By Royal Canin Scientific Communications

Printable Version

Protein can play many different roles in the development of hair. Some small breed dogs, like the Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, and Maltese, have a coat that grows continuously. Like human hair, the major constituent of the coat of these dogs is the primary hair, and these coats can grow to over eight inches in length! This type of coat requires adequate protein for its continual growth.

Other breeds, like Poodles, have mainly secondary hair making up their coat. Secondary hairs are the shorter, finer hairs that are also seen on puppies. The Poodle coat is "curly," and thus benefits from sulfur-containing amino acids in the diet. A diet with adequate amounts of high-quality protein helps provide these amino acids for this type of coat.

To bring out the coat's color, it is also important to provide certain nutrients in the diet such as the amino acid tyrosine. It has been shown that supplementation along with the certain minerals can increase the intensity of the coat's natural color.

From structure to color, high quality protein is essential for health of the coat. A diet with the proper amino acid content and amount is the foundation for a beautiful coat.