Our furry friends have evolved characteristics so that they could better survive in different climatic conditions: this has led them to develop the undercoat, a real “natural coat”.
But what is the undercoat of the dog and what are its functions and features? Do all dogs have it? How can we best take care of the dog’s undercoat?
We answer all these questions in this article.
What is a dog’s undercoat?
The undercoat of the dog (also called secondary hair), is a mantle layer that grows parallel to the by the primarybut has several peculiar characteristics that make it different from the latter.
- It consists of multiple hairs cortimore soft it’s more thin with respect to the primary hair which represents the externally visible coat;
- his growth is limited to the cover of the skin, for which the secondary coat has the function of thermal insulator (protects from both cold and heat!), protection from micro-abrasions ed waterproofing;
- constitutes a sort ofscaffolding” for the development of the primary hair;
- he comes perso during the moulting period and then regenerate when the weather requires it;
- not everybody have it, there are dogs without undercoat.
But let’s take a closer look at the elements of the secondary hair and their relationship to the primary one.
Dog coat structure
The hair is a filament made up of keratin, a protein produced by the dermis; is anchored to the skin by means of a rootmade up of specialized cells that are found deep in the dermis, from which the keratin produced reaches the upper layers.
As you reach the surface of the dermis, the cells that make up the hair lose their nucleus (becoming, in fact, dead cells) and are said cornea.
The cross section of the hair has three concentric layers, from the inside out: medulla, cortex, cuticle.
It is the root of the hair that determines its development and for this reason it lies in a particular epidermal structure called hair follicleending with a bulge said bulb. Each follicle and its bulb are flanked by a sebaceous glandwhich will have the task of producing sebummoisturizing and protective substance.
The hair comes out of the skin through a hole, from which several hairs can come out at the same time, whose follicles are nourished by the same sebaceous gland.
At this point we can distinguish i primary hairs (i.e. those of the cloak) come on secondary (those of the undercoat):
- the follicle and the bulb of the primary hair, also called on watchare located very deep in the dermis, and are more full-bodied;
- the follicles and bulbs of the hairs of the undercoat instead of the dog, they are more superficial, so as to have a shorter life.
Once we understand the morphology of the secondary hair, let’s go and discover its physiology.
Undercoat of the dog and seasonal moult
The undercoat of dogs that are subject to moulting is physiologically lost in coincidence with the climate changes Seasonal: Climate-related hormonal adjustments therefore induce secondary hair loss in spring.
What practically happens is that the dog, in view of the hot season, “undresses” its natural coat, remaining with only the primary or guard hair, which constitutes the coat.
Simultaneously with this phenomenon, in the depths of the dermis, the bulb and the follicle of the guard hairs begin to guide the proliferation of new cells, which will serve to replenish secondary hairas soon as the autumn temperatures require it.
Do all dogs have an undercoat?
No, as we mentioned earlier, not all dogs have an undercoat. In fact, nature has allowed them to evolve according to the relative climatic needs of the area in which each breed has developed and lives.
That’s why it’s wrong to “shear” the dog when the hot season arrives: nature has already taken care of providing them with an excellent and infallible thermoregulation system, why interfere with it risking damaging it?
There are therefore:
- dogs with undercoat that molt periodically;
- dogs with continuously growing coat that do not moult;
- dogs with undercoat that dies but doesn’t shed.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these types.
Dogs with undercoat that shed periodically
All mestizos and dogs living in regions with a continental climate have the characteristic undercoat of the dog, which will be shed near spring and re-worn at the beginning of autumn.
But that’s not all: nature, in fact, has allowed dogs that live in areas with a particularly harsh climate, such as the Alaskan Malamute, to have a rich and thick secondary coat, which during the moulting period tends to be three times the coat of any other moulting dog.
Dogs with continuously growing coat
Dog breeds developed in areas of the planet from particularly mild temperaturesdo not need a secondary coat: the Afghan Hound, originally from the desert regions of the Middle East, in fact, has a long, continuously growing coat.
Even the Poodle has a continuously developing coat and will need to be groomed periodically by a professional.
Dogs with an undercoat that dies but doesn’t fall out
Finally, there is a case in which nature has given the dog the choice whether to keep his “coat” or not: it is the case of wire-haired or rough-haired dogs, such as the Schnauzer.
In these dogs the secondary hair dies but does not fall out spontaneously as it happens in dogs that molt.
For this will be the dog a decide whether to get rid of it or notrubbing against bark, brambles and bushes, which, however, can be difficult in the city.
And here comes the master, who will be able to proceed through the use of special brushesmore like gods rakesto the process of “stripping”, which consists in freeing the tufts of dead hair from the coat hair that prevents it from falling out.
In this way, even dogs with an undercoat, but which do not moult, will be able to feel lighter and, nevertheless, be safe from settling in by fleas and ticks.