Cobberdog Coats
See Grooming your Cobberdog Puppy's Coats here.
The coat of this beautiful dog is one of the features that make it such a special breed, and distinguish different lines of this breed.
Cobberdog coats are either FLEECE, WOOL or SMOOTH. These different coat types have slightly different appearances.
Regardless of the type of coat, every Australian Cobberdog shares the same positive personality traits for which they were specifically bred, these being gentle nature, intuition, intelligence, and deep connection with humans.
Each coat type provides different benefits for the owners, so read on and find out more about these coat types, and how to look after them.
Fleece Coats
These coasts appear silky and very gently wavy. The fibres are like the angora goat fibres – silky fine and light to touch, light reflective and with a gorgeous soft sheen. The coat fibres gather and hang in soft clusters called staples, that fall in waves and swirls.
The fleece coat Cobberdog has very little shedding, so it is generally free of doggy odour, and allergy-friendly. The really great thing about fleece coats is that dirt falls out of the coat.
Fleece coats require grooming and clipping to be maintained free of tangles and matting, see Grooming below.
Fleece coats need clipping from time to time to keep the coat manageable, as the fibres keep growing.
Fleece Coat
Wool Coats
These coats are a bit coarser because the fibres are thicker, and more dense because the curls are tightly packed. The spiral wool coat hangs in long loose spirals and looks beautiful. There is very little shedding with this coat, so there is no dander or doggy smell, and it is the very best coat types for allergy sufferers.
Because there is no doggy smell, wool coat Cobberdogs rarely need washing unless you really want to wash them or they roll in something offensive!
Wool coats require grooming and clipping to be maintained free of tangles and matting, see Grooming below.
Wool coats need clipping from time to time to keep the coat manageable, as the fibres keep growing.
Wool Coat
Smooth Coats
This coat is a combination of hair and fleece; the fibres are so soft, silky and smooth. The smooth coat Cobberdog looks most different around the face; because it has no facial ‘furnishings’, the face is smooth and seems longer.
The biggest advantage of this coat is that it is very easy to care for: by having no facial coat, they rarely get ear issues, and ear access for ear care is really simple.
These coats never need clipping like the long fleece and wool coats, just trimming around their feet. These coats do shed a little, so brushing helps remove fallen hairs.
The smooth coat characteristics cannot be seen at birth; it's not until about 4-6 weeks when we notice that they have velvety little faces instead of the facial coat developing.
Previously, these dogs were overlooked and under-prized because they didn’t have those facial furnishings. However now we find that many people are asking for them, and they are coming to be appreciated in their own right for their beauty and ease of care.
As breeders, we are so pleased that this coat is being appreciated for a number of reasons. Firstly, these dogs seem to have the very sweetest natures and make really beautiful pets.
And secondly, the smooth coat parents actually produce the same bloodlines and the very best coats in fleece and wool depending on the breeding pair. DNA testing for coats is now newly available and enables us to know the parents coat genetics and to choose specific pairings to get the best outcomes for the Cobberdog breed.
Smooth coats do shed a little, so they are not best for those with allergies.
Smooth Coat
Some of our R-D smooth coat pups
Gorgeous raven smooth coat
Cobberdog Coat Colours
All the Cobberdog coats can be any of the colours. Coat colours are grouped into two colour sections - solid and shaded.
The solid group have an even colour all over. The colours are raven, chocolate, red, caramel, chalk and caramel ice.
The shaded group have a blend of colour tones. They are black, blue, blue merle, silver, gold, apricot cream, caramel cream, cafe, lavender, parchment and chocolate merle.
It is normal that all Cobberdog coats may show sun bleaching after prolonged exposure, which can lighten the colour.
Grooming Cobberdog Coats
BRUSHING
ALL the Cobberdog long coats must have a thorough brushing at least once a month, to remove any fallen hairs and keep the fibres from matting and turning into dreadlocks! If the coat is kept clipped short, then you don’t need to brush them as often, so this is an easier option for some people. Brushing more than fortnightly is not usually necessary, and may overstimulate the coat.
Start brushing your puppy from the time it comes home, a little more often so that it becomes used to being brushed. Brushing time is a lovely connection and bonding time too, so your puppy will come to enjoy being groomed.
If dreadlocks form in the coat, the only solution is to clip them right off. The coat will grow back long in 3-6 months.
TRIMMING
We recommend regular trimming around the face, ears and feet to keep the coat short in these areas; this helps the dog to see clearly, makes ear care easier, and keeps the feet tidy.
Full or partial coat clipping can be done by a professional groomer, and can cost up to $90 for a medium dog. Coats that are regularly trimmed need to be done 3 to 4 times per year. Full or partial coat trimming can be done by the owner with clippers, and even with scissors.
Do Cobberdogs shed their coats?
There should be little or low- shedding of Cobberdog coat fibre, with more or less depending on the type of coat - see below. What's more, the skin cells around the follicle do not shed which means the coat does not have a dog smell, and really has no specific smell at all.
Do Cobberdogs smell 'doggy'?
Cobberdog coats have no ‘doggy smell’ and are less- or non-allergenic. This is because they have little or low shedding or dander; read on to see how that works... Shedding is where hair falls from the coat loosening dead flaking skin cells called dander, which create that unpleasant doggy smell.
Are Cobberdogs allergy friendly?
It's the dander/dead skin cells that loosen from the dogs coat with shedding, and settle on surfaces or float in the air that irritate allergy sufferers! With very little or low shedding, the Cobberdog coat makes this breed a great choice for allergy sufferers. Wool coats are the lowest-shedding, and are the very best choice of Cobberdog for allergy sufferers.
What is the Cobberdog coat fibre?
Cobberdog coats are not hair texture. Instead, the coat comprises natural fibre that has greater moisture content and light reflection than hair. This means that it feels silky and soft to touch, and has a shiny, fine, silky appearance. The coat fibres gather and hang in groups that are called staples.
What are the Cobberdog coat types?
The Australian Cobberdog coat description and characteristics were derived from the Angora goat!
There are three types of coats in Australian Cobberdogs; fleece, wool and smooth. These different coat types have slightly different appearances. Regardless of the type of coat, every Australian Cobberdog shares the same positive personality traits for which they were specifically bred, these being gentle nature, intuition, intelligence, and deep connection with humans.
Each coat type provides different benefits for the owners, so we'll explore the qualities, differences and why you might choose one over another below.
Acknowledgement is given to Tegans Australian Cobber Dogs as a source of much information.