It happens every year at this time. July is the month when the coyotes here lose the remains of their winter coats. It starts earlier with the sort of shedding you can see with many dogs: single hairs being lost. in July, however, it starts coming off in clumps. Many people, who do not know that coyotes molt, assume that the animal has mange but mange is skin disease. If you look carefully, beneath this raggedy coat is another, perfectly smooth, shorter hair coat. He looks as if he has just escaped an attack by a sheep shearer.
Tristan did not get away from this characteristic by being a hybrid (coydog). Last year, I used to pull clumps off when they were almost ready to fall, but he did not like me doing that. Whenever some part becomes uncomfortable, he will scratch it off, but he does that rarely.
When he has finished this process, he will look as if he has just been groomed for a dog show. As for my carpet, I am thinking of buying a rake instead of just using the vacuum. .
John's Coydog Community page
