coat. Is it possible for her to have "soft" shiny hair? My neighbor has a Westie who's much softer than CoCo...but she feeds her dog Caser dog food.... and I cant bring it to myself to feed her a food I feel isn't "healthy."

All the research I've done says Westies are supposed to have wiry hard hair... which isnt bad because she likes to run and play outside all day regardless if it's sunny or rainy.... so dirt and mud brushes right out of her....Is there anything I can do to make her softer? Or is this just her breed?

I do add salmon oil and vit e when she gets raw, she used to eat raw eggs, but suddenly decided she doesnt like it anymore, and she gets evening primerose oil and bee pollen to prevent her from itching since westies are prone to skin problems....

Please help me! Thanks all!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/6/2008 11:51:38 AM

Trade? Emma's coat is ridiculously soft... Actually... it's kind of "slick" like a Lab coat. Nothing like what a broken PRT should be. In her case, it's genetic, from what I can tell. Coco *should* have a rough coat. It's rare that I get to groom a hard coated Westie. They're whiter, and seem to be less itchy than soft Westies. They're fun to groom, too:)

westiegirl3

Posted : 4/6/2008 12:06:17 PM

I have three Westies now and had another, so I have had a total of 4 Westies. Two of mine are soft coated and two are the hard wiry coat. The one that passed away a couple of years ago had a hard wiry coat, but it started to soften just a little bit when I started to clip her. (It was always more wiry than the other Westies, and never got as soft as the other two.) The Westie that I have now that has a hard wiry coat still has a hard wiry coat. I used to use the Mars Coat King on her, but clipped her the last time I groomed her. I have heard, don't know if it is true, that if you clip your Westie the coat will get a little softer. I personally like her hard wiry coat and it is whiter than the other two Westies. I do believe genetics has a lot to do with it. Your little Coco sure is pretty!

CoCo Chanel

Posted : 4/7/2008 8:04:49 PM

thanks guys... i guess having her feel like a brillo pad isnt too bad considering i dont have to bathe her as often and she still looks pretty white.... (most times.... lol) its just annoying sometimes cause shes a cuddler and likes to go under my blanket.... not the softest thing to cuddle with.... lol here's a recent picture of her.... she's wolfing... i know... but it's still cold here and uh.... well... i like her ridiculously long eyebrows....lol

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/8/2008 7:12:32 AM

That coat is gorgeous!

Emma lives under my blanket, LOL. I'm working on making her coat rougher. Maybe I should stop Wink

CoCo Chanel

Posted : 4/8/2008 3:06:17 PM

Thanks! I'm sure with all the great food you feed Emma, Cokes wouldnt mind trading places though!

Don't mind the necklace... I put it on her as a joke... she actually hates clothes or wearing anything... so all the pictures with clothes on her is just for pictures... otherwise if I leave clothes on her she will go outside, roll around in the mud, and then go under the house and "rub" herself on the edges and yes... she has ripped countless garments doing this.... lol

So dont let pictures fool you.... she is actually naked 99.9% of the time....