ive noticed that kiba's coat is a little different from the huskies ive come in contact with and im wondering why this is the case.

She has shorter, more "normal" looking fur from just behind her shoulders and behind. Her shoulders and forward is ....shaggier for lack of better description. She has much longer fur around her neck and face and shoulders and its rough feeling. Is this just normal for growing puppies (She's 10 months)? Could it be her diet? Or is this probably just a trait from her lineage kind of like the way a wooley husky might have a wooley pup.

and just in case theres confusion, what i mean by "normal" husky fur is the smooth medium lenth fur that most pet huskies have. As i havent felt/seen a showing husky in person i cannot compare what their coat is like to the average companion huskies most folks have.
i cant find a good picture of kiba to show what i mean but this photo has the more typical coat im talking about:

How old is Kiba

She turned 10 months on july 5th : ) also- she's in the middle of her first coat blow but i noticed her coat was like this way before she started shedding. and right now the only part she seems to be loosing is the fur on her back legs/rump area and a little off the sides. i'm not sure if that's relevant but hopefully its helpful

Yuki is 11 months and you can see on her shoulder the long adult hair but on her side she still has her puppy coat. It could be her puppy coat still and she may seem more normal/even at 1 and a half or 2 years old.

It just plain looks like she has a shaggy mane. and i was a little annoyed because i even had another husky owner ask me if she was a purebred husky and i *think* that's why because his red husky had much more typical fur.

Its not really an "issue" per-se, but im curious about it

Totally normal. What you are seeing is puppy coat which can be longer and wispier without being a woolie gene controlled. My Enya, 13 months, is going through the same thing, she's got her adult coat in on her shoulders now but back from there is still puppy fluff and up her neck is still puppy coat. Honestly she looks kinda ridiculous to me LOL

Is it normal for some adult huskies to just not completely shed off? Kenzi has a similar thing going on with her hair but she's supposed to be 4 years old. Her sides and around her neck and legs is "normal" medium hair that is really soft, but in the picture the light cross section down her back and the poof above her tail is longer coarse hair that never changed when she blew coat. She was blowing coat when I got her and those sections never shed off.

huskymom, that is EXACTLY what it looks like- the picture you posted. and i agree about it looking funny. right now her hindquarter area is very slim and healthy looking and then she looks like she has abnormally large shoulders and head b/c her fur in that area is so fluffed up and long lol. Thank you for clarifying this- she's my first husky so im learning what's "normal" as i go here. thanks!!!

TwisterII wrote:

Is it normal for some adult huskies to just not completely shed off? Kenzi has a similar thing going on with her hair but she's supposed to be 4 years old. Her sides and around her neck and legs is "normal" medium hair that is really soft, but in the picture the light cross section down her back and the poof above her tail is longer coarse hair that never changed when she blew coat. She was blowing coat when I got her and those sections never shed off.

Wow Kenzi Back looks alot like Blaze's and he is 3 years old.

Kaia has the same thing as kenzi. She has coarse longer fur down her back from between her shoulder blades to her butt running down her spine but the rest of her fur is soft "regular" coat. The coarse hair is all black/gray too it doesnt get white at the base. She's had it since her adult coat grew in and she's been on good quality food since I got her so its not a food thing. I think it's just how her fur is, I wouldn't worry about it!

If they still look like this after they blow their puppy coat (which can take up to 2-3 coat blows easily) it's genetics not retention of puppy coat. Males have a 'mane' or 'cape' and tend to have longer hair on the top of the shoulders.

I looked at pictures I'd two of her sister from a previous litter from a few years ago and they don't seem to have the mane thing. I do remember her mo actually having a heavier/thicker coat. I think the combo of the coat blow and her fur being two different lengths and textures is making her look pretty scruffy. I'm surprised to read it could take 2-3 blows but at least I have a better idea of what to expect now

Ashley&Kaia wrote:

Kaia has the same thing as kenzi.  She has coarse longer fur down her back from between her shoulder blades to her butt running down her spine but the rest of her fur is soft "regular" coat. The coarse hair is all black/gray too it doesnt get white at the base. She's had it since her adult coat grew in and she's been on good quality food since I got her so its not a food thing. I think it's just how her fur is, I wouldn't worry about it!

Well I'm glad she isn't the only one with fur that does this. I wish her fur didn't do it though. She has a puff on her butt and people ask questions.

HuskyMom09 wrote:

If they still look like this after they blow their puppy coat (which can take up to 2-3 coat blows easily) it's genetics not retention of puppy coat.  Males have a 'mane' or 'cape' and tend to have longer hair on the top of the shoulders.  

Is it bad genetics? Or is this something that can happen to any quality of breeding? Since I know nothing about Kenzi's history but am really curious what kind of breeding she might have come from though I kinda suspect she was a pet store buy originally. Anything in her build that could give me insight into her breeding really interests me.

Kenzi's coat does not look inappropriate- I would not be concerned with her coat- unless she were to be a breeding candidate. Then you would be wise to choose a male that would not double that up.