Dear puppy buyers...
It has been a minute since we have had a chat and there is something that I am experiencing that is common knowledge among breeders, but not really talked about, so many non-breeders are not aware.
My little momma dog is nekkid right now.
You can see pink through her coat. She has no undercoat at all. Not all breeds are double coated, but Jack Russell Terriers are one of those that are. She is missing that short, downy bottom layer of coat right now and then I went and groomed her and removed a lot of the top coat that was all dead anyway.
Generally, a healthy coat is an easy sign of a healthy dog. Likewise, a poor coat or poor coat condition can mean an underlying health issue.
But in the case of a bitch that has recently whelped a litter of puppies, this loss of coat is very normal. Not every bitch will lose her coat, also called blowing a coat. But there are a good number of them that will. If you have never seen this and you arrive to pick up your puppy, it may shock you to see. You may think your breeder is not on the up and up or you may suddenly think you are saving the puppy from the breeder...
You see...there are a lot of hormonal changes that she goes through from the time she comes into heat until the time she is fully recovered from the whelping and rearing experience. Blowing a coat is a response to hormonal changes. There is nothing we as breeders can do to stop it or to hurry it along. Trust me...tons of folks ask those very questions all the time in the numerous breeder groups I am in. I mean...we take care of our bitches and their health is our main concern and we want them healthy all the way around. Most times the first time a breeder sees it happen, they are as shocked as you might be.
So...if you happen to get a new puppy and see the momma with little to no hair, please do not jump to the conclusion that your breeder is a bad breeder or that there is something wrong with her. There are times that those things are true, yes, but if you are reading along with these chats, I would hope that you spent the time to research and screen your breeder that you felt they were responsible and reputable before this moment. If you did...what you are seeing is more likely hormonal than it is neglect or abuse.