Coat (dog) facts for kids
A dog's coat is the hair that covers its body. Think of it like a dog's clothing! Some dogs have a double coat. This means they have two layers of fur: a short, soft layer underneath and a longer, rougher layer on top. Other dogs have a single coat, which is just one layer of longer, rougher hair. You might also hear a dog's coat called its hair or fur.
Contents
Dog Coat Styles: Colors, Patterns, and Textures
Dog coats come in many amazing styles! They can have different colors, patterns, lengths, and even textures.
Coat Colors: A Rainbow of Pups!
Dog coats mostly come in four main colors: black, brown, white, and red. But each of these main colors can have many different shades. Some shades are so common that they get their own names, like gold, yellow, cream, blue, and grey. A single dog can even have several of these colors on its coat!
| Brown |  A brown Chesapeake Bay Retriever. |
 A dark chocolate Australian Kelpie. |
| Red |  A red Irish Setter. |
 A red Chow Chow. |
| Black |  A black Newfoundland. |
 A black Labrador Retriever. |
| White |  A white American Eskimo Dog. |
 A white Bichon Frisé. |
| Gold |  A gold Poodle. |
 A Golden Retriever. |
| Yellow |  A yellow mixed-breed dog. |
 A yellow Labrador Retriever. |
| Cream |  A cream French Bulldog. |
 A cream Akita. |
| Blue |  Kerry Blue Terriers. |
 A blue Australian Shepherd. |
| Grey |  A grey Weimaraner. |
 A grey Miniature Schnauzer. |
Coat Patterns: Unique Designs
Dog coats can also have many cool patterns. These patterns are made by different spots, patches, or mixes of colors.
| Black and tan, brown and tan, blue and tan: This pattern has two colors. A dark color covers most of the body. Then, tan patches appear on the belly, legs, chest, face, and above the eyes. |  A brown and tan Australian Kelpie. |
 A Black and Tan Coonhound. |
| Bicolor (also called Two-color, Irish spotted, Flashy, Patched, Tuxedo): This pattern means a dog has any color plus white spots. These white spots can be on the feet, tail, nose, or neck. Sometimes, they cover most of the dog. Special white patterns have unique names. For example, the Irish Spotted pattern is the same on both sides. It includes a white chest, a white ring around the neck, a white belly, and white feet. |  A black and white Border Collie. |
 A Blenheim (red-brown and white) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. |
| Tricolor: This pattern has three clear colors. The dog's body is usually black, brown, or blue. Its belly is white, and it has tan patches. |  A black tricolor Entlebucher Mountain Dog. |
 A tricolor Beagle. |
| Merle: This pattern happens when a dog's colors are mixed with white in spots and patches. It creates a marbled look. | A blue merle tricolor Australian Shepherd. |
 Red merle Catahoula Leopard Dogs. |
| Tuxedo: This pattern is when a dog is mostly one color. But it has a white patch on its chest, a white spot on its chin, and white on its feet. It looks like the dog is wearing a tiny tuxedo! |  A tuxedo Chihuahua. |
|
| Harlequin: This pattern is when a white dog has black patches. The edges of these patches are uneven or jagged. |  A harlequin Great Dane. |
|
| Spotted: This is when a mostly white dog has small spots of any color. |  A spotted Dalmatian. |
|
| Flecked, ticked, speckled: This is when a dog has very tiny spots of one color mixed into its main color. It looks like tiny sprinkles of color. |  A brown-ticked German Shorthaired Pointer. |
 A blue speckled Australian Cattle Dog. |
| Brindle: This pattern is a mix of black with brown, tan, or gold. It often creates a "tiger stripe" pattern on the dog's coat. |  A brindle and white Boston Terrier. |
 A brindle Galgo Español. |
 A brindle Mountain Cur. |
 A brindle Great Dane. |
|
| Saddle or blanket: This is when a dog has a large, solid colored patch on its back. It looks like a saddle or blanket has been placed on them. |  A Norwegian Dunker with a black saddle. |
|
| Sable: This pattern happens when a dog's fur has black tips on each hair. This gives the coat a shaded or smoky look. |  A red sable Pomeranian. |
 Brown sable Shetland Sheepdogs. |
Coat Lengths and Textures: From Fluffy to Hairless!
A dog's coat can be long or short. For most dogs, their hair grows to a certain length and then stops. But some dogs have hair that just keeps growing longer and longer!
Some dog breeds don't grow hair on certain parts of their bodies. These dogs are called "hairless." Examples of "hairless" dogs include the Xoloitzcuintli (also known as the Mexican Hairless Dog), the Peruvian Inca Orchid (Peruvian Hairless Dog), and the Chinese Crested.
Images for kids
-
A Labrador with a yellow coat.
-
A Bearded Collie.
-
Border-Collie-tri-colour-face-1.jpg
A Border Collie with a tricolor face.
-
A slicker brush, used for removing loose hair from a dog's coat.
-
The Portuguese Water Dog has a single coat that doesn't shed much.
-
A brown Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
-
A red Australian Kelpie.
-
Dark and light chocolate Labrador Retrievers.
-
A red Irish Setter.
-
A red Chow Chow.
-
A red Standard Poodle.
-
A Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
-
A red Australian Cattle Dog.
-
A red Shiba Inu.
-
A red Basset Fauve de Bretagne.
-
A red Cocker Spaniel.
-
A Vizsla.
-
An apricot Poodle.
-
Dark Golden Retrievers.
-
A yellow Dachshund.
-
A yellow Labrador Retriever.
-
A dark Golden Golden Retriever.
-
An orange Pomeranian (dog).
-
A pale cream Standard Poodle.
-
A cream French Bulldog.
-
A cream Akita.
-
A Silver Fawn Pug.
-
A Fawn English Mastiff.
-
A Fawn Belgian Shepherd Malinois.
-
A Fawn Boxer.
-
A Fawn Boerboel.
-
A Newfoundland.
-
A black Labrador Retriever.
-
A black Schipperke.
-
A black Schnauzer.
-
A blue Neapolitan Mastiff.
-
A blue mixed-breed dog.
-
A blue Australian Silky Terrier.
-
A blue Australian Cattle Dog.
-
A white American Eskimo Dog.
-
A white Bichon Frisé.
-
A white Maltese dog.
-
A white Coton de Tulear puppy.
-
A white Japanese Spitz.
-
A Samoyed dog.
.jpg)
