page_title: Dog coat
section_title: Genetics
hierarchical_section_title: Dog coat / Genetics
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a photo I took of my Newfoundland after combing undercoat out
context_page_description: The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. Dogs demonstrate a wide range of coat colors, patterns, textures, and lengths.
  As with other mammals, a dog's fur has many uses, including thermoregulation and protection from cuts or scratches; furthermore, a dog's coat plays an important role in the showing of purebred dogs. Breed standards often include a detailed description of the nature and attributes of that breed's ideal coat.
  A dog's coat is composed of two layers: a top coat of stiff guard hairs that help repel water and shield from dirt, and an undercoat of soft down hairs, to serve as insulation. Dogs with both under coat and top coat are said to have a double coat. Dogs with a single coat have a coat composed solely of guard hairs, with little or no downy undercoat.
  The terms fur and hair are often used interchangeably when describing a dog's coat, however in general, a double coat, like that of the Newfoundland and most livestock guardian dogs, is referred to as a fur coat, while a single coat, like that of the Poodle, is referred to as a hair coat.
context_section_description: There are a greater variety of coat colours, patterns, lengths and textures found in the domestic dog than in its wolf relations, as is typical of all domestic animals. In the wild, mutations often put animals at some practical disadvantage decreasing survival or reducing their attractiveness to the opposite sex; whereas domestic animals are protected from harm, and bred from specifically due to practical applications of the mutation for human uses, or to the attraction humanity has for uniqueness.
  During evolution of the dog from their wild wolf ancestors, coat colors in dogs were probably the inadvertent outcome of some other selective process (i.e., selection for tameness), and were not likely initially selected for intentionally by humans. Research has found that tameness brings associated physical changes, including coat colouring and patterning. Diversification of the dog into different types and ultimately separate breeds increased colour variation as factors such as camouflage and visibility aided the dogs’ functionality.
  Coat types were selected for, both inadvertently and intentionally, in accordance with factors such as climate, vegetation in the dogs’ working environment, and the need to perform tasks in water.
  Domestic dogs often display the remnants of countershading, a common natural camouflage pattern. The basic principle of countershading is when the animal is lit from above, shadows will be cast on the ventral side of the body. These shadows could provide a predator or prey with visual cues relating to the movement of the animal. By being lighter colored on the ventral side of the body, an animal can counteract this, and thereby fool the predator or prey. An alternative explanation is that the dorsal and ventral sides of an animal experience different selection pressures (from the need to blend into different backgrounds when viewed from above and below) resulting in differing coloration.
caption: Newfoundland lying next to its combed-out seasonal undercoat.
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