A triple coat dog breed is one that has three kinds of hair covering it over its body’s mass forming a dense, flat, felt-like mats. The hair keeps on growing over course of the dog’s life hitting ground level at approximately 5 years of age.
The visual representation of a triple coat dog breed would be its characteristic long thick coat which covers every part of the dog’s body. Particularly on the hind part of the body, this coat forms the long mop-like locks which provide good protection against bad weather conditions.
On the fore part of the dog’s body, the hair is course and form wavy ringlets like those on a goat while the hair on the head is rather finer.
How to Tell if a Dog has a Three Coats.
A triple coated dog breed can be identified in its various stages of development as outlined below.
From birth to 10-12 months, the dog breed hair is soft and short and the coat does not show any felting tendencies. The coat at this stage is referred to as puppy coat.
At 12 months – 2 years, the hair begins to change in its texture. This is because the puppy hair begins to mix with the incoming undercoat as it moults thus the mixture of the puppy coat, wooly coat and goat hairs causes the change in texture. A wooly coat is also observed to appear at the tail.
From three years and on, a triple coated dog breed could easily be identified as having a corded coat type. It has a similar look as dreadlocks on a human being. The dog’s coat consists of long mop-like strands whereby the top coat entwines with the undercoat.
What Dog Breeds are Triple Coated?
The Bergamasco Sheepdog is possibly one of the most common dog with three layers of coat. The origin of this dog breed is unknown but a genetic study in 2018 discovered proof of haplotypes shared with other European breeds like the Berger Picard, the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Briard.
The Bergamasco Sheepdogs have been associated with the Alpine town of Bergamo, near Milan for quite a long time now thus said to have originated from Italy. The Bergamasco Sheepdogs are known to be quite extraordinary herding dogs taking care of sheep and cattle in the grazing fields.
The Bergamasco Sheepdog is a strong, medium sized, well-proportioned dog. The dogs stand at a height of 58-62 cm while the bitches stand at a height of 54-58 cm. the average weight of the dog is 32-38 kg while bitches have an average weight of 26-32 kg.
The outstanding characteristic of this dog breed is that it has a long thick coat that covers extensively every part of its body. The coat varies form a black to a grey color. The hair is long and corded. There is usually minimal or no shedding of its coat.
Another unique characteristic the Bergamasco Sheepdog has is its long upper eye lashes. They have extremely long upper eye lashes that keep the curtain of hair that falls from their foreheads out of their eyes. The importance of this long curtain of hair is to protect the Bergamasco Sheepdog from snow blindness and keep its eyes safe from bright sunlight reflecting from the white snow.
The Bergamasco Shepherd is known of its well-built body and physique having well developed muscles thus could traverse harsh mountainous terrain. have a life span of about 13-15 years.
Grooming Tips and Ideas for Triple Coated Canines
A triple coated dog breed is quite manageable in terms of grooming. However, various methods should be employed at various stages of its development to ensure good grooming.
From birth to 10-12 months, the proper grooming technique would be occasionally brushing it with a steel toothed brush. At this period in time, the dogs have puppy coats that are soft and short thus this method is used to remove dirt among other hairs. You can give it a bath but not very often so as to avoid the skin from drying out.
During the second year of life, the period within the 10th to 12th month, the formation of hair of different texture would have begun, as the puppy hair moults. During this period the coat requires the most concentrated and careful attention.
As the soft puppy while moulting mixes with the undercoat and the wooly and goat hair in formation, clumps are formed and as much you would be tempted to brush them it is advised not to. The brushing should be substituted by feeling and opening up the clumps formed by use of hands.
However, do not open up the clumps completely. This would allow the skin to breath and the oils to be distributed evenly. At five years old, your dog will have grown several layers of flocks and they would continue to grow downwards and by then the maintenance of the hair is quite low.
While cleaning your dog with a bath, it is advised to not speed up the drying process by using a hair drier since the drying process could even take days to complete. Squeeze the flocks of hair instead so as to get as much water out as possible.
Another cleaning tip is that it is better to spot clean your dog. This cleaning the specific areas that require cleaning like around its mouth where food could get trapped or around its rear where poo could have accumulated.
The Bergamasco Sheepdogs should never get clipped either. This is because the clipping stops the three types of hairs from getting woven together forming the protective mat over the dog’s body. The resulting effect of the matting formed by clipping the hairs blocks the skin which makes the oils unable to get secreted properly and causing skin complaints.
For male Bergamasco Sheepdogs, it is advisable to get a few human elastic hair bands designed for dreadlock hair and tie a little ponytail between his legs. This is to avoid the dog wetting its flocks every time it pees. You could also apply the same technique when your dog has diarrhea.
More on Dog Fur
- Long-haired Dog Breeds
- Shih Poo Haircut Ideas + Pictures
- Dogs without Hair/Fur
- Dogs that Don’t Shed: Small and Large Breeds
- Dog Breeds with Double Coats
- Dogs with Single Coats
- Wiry-Haired Dogs
- Dog Grooming Brush Types
- How Fast Does Dog Hair Grow Back after Shaving?
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