09/03/2026
Fun Fact: Windsprite coats can be quite variable from one individual to the next, as well as shifting and changing throughout the year!
Some Windsprites are naturally more lightly coated than others. You can often see this difference easily in photos of Fable and Haven together. According to the breed standard maintained by the International Windsprite Club, a Windsprite's hair is meant to be soft and straight, slightly curled, or wavy. It should be longer on the neck, with feathering on the back of the forelegs, thighs, chest, and tail. The amount of hair will vary from dog to dog.
Even smooth Windsprites have a range of coat lengths and densities! Smooth Windsprites are the result of a Windsprite being backcrossed to a Whippet, often for the purposes of improving genetic diversity. The short hair of the Whippet is dominant in the first generation, producing smooth instead of coated dogs. Some have hair that is more plush and profuse than your average Whippet, and may even have a touch of short fringe on the parts of the body where we would normally expect to see feathering on a long-haired dog.
Many Windsprites blow their coats seasonally as the weather changes. My girls are fairly low shedding, but they do lose their winter coats in the springtime! Additionally, intact female Windsprites may have noticeable hair fall concurrent with their heat cycles, while males tend to be more consistently heavily coated, likely because they don't experience the same cyclical hormonal changes as females. Both males and females can undergo some change in coat texture after they are altered, but this may be more noticeable following spay, rather than neuter. For example, Fable's coat has become quite a bit thicker and more consistent since her spay this February.
Haven is helpfully displaying the remains of last year's longer winter coat along with this year's incoming fluff!
📸 What is your Windsprite's coat like throughout the year? Drop some pictures in the comments.
