I have a question about my mother's Australian Shepherd dog. He has just turned one year old. He is a lovely dog and has that nice fluffy coat... except on his sides! He has no long hair on his sides in the area of his rib cage. His coat there is slick and short!! The rest of his body has gotten the adult coat. Could he be lacking something in his diet? She feeds him just what ever brand of food is cheapest at the feed store... generally that is 'Old Roy'. He also gets a little bit of table scraps, milk, and whatever he finds around the farm (dead cattle, ect.). It is getting very cold here and since he is outside all day we are conserned that he may get chilled. Should we be getting a hunting vest for him to wear? (Around here hunters put camo insulted vests on retrievers if they are from out of state and not used to the chill.) And also what could be causing this, I was planning on using him to breed to my bitch when she came to be 2 since their pedigrees fit so nicely... but if this is genetic I will not consider it any longer! Help please!!
QT

ROTFLOL LOL LOL!!!!!!! I'm sorry QT, I just pictured my aussie with a doggie vest on and just about wet myself! :D He should be acclimated to his local weather. The visiting hunters may be from a warmer climate. The other thing is, if he is working, he shouldn't need anything else to keep him warm. He could become overheated with a coat. But then again, where are you from...? How cold does it get in your neck of the woods?

As you know, all aussies have different coats. My girl has a very long swishy "tail train" on her back end. Her chest is also quite long and full. The actual body is medium length and wavy with a bit of "skirt" on her underside. The coat on her hips flips up like a cowlick. She is 3 and not spayed.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like he may still be growing his adult coat. He may also need a higher quality complete dry food. Does your mother notice any change in his poo when she changes his food? More poo, less poo, loose poo, hard poo...? The better quality dog food, the healthier he will be, just like people. :)

Not sure if any of this helps......... :)

Qt's in Nebraska, Kansas or one of those other midwest States that gets really nippy, esp. with wind chill factored in... Can't blame her for being concerned. :D

Got a good laugh at the image though. :) (yeah, I know, my girls like wearing their sweaters when it's below zero cel. too :rolleyes: )

Food quality is a likely consideration... so is how this dog lays himself on floors and the ground. Cold weather does bring on a thicker coat...if he settles near a heat register when he's inside, it could affect growth.

Other than having a vet check him out, I draw a blank too ;) :D :D
good luck with auld bald chesty ;) :D

Thank you both for your advice. I assumed too that it was the diet. Since my mother is reluctant to buy a more expensive food since the barn cats share whatever is given to the dog, I suggested a supliment. So we went to the vet and he suggested a skin and coat suppliment, it mostly contains oils... codliver, cottonseed, ect. So we soak a little bit of meat in it and give it to him. We'll see if that helps.

And you guessed it I live in one of those cold Midwest states.... but a little farther north... North Dakota!! Burr!!! It is already pretty cold, the highs are around 35above right now! It gets to be 30 below or so with equal or greater wind chills and not a whole lot of trees or land to block the wind. I know it sounds silly but if his coat isnt in by December we are probably going to have to get him one of those vests... he'll be the only dog in the area who chases cows in a coat :D :D :D... how embarressing for him!
QT

How embarrassing, but how sensible and stylish, he'd be ;) :) :D

My Tyler has short hair on his sides and longer hair ( but not as long as other dogs I've seen at shows) on his back. He is 20 months. I thought it could be diet related, but he is the spitting image of his father who also doesn't have much of a coat compared to other show dogs, so could also be gentic. For you to decide which one it is for your Mother's Aussie, have a look at his parents' coats to get an idea what he might turn out like. HTH :)

Both his parents had the gorgeos long coats. Our vet also suggested that it might be a fall puppy thing. Said that he had seen it in Huskies that are born in the fall as well. Austin (mothers dog) was born in mid October last year. Their bodies get confused as to which coat to grow first... winter or adult and so they look pretty rough for a while. Does this make sense to anyone else?? I wasnt sure. Anyway the vet said he should even out in a month or so... heres hoping. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what he grows into before I decide for certain whether or not to use him as a stud dog... got a few backups in mind if he doesnt work out! ;)

Just out of interest, what breeding is he?

Australian Shepherd

I know what breed:) I want to know what BREEDING, just curious to see if he's related to my Aussie.

Austin, the dog in question is Morris Reese X Farr's Tuff Guy. He has only C(continental)KC and we are trying to get ASCA papers for him. I am still really debating whether or not to use him for breeding. He is so very good with the cattle but his lack of registration isnt good. My bitch (AKC,ASCA, and CKC registered) is Las Rocosa Lady Di X Las Rocosa Dylan... and she is line bred almost entirely Las Rocosa though there is only one inbreeding taking place in her pedigree and that is four generations back. I am trying to branch out and start a new line... and I am looking for an alternative line to breed to my Las Rocosa bitch, so that I can widen the gene pool but still keep the quality.