As puppies mature, their coats often go through significant changes in texture, color, and density. The specifics depend on breed, but here’s a general overview of what happens:
1. Puppy Coat (Birth to ~6 months)
- Texture: Very soft, fluffy, and fine — it feels like baby fur.
- Purpose: Provides warmth and sensitivity to touch.
- Shedding: Minimal early on.
2. Transition Period (3–12 months)
- Shedding: Around 4–6 months old, puppies start to shed their soft baby coat.
- New Coat Growth: The adult coat starts to grow in underneath — it’s typically coarser, denser, and more weather-resistant.
- Color changes: It’s common for coat color to darken, lighten, or change pattern during this stage (for example, a black puppy may turn grayish or a gold puppy may deepen in tone).
3. Adult Coat (12–18 months, sometimes up to 2 years for large breeds)
- Texture: The adult coat is fully developed — it can be short, long, double, or curly depending on breed.
- Shedding: Dogs with double coats (like Huskies, Shepherds, Retrievers) will now start seasonal shedding cycles.
- Color/Pattern: The adult color pattern stabilizes, though some slow fading or graying continues with age.
4. Special Considerations by Coat Type
- Double-coated breeds: (e.g., Golden Retrievers, Huskies) — The puppy coat becomes the soft undercoat, while a tougher topcoat grows in.
- Curly or wavy breeds: (e.g., Poodles, Doodles) — Puppy coat is usually straighter and becomes curlier with age.
- Wire-haired breeds: Often don’t develop true wiry texture until after the first hand-stripping or as late as 1 year old.