The terms dog hair and dog fur, or pet hair and pet fur, are often used interchangeably by pet owners because few of us are entirely sure what each term really means, and if there is really any scientific difference between the two. Some of us appreciate the soft fur in our pet’s coat and despise the hair that is found in the carpet; others spend hours carefully grooming the long hairs of a prized breed and curse the fine fur that is shed on the sofa. Is there really a difference between the two?
The difference between the two could all come down to the thickness of the coat
Dogs can either have a hairy coat or a furry coat and the difference quite often comes down to the thickness and number of the layers. There are some breeds that have a single coat of either long or short hairs and there are others that have an additional undercoat. The presence of an undercoat provides greater insulation for animals in colder climates by improving the density of the layers. In some the upper coat is also water-repellent. It all depends on the origin and purpose of the breed. Double-coated dogs are generally seen as having fur while other, single-coated breed are seen as having hair.
There are others that say that it is all about length
A common counter argument here is that the difference between hair and fur comes down to the length and the need for cutting. There are some that believe that the fur of an animal is biologically predetermined to stop at a certain length, providing the ideal thickness and protection for their needs. It is why dogs and other animals shed their coats before the seasons change. Hair, on the other hand, is the type of keratin-based structure that keeps on growing unless it is cut and tamed. There are some dog coats that require this sort of maintenance because these long “haired” breeds can get a bit unruly. There is logic to this idea, to a degree, but there is the problem of consistency when applying the theory to other animals. By this logic, us humans would have hair on our heads and fur on our arms – not that many of us would admit to being furry.
So which is it?
The short answer to the question of the difference between dog hair and dog fur is quite simple: there really isn’t one. The fiber and structures that make up the coat are the same whether you refer to them as hair or fur, yet there is still that sense that there must be something separating the two. It all seems to come down to the coat of the dog. A thick fluffy Chow coat naturally seems like a fur coat compared to the single-haired coat of a Pointer, and a well-groomed goat of a long-haired toy breed in a show will naturally be referred to as a hair coat. In the end, as long as the hair or fur is groomed and managed with the interests of the dog in mind, the terminology doesn’t make a lot of difference.
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