Undercoat??

[junip1977]

Ok, call me confused...LOL  I am reading about how Shorkies have a beautiful undercoat.  Does this come about after the puppy stage, or are they already born with this?  We have two big lab/shepard mixes who have a very thick undercoat.  But my Shorkie babies you can part their hair and see right to their skin.  They have alot of hair but very thin.  I hope this is normal, I thing it's beautiful, but maybe it explains why they get cold easily!! 

Also, can dogs get sunburned if they don't have an undercoat?

Thanks!! 

[Ann]

I'm not sure about the undercoat. All I can say is when Toby was a puppy his hair was thin and fine but now his hair is thicker and he is 6 years old. I can't really remember when his hair thickened up it was so gradual. Yes I stll find that Toby feels the cold and as far as getting sunburned I think it is possible with any dog as the sun can be quiet strong.

[ellietoo]

I don't know why someone would say that Shorkie's have great undercoats! It depends on if they inherit the Shih Tzu coat, that has undercoat, or the Yorkie coat that does not have undercoat. My Gracie has no undercoat. She has beautiful silky thin fur. It is normal for a Yorkie coat. Most Yorkies have no undercoat. Those little sleek Yorkies that look like they have no feet in the show ring have long thing coats. An undercoat is the cotton like fur that is under the top coat that works as insulation for most dogs. My Gracie gets cold so easily. She slept under a blanket for most of the winter. The Yorkie fur grows kind of like human hair. It just keeps growing until you cut it and has no fluffy stuff in it.

[raleysmom]

My Raley has yorkie hair!  He has no undercoat at all.  On the other hand, my daughter's shorkie has the shih tzu hair with undercoat!

[Mai Tai]

Mai Tai has a thick fluffy Shih Tzu coat, while Mo has a yorkie coat with no undercoat.  It all depends on what they inherit, but if they have no undercoat as a puppy, they ain't getting one...LOL>

[mandy15]

Angel has a thick undercoat like the shih tzu. She was the yorkie color until we the groomer cut it all off. Now she a vey pretty brown with just a few black hair mixed in the brown. She is so much cooler and happier with short hair. Even though its only been 3 weeks its growing back fast with curly hair still brown though. I love the brown!

[junip1977]

See that is what is sooooo weird.  Everyone tells me that Maggie looks like a Shih Tzu and Max like a Yorkie, however Max's hair seems thicker, while Maggie's hair is curlier and thinner.  LOL  Such a mystery!! They are both beautiful regardless!!  LOL

[ellietoo]

I'm wondering if all these dogs are first generation Shorkie or if they are from Shorkie to Shorkie breedings. Originally they bred a male Yorkie to a female Shih Tzu to get a Shorkie. I think that some people are now breeding Shorkie to Shorkie and even using female Yorkies bred to male Shih Tzu. That would change the gene pool quite a bit and there would be a lot more variation in the resulting puppies. It may explain the wide range of resulting types of pups size and coat. Since these are not pure bred dogs people can do whatever they want with their breedings and call them whatever they want.

[junip1977]

Well, I do not know about everyone else's dogs, but I know that my two came from a purebred Shih Tzu and a purebred Yorkie.  This was the mom's first litter.  It is just funny how he looks like a Yorkie according to everyone...LOL  yet I thik he may have the undercoat.  LOL  Hmm...it will be interesting to see as they grow how their fur changes. 

[raleysmom]

Mine is from a purebred yorkie and purebred shih tzu so technically a yorkie tzu.

[Mai Tai]

Mai Tai is from a purebred Yorkie mom and a purebred Shih-tzu dad.  He has the Shih-tzu ears and coat, but the Yorkie nose.  He also has more of the Shih-tzu temperament.  Mo is from a Shorkie mom (Mai Tai's older sister) and a shorkie dad (Mai Tai's brother from the same litter).  He is almost all yorkie looking.  He has the yorkie size, yorkie hair, yorkie temperament, but the Shih-tzu nose.  Both have the same beigy blondish red coloring. 

[mandy15]

Angel's mom was a purebred shih tzu and her dad was a purebred yorkie. I met her mom and it was this womans own pet and it was a purebred shih tzu. I went and got Angel CKC registered and it said her dad was a full bred yorkie.

[ellietoo]

Gracie's mom is a pure bred Shih Tzu and her dad is a pure bred Yorkie. It was the first time this lady had ever done a non registered breeding and she was quite happy with the results. There were only the two girls in the litter. I'm still kicking  myself for not buying Gracie's sister when I got her. Since Shih Tzu's come in so many colors I guess that explains why the colors can vary so much. Gracie and her sister looked just like baby Yorkies as puppies. They were exactly the same color but her sister had more of the Shih Tzu bone structure than she did. The breeder also had their tails docked like she would have if it had been a Yorkie littler. Don't know why. Now my dog has just a little stump of a tail. It's really cute but sometimes I miss that curled Shih Tzu tail.

[Michele]

Chewy came from a store so I don't have any info except her mother was a yorkie and her dad a shih-tsu.. Chewy has the black and brown colors of a yorkie, but a ton of white/creme hair so I guess dad was all white. Her undercoat is a thick orange... Her features are definately more yorkie, but her body is pretty long and tubular ... where would that come from?  I always say when she stretches out she's got the body of a ferrat!

[junip1977]

Michele,

I am not sure, but I think the long tubular body comes from the Shih Tzu....if I am worng anybody, please feel free to correct me