Gun Dog Forum

I've bred Springers for many years. Other than when they shed their winter coat, my Springers shed very little. I recently bred to a male from somewhat different lines than my dogs. I had him here for about 10 days to breed my female and he shed like no Springer I've ever owned. I kept him in the house as he's a house dog. I assumed his excessive shedding was because he was kept indoors all the time. I kept one of the pups from the breeding. She's going on 10 weeks old now and she also sheds like crazy. If I have her on my lap, my pants and shirt are absolutely covered with hair. I've had stool samples checked and they came back negative. She doesn't have fleas (I've never had fleas, thankfully). Her mother sheds hardly at all, so I'm thinking this might be a genetic thing. I'm going to try a different dog food and see if that helps, but if that doesn't help I'm not sure what else to do.

Certainly. Coat, color, undercoat and growth/shedding cycle all have a genetic component, but are also nutritional, metabolic, environmental etc. Excessive is a subjective term; is there shedding to the point of bald spots on the flank or back, or just excessive compared to your female? The level of acceptability of shedding varies widely among enthusiasts of different breeds, which is one of the reasons I don't own golden retrievers. My friends that do don't seem to mind fur clinging to everything they own.

If the former, have your vet check it out if you're concerned. If the latter, this new pup may require more frequent grooming (brushing or bathing) than you're used to with your female.

Did a little search for you and apparently the answer is yes.

Spring and Fall remember = more shedding in most breeds.

https://www.google.ca/?ion=1&espv=2#q=I ... in+dogs%3F

Thanks.. No, there are no bare spots... she has plenty of coat as does her sire. I'm hoping when her adult coat comes in she won't shed as much. Time will tell I guess. I'm evidently spoiled by having Springers that shed very little. I don't mind a little dog hair.....that's just part of having dogs, but when they shed so badly that my pant legs, etc. are covered, that's a different story. I've had Springers for nearly 30 years.....I haven't counted them up, but I've probably had 20 or so and none shed like this pup and her sire shed.

My dogs live in the house and I definitely feel your pain. This is certainly an anecdotal observation and I have no data to back it up but just prior to the big shedding seasons (spring and fall) I give my dogs salmon oil on their food and I brush them with a tight-wired comb once in a while and it seems to help.

Stress brings on shedding. Ask any kennel owner.

Possibly being in a strange house with a bitch in season nearby contributed to the shedding.

When I mentioned the excessive shedding of the sire to the owner, he acknowledged that his dog did shed excessively so I don't believe it was a stress related thing due to being in a different home.

Try supplementing with Biotin (vitamin) dont get the kind with soy in the ingredients.

Allergies could be the problem or could become a problem if the dog doesn't keep a good skin barrier.

The secret is getting the correct colored carpet and furniture.

I think so. Shedding is a major problem with my cocker. He is in an all out coat blow year round. There are no times when it's better or worse. He literally sheds as much as 3 normal dogs. I have asked other cocker folks (and springer folks) that I train with and they all say their dogs don't shed much at all. I just got lucky I guess. When I get home from work and let him out I always sweep around his crate. I get enough to completely fill the dustpan every day. I could make another dog out of the hair. Not sure how he never goes bald lol