I also wanted to share with you Ann Shinkle's other article on the Curly's coat. This one explains the coat a young Curly can have.
The following article on coats or the following article entitled "Curly Coat Care" was originally printed in the AKC Gazette CCR
Column, written by Ann Shinkle.
Curly Coat Care
A puppy may have a "teddy bear" coat (short, fluffy and straight, with no wave), a wavy coat, curls mixed with waves or a straight coat, and a puppy's coat does not
indicate what its coat will be like as an adult. I've seen good wavy coats become patterned and lovely curls appear in a straight, fluffy coat when a dog reaches 9
months. My 4-month-old has lovely crisp little curls. My previous puppy had tighter waves for a few months, then her coat became a mass of tight swirled little
curls. I've known cur-less 2 and even 3-year olds suddenly grow a lovely curly coat. The most unusual puppy I've seen lately is a liver with a ridge of darker,
courser hair down the center of its back. Chances are it will have curls all over its body.
When a Curly "blows coat" you can't show it until its coat grows back. Some breeders say good coats grow back more quickly than problem coats. Bitches will
often lose coat two to three months after their season. Some lose only a little coat, with sparser areas over the shoulders and back. Others go completely bald after
having a litter of pups.
You can usually rely on a bitch to lose at least some coat about twice a year. Males usually shed once a year, after the winter, and usually less than females. I know
of one male here in Florida who never sheds and is always in full coat.
I asked several breeders how they care for a Curly's coat. Gina Columbo says spayed bitches grow quite a bit of coat. She uses a #4 blade to routinely clip her
9-year-old bitch's coat. After a bitch has pups and starts to "blow coat" Columbo uses a #7 blade to clip her. (Using clippers seems to reduce the amount of
excess hair all over the house when a Curly blows coat) Within a week or two, any sparse patches have filled in. By six to eight weeks, full coat is in again. She
uses a slicker-type brush to remove dead hair when a Curly is shedding.
Yvonne Dormany never uses a brush. Instead, she uses a flea comb or a steel comb with widely spaced teeth to remove dead hair when a Curly is losing coat. A
Curly in full coat never needs brushing.
Unless it is shedding, I very rarely need to bathe a Curly. I can hose a dog down, wash it and then dry it, all outside, all year round. I don't use a towel except in
cool weather, and then only to dab off the excess moisture. On the whole, a healthy Curly has a "wash and wear" coat!
First-time puppy owners often ask, Where are the curls? When will they come in? Will they be big or small, soft or crisp, open or tight?
Each Curly becomes curly at its own pace and in its own way. Many factors, including genetics and allergies, can affect coat type and maturity. You can even see
variations in the same litter. 
Only time and maturity will tell what types of curls your Curly has. When the curls come in, they may be of any one of the different types mentioned above - but
many kinds of coats win in the ring.
Ok, since the pups won't all be here on Valentines Day, I had to flip ahead and take some cute puppy pictures for a page I'm working on.... So I'll share them with
you!
When I took them out, they at first sniffed at the new surfaces, then some went exploring. The other dogs were in the area, and Seger came over to check them out. Two of the boys grabbed a plastic wood pellet bag and started dragging it around. One of the girls found Ripples dog bed and stash of toys. After a while two of the pups climbed back in the whelping box! So they can get over the wall! They just didn't see any reason to do so! I wonder now that they have seen the outside world... if some will try going out on their own.
With the litter of three boys, I ended up just taking the box away. If I hadn't done so, I believe I would still have three full grown 4 year old curlies living there still. ;-)
1/10/2003 Day 31!