puppies coats thinning at 7 wks???

[Sarah]

Hi, I wondered if anyone could help me?... my litter of f1 puppies are now nearly 7 weeks, most of the puppies have (or had) longer fluffy coats, but these type of coats appear to be changing. The longer hairs seem to be thinning out and the coats are becoming rougher. Is this right? Are they shedding the puppy coats already?? and if so will they still blow their coats at around 6 months as well? Two of the long haired pups don't seem to be thinning and are still quite soft.

So there now appear to be 3 different coat types in this litter....
- fluffy longer coats
- longer coats that are thinning and becoming rougher
- soft shorter hair coats

Could anyone give me an idea on how these 3 types will develop?
I would really appreciate it if any experienced f1 breeders could answer my questions!
Thank you!!

[gracielou]

I've never seen puppies at this age hair thin unless their is a problem I think I would consider a call to your vet or a visit.

[dixiedi]

Hi Sarah, it is way too early to be blowing their puppy coats. I've never had a litter change this drastically in 7 wks. With F1 puppies it is impossible to predict what their adult coats will be at this age. I've seen hair coats at 8 wks become long, wavy coats by 10 mos so there is no rhyme or reason. Good luck

[Maureen]

Hi Sarah,
I would not think this is the puppy "blowing" their coat but more about the indication of their coats. I've seen these changes happen at 4-5wks and as late as 7wks in our current litter with one of our boys so I think you are just getting indicators, that's all. However if you have a question, contacting a trusted vet is NEVER a bad idea! But the fact that some of the pups have coats that are not changing is my clue that makes me think this is what you are seeing.

For this reason I do not allow choosing a puppy before 5.5wks and as close to 6wks as I can make it for excited future doodle families. A wise experienced poodle breeder-friend told me she does the same with her poodle puppies, altho I don't know why - maybe more to do with color since the blacks can change to blues and silvers.

hope this helps!