What is a Pin Wire coat?
Coat texture in Wire Dachshunds is a source of mystery and confusion to many people! Coats range from “fluffy” (incorrect) through to “Pin Wire” which is a correct harsh double coat but shorter and with less beard and leg hair than a “normal” wire coat.
Wire Dachshunds have a “double-coat”. There is a longer, harsh top coat with a dense undercoat beneath. Two or three times a year the long, dead top coat will need to be plucked out (hand-stripping) to allow the new top coat to grow in. Wires have the advantage of not moulting like other dogs. If you are lucky enough to have a Wire with a short, harsh “pin wire” coat, it will probably not need stripping at all; you’ll just need to tidy it up with a stiff brush to help remove any dead hair. Pin Wires typically have little or no face furnishings, but still have a double coat.
The photo below of our dog “Stripey” shows a Pin Wire dog and the photo of “Twix” shows a more “normal”, albeit softer than we would want, coat.
“Stripey”: Pin Wire Coat
“Twix”: Normal Wire Coat
A good Wire coat will have face furnishings and the leg hair will be harsh, like coconut matting. The leg hair is the give-away – if it’s soft on the legs, it’s not a “proper” coat. Sadly, most judges are clueless about Wire coats. They usually run their hands over the back against the coat, but that’s the last place to check if the coat is right – legs and face give you the answer. The photo of “Teasle” (below) is almost spot on for a good Wire coat.
“Teasle”: Good Wire Coat
Pin Wire head
- Posted in: Coats ♦ FAQs
- Tagged: Coats, Stripping a Wire coat
