Selecting a Breed
Smooth Coat
A smooth coat is sleek and shiny. Dogs with a smooth coat look almost like they are covered with a skin rather than fur. The following are some popular smooth-coated breeds:
• Basset Hound • Labrador Retriever
• Beagle • Miniature Pinscher
• Boston Terrier • Pug
• Boxer • Rottweiler
• Bulldog • Weimeraner
• Dalmatian • Greyhound
• Great Dane
Medium Coat
A medium coat is generally longer than 2.5 centimeters, but still looks quite short. The following are some common medium-coated breeds:
• Akita
• Australian Shepherd
• Border Collie
• Brittany
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• German Shepherd Dog
• Golden Retriever
• Great Pyrenees
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Saint Bernard
• Siberian Husky
Long Coat
Long-coated breeds can be divided into the following three categories: long parted coat, long-coated small breed dog, and long-coated medium and large breed dog. Each type has slightly different grooming requirements.
Long Parted Coat
Dogs with a long parted coat have long hair that should be parted in a very straight part along their back. The breeds that fall into this category:
• Afghan Hound
• Lhasa Apso
• Maltese
• Skye Terrier
• Shih Tzu
• Silky Terrier
• Tibetan Terrier
• Yorkshire Terrier
Long-Coated Small Breed Dogs
The following are some popular long-coated small breed dogs:
• Havanese
• Chinese Crested
• Pekingese
• Pomeranian
Long Coated Medium and Large Breed Dogs
The following are some examples of popular long-coated medium and large breed dogs:
• Bearded Collie
• Chow Chow
• Cocker Spaniel
• Irish Setter
• Newfoundland
• Old English Sheepdog
• Saint Bernard
• Samoyed
Wire Hair
The following is a list of some common wirehaired breeds:
• Affenpinscher
• Border Terrier
• Brussels Griffon
• Dandie Dinmont Terrier
• Irish Terrier
• Otterhound
• Scottish Terrier
• West Highland White Terrier
Wavy Coat
The following are some examples of common breeds with wavy coats:
• Bichon Frise
• Curly-Coated Retriever
• Irish Water Spaniel
• Komondor
• Poodle
• Portuguese Water Dog