What breed of dog do you have at your home? Is your dog has hair on his body? The answers to this question can be completely different for different persons. Many people express their surprise in having a dog with hair instead of fur. Well, it might seem a completely absurd thing for an anonymous person but this is a fact that there do exist some breeds of dogs with hair, not fur. In this post, we have discussed in detail all the possible reasons for the presence of hair on the bodies of some dogs instead of fur. As per the scientific standpoint, both hair and fur don’t have any biological difference as they both are made of the same material (keratin) and both grow from hair follicles.
Hair Growth Cycle in Dogs
Hair growth in dogs takes place in different phases of cycles and it reaches a certain length. After the length of hair growth reaches a certain length, the hairs start to fall out and then the beginning of a new growth cycle starts. The hair growth starts during the anagen phase in most of the dog breeds and then the hair growth stops during the catagen phase. Then the telogen phase and the exogen phases come in the hair growth. In the exogen phase, the dog starts shedding its hairs and the new cycle of hair growth begins.
Some Exceptions in Hair Growth
There do exist some exceptions on this subject when it comes to hair growth in different dog breeds. In most of the dogs, the hair growth is restricted to a certain genetically predetermined length but the scenario differs in some dog breeds. Poodles breed is the perfect example in this context as it continues to remain in the anagen phase and doesn’t shed more hairs in comparison to other breeds. If you have a dog with long hairs then it is good to keep grooming the hairs with the help of dog clippers. One can check the list of affordable and the best quality dog clippers by Oohlalapets.com.
Hypoallergenic Myth
Dogs with hair, not fur fall in the category of hypoallergenic. Such types of dogs have hair instead of fur which simply explains why they shed less in comparison to other breeds of dogs. Some breeders take advantage of this thing in order to increase their sales in the market. However, it is not true to say that the allergies in dogs occur due to their body fur or hair. Unlike the established belief, the allergies to dogs mainly occur due to saliva, urine-derived proteins, and dander transported through the air which eventually enters the mucous membrane of the lungs.
Dogs that have hair but No Fur
There are plenty of different shapes and sizes of dog breeds available which range from straight, flowing hairs to curly and rough, wiry, corded, and even partially coated. Lhasa apso, coton de Tulearm, Havanese, Tubetan terrier, Maltese, shih tzu and Yorkshire terrier fall in the category of dogs with straight, flowing coats. Poodle, Portuguese water dog, lagotto Romagnolo, and Irish water spaniel are counted in dogs with curly hairdos. Similarly, there are plenty of other species of dogs with hair, not fur available.