Yes, puppies are born with fur. The amount of fur depends upon the breed. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to hairless breeds such as the Chinese Crested. The puppy coat is unlike what it will be when they are adults.
However, the coat color is similar to what it will be when they are adults but the shade of color may change. I have seen red poodle puppies that have become quite cream when older.
Newborn puppies have soft coats that consist only of the undercoat. hairs. Newborn coats lack the longer, harder outer hairs called the guard coat, which will develop as they mature.
The guard coat is the coat that will protect their skin from being scratched when running through nature. The puppy may shed some of this hair making them a bit motley looking, but this is quite normal.
The undercoat is what they shed as an adult when the weather is warm and grow more to ward off the cold. Because they lack the guard coat, newborn puppies have short coats regardless of how long their coats will be in adulthood.
How to tell if a puppy is long or short haired
There is no guaranteed way to tell if a puppy will have a long coat when they get older, but you can take an educated guess. If they have slightly fuffy fur behind their ears or on the tail they may become long haired. If the coat is smooth and shiny it is likely that it will remain a short coat. Within six to eight weeks you should have much more idea.
Obviously, it also depends on the breed. If they are a long coated breed or a non-shedding breed such as a Poodle or Shitzu the coat will grow longer.
Puppy born with a green coat
You may have come across a news story of a puppy with a green tint to their coat. This is quite rare. In fact, there has only a hand full of reported cases. It is caused by a chemical called biliverdin, which makes bile. If the level of biliverdin in the birth sac is high it can stain the coat green. This normally fades after a few weeks and the puppy becomes the color it should be.
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