What is Bunny's coat?

[Juneysmom]

Bunny is a short-haired red female. She has these "markings" on her legs, thighs, and a little bit on her sides, where the hair is a little thicker in long areas. As a result, it is a deeper color in these areas than the rest of her body. When you rub her there, it feels like the markings are raised.

Does anyone know what kind of markings these are?

[dutchman]

That kind of sounds like a brindle to me. Not an expert but here is alink to a page with photo of a red brindle.http://www.doxieskennel.com/coatpatterns.html

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Me&DappledDuo]

... it sounds to me as though you're referring more to the length of hair than the pattern? One of the things I hear alot from breeders in other countries is "How can the AKC allow crosscoat breeding?" as in why do we allow smooths and longhaireds to mated. Sometimes the practice is used to thicken the coat on a smooth. Sometimes, as in all breeding practices, it's just sloppy breeding. But a smooth to long mating sometimes produces smooths with a little "flagging"on the legs, underside, and rear- they're sort of a smooth who got a little too much fur. Or sometimes a LH doesn't develop it's coat fully, and doesn't get the thicker, longer fur. Either way- it's a conformation no-no, but has to awfully cute. As much as I love the look of a fluffy LH, I also love the noble (snort...we know better...) looks of the smooths. Sounds like you've got a combo!

It's always so hard to tell with doxies, though- there are just so many different colors and patterns and coats that weird combinations happen all the time! Even pictures don't tell the whole story. I guess you'd have the most success with researching her pedigree, but I wouldn't bother unless you're just REALLY curious.

[Cindi]

Are you talking about where the whorls are and where the hair comes together in different directions?

Cindi

[Juneysmom]

Here is a picture of Bunny washing Juney. If you look at her back part of her leg, then you can see where the hair is thicker in some parts than in others. It isn't in circular whorls, just straight up from the skin.

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Oct/20031026526948093359387.jpg

[Cindi]

WOW! Haven't seen that before :) OK, several things come to mind to me. Either she at one time had a skin condition that was overcome and the skin/hair follicles recovered to *create* this pattern; she has a hair/skin condition that isn't very obvious whereby she is thinner in areas and thicker in areas :) Do I see a gray face? Maybe at one time she was that dark red color all over with that thick hair?
OR....she is crosscoated somewhere in the background but I haven't seen crosscoating have this particular effect before. Crosscoating by knowledgeable breeders is usually done to improve conformation not for coat factors ie dog a is known to consistently throw excellent fronts or rears or improve length of keel and not throw a/b/or c and my dog needs any of the above. Crosscoating by *other* types of breeders, from what I have observed from their websites is usually done for a) convenience sake (boys and girls are available) b) color/pattern possibilities c) oh boy, let's see what this will make.

Cindi

[Juneysmom]

She's always had this from baby-hood on. I was used to it, and never wondered until I saw some of the posts here. She didn't have any of the medical problems you listed, but her grandmother was a long-haired. I always thought it made Bunny more beautiful. Her breeder was someone quite new to breeding, but she had several mentors that were helping her.

Bunny is 13.5 years old, which is why the gray hair.

[Roobyrocks]

No advice on the coat, but what a sweet girl Bunny is, washing Juney. :angel:

Rooby cleans Lexie's snout and wags her tail while doing it.

[TessieMom]

That looks almost a brindle on the legs only! Very unusual!

Rena and the Waco crew