The dogs we groom come in a wide variety of coat types. There is the silky coat of a Maltese, the wiry coat of a Cairn Terrier, curly Poodles, and thick double or triple-coated dogs like Huskies and Samoyeds. Then, there is a lesser-known category known as broken-coated.
A good example of this type of coat is the Jack Russell Terrier. These sturdy little dogs come in three recognized coat styles. There are "rough-coated" JRTs, sporting wiry, longer fur with pronounced facial furnishings and often longer hair on their legs and undercarriage.
This breed can also be found in what is known as "smooth" coats. Shorter, sleeker fur that lies close to the skin, without the longer facial and leg hair found on the rough-coated varieties.
The third recognized coat type is the broken coat. It can best be described as a mixture of the previous two coat types. A dog with this type of coat has a crisper texture than smooth-coated dogs, but it will be shorter than a true "rough" coat. They will sport longer hair on their head and face, as well as on their legs and sometimes all over their body. The longer hair is known as "trace hair." Broken-coated dogs will not carry as long or thick of a coat as their rough-coated brethren. The term "broken" connotes a scruffy, disheveled appearance. The fur feels crisp and wiry, with a dense, soft undercoat closer to the skin. One famous dog of this coat type was "Eddie," the dog character on the television show Frasier.
Hand stripping the fur is ideal for maintaining the color and texture of rough and broken coated JRTs. Clipping the fur will, over time, cause the coat to grow in softer and with faded coloration. If you don't know how or care to hand-strip, you can help maintain some of the harsh coat by carding the dog every time before clipping. Another option is to use an Andis deshedding tool on the dog's entire body to remove as much loose hair as possible before you clip. This is for pet grooms only, not for dogs in show coats. Both carding and using the deshedding tool will also promote healthier skin in pet dogs that will be clipped because you will pull dead hair from the follicles, encouraging new growth.
If you were unfamiliar with the term "broken coat," you can now start looking for this coat type in the dogs you see.
