How to pick a low shedding dog?

[razerfish]

I'm looking to get another dog soon, either after my geriatric dog passes or maybe sooner. I don't have many rules, but a low shedding dog is one of them. I lived 13 years with a high shedding black lab and I don't want to repeat the experience, so a low shedder is a high priority. What's the best way to make sure the dog is of the low shedding variety? My guess is that the undercoat has the most to do with it. I see some descriptions on the AZ Border Collie Rescue site where they say describe the dog's coat, from 'minimal grooming needed' all the way to 'regular grooming needed.' I notice the short-haired varieties fall under 'minimal grooming; and the rough coats tend to be either 'occasional grooming' or 'regular grooming necessary.' No mention is made of undercoat or shedding.

 

Anyone have any tips on how to select a low shedding dog? I have only about 3 rules, and this is one of them.

 

FYI, I'm in Mesa, AZ., and I'm open to a rescue or stray. I prefer a female, ages 7 months to 15 months (I still want them to have some pup in them), outgoing with people and animals (need to be bold and friendly since I'll take the dog everywhere with me), and high drive (toy drive not so much food drive). I'll take moderate drive if it means the dog is a terror when playing but can 'turn it off' when she's at home. I'm not sure you can have both, though.

 

If anyone has any recommendations, shoot me a PM. I have an application in with the local rescue group, but I'm also open to buying a puppy from a reputable breeder.

 

--Greg Moulton

[juliepoudrier]

Hi Greg,

I'm afraid that if you're looking for a truly low shedding dog, a border collie may not be for you. Slick vs. smooth vs. medium vs. rough doesn't seem to make much difference with respect to shedding. You're correct that more undercoat may mean more shedding, but even my little slick-coated dog with minimal undercoat sheds quite a bit. In fact, all of my smooth coated dogs shed a great deal. My rough coated dogs also lose undercoat, though it tends to stick to them in tufts and has to be pulled or brushed out. There are breeds out there known for low shedding, I just don't think the border collie is one of them. You may find a low-shedding individual (on a relative scale), but I think it's a very individual thing and you're not going to find a rule that states X coat = Y amount of shedding.

 

J.

[PSmitty]

^^Yep. I have two smooth coats, a smooth BC mix and a lab mix. It's a toss up of who sheds more, my lab mix or one of my smoothies. It's true that he's the only one with an undercoat, but I don't think that's the deciding factor in whether shedding will occur, like Julie said. Our newest smooth coat started off not shedding, but has recently started. I'm not sure if that's him just shedding some unhealthy coat (he's a recent rescue) or what, but he does shed now, too. He doesn't have an undercoat.

[mum24dog]

And a lot depends on lifestyle too.

A dog spending a lot of time outside in cold weather is likely to develop a thicker coat and shed it by the sackload when the warmer weather arrives, whereas a dog that is used to less extremes of temperature will probably shed at a steadier rate.

Also a dog that is under stress is likely to shed more than one that is chilled.

The problems shedding causes differs with coat type too. My short coated BC sheds, but not excessively and what he sheds doesn't cause a problem because it is relatively soft compared to my JRT whose hair gets everywhere and sticks, weaving itself into fabrics because it is stiff.

We get the tumbleweed effect from my long haired BC mix but I put a lot of that down to the fact that there seems to be GSD in there somewhere.

 

Pam

[ejano]

All three of our dogs are classified "rough coats", though I would describe their coats as medium weight. They're in the house with us and I notice very little shedding. I don't think I've put a brush on them since the fall burr season. They're taking their own "snow baths".

 

Over the years I've found that a really good quality food helps with all kinds of coat issues, including shedding.

 

I also invested in a "furminator" for the shedding season...it works beautifully, even on cats! I haven't needed to use it on the pups yet (They're only ten months old) but it worked beautifully on our late Scotty who had a beautiful long coat, with a thick undercoat.

 

Liz

[IPSY]

Hi,

 

Well ,thing is if your open to a rescue or stray , you will not have much of a choice about the shedding , which is no reason not to rescue , but its a toss up when trying to figure out how mcuh it will shed.

If your open to any other breeds , I had a standard poodle , she was a great dog , friendly , clownish , welcomed by all.

I kept her in a puppy cut , no fuss, easy care. i wouldnt be caught dead with her sporting one of those freaky poodle cuts.

My friend was a groomer and threatened me more than once that she was going to give her one of those cuts . LOL...

But they are great dogs , good with family , mine was not protective or barky , just the class clown..

There is a poodle rescue that rescues all over the states. It is run by a woman named Louanne. Im not totally sure but I can google it for you. I think it is Bluemajic Poodles or something like that.

I hope this helps , good luck with your search...Im sure he/she will have a great home

[Bordercentrics]

We have both varieties, and while the smooth coat requires little or no grooming work per se, she sheds the most of our three. The roughs need brushing, but don't shed as much. The breeds that are considered non-shedding don't shed, but require a tremendous amount of effort in the grooming area. The undercoats must be brushed or stripped out on a regular basis. We used to have Bouviers and I can tell you it is a LOT of work. Brushing the Border Collies to minimize shedding is much easier. But if you want a non shedder, don't get a Border Collie......

 

Kathy Robbins

[Brad]

Just to maybe back off a from shedding and more towards dog selection, I'd really have to recommend NOT getting a BC solely based on it's shedability, or lack thereof. They're a dog with with a lot of reasons for and against owning, and I think shedding is probably way down on either list...just sayin'

[JohnLloydJones]

Anyone have any tips on how to select a low shedding dog?

 

Border Collies have been selected for low maintenance ("teflon") coats, but that doesn't cover shedding. It's highly individual, though a dog with a thick undercoat will -- other things equal -- shed more. My last foster was a relatively low shedding dog (he was adopted on Sunday, so you're a bit late). You might want to ask the foster homes about shedding, but again it's often hard to say in a multi-dog home which one is shedding less. I think most of us accept dog hair as one of those little things that you have to live with.

[BCBaxter]

The only low/no shedding dog I have ever had is my maltese. Unfortunately, while there is no shedding...there is considerable grooming that compensates for not having to vacuum hair constantly.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Um.... get one of those doodle types?

 

My dog is a med. rough coat and she does shed. It's not that bad and mostly just tufts of undercoat when she sits on the couch or bed etc. Any surface that will stick to the coat. She does require grooming every few weeks because her "butt feathers" get all tangled. If I were to compare her to the foster dogs that I've had with lab type coats, they are on the extremely high end of the shedding scale and she's on the low end. But I don't care about a little dog hair.

[juliepoudrier]

Just to maybe back off a from shedding and more towards dog selection, I'd really have to recommend NOT getting a BC solely based on it's shedability, or lack thereof. They're a dog with with a lot of reasons for and against owning, and I think shedding is probably way down on either list...just sayin'

Actually, Brad makes a very good point. But if shedding or lack thereof is on your top three list of criteria, then you probably should look at breeds that are generally considered non- or low-shedding, and the border collie as a breed isn't considered to be one. But as Brad says, there are a bunch of other border collie characteristics besides shedding that probably should be given greater weight. That is, if you have already weighed the pros and cons of a border collie without consideration for shedding and have already decided the breed is a good fit for you *if* your shedding criteria can be met, then that's one thing, but if your only real criteria is non- or low-shedding (what are the other two anyway?), then other breeds are more likely to fit the bill.

 

As I noted earlier and others have also said, my smooth coats shed right much undercoat but require little or no grooming. My medium and rough coats also shed, and they require brushing to prevent/remove mats, burrs and other vegetable matter, etc. To me, the definition of a non-shedding dog is just that--not one that doesn't shed if you groom it constantly (since grooming is actually removing the shedding hair before it floats to the ground on its own), but one that generally just doesn't shed much. My dogs are working dogs, so they may get dirtier and in greater need of grooming than the average urban dog, but they also live in the house, so they aren't growing extraordinary amounts of coat to withstand outdoor living or anything, but still the smooths require little in the way of grooming, and those who are rougher require more.

 

J.

[mum24dog]

Um.... get one of those doodle types?

 

No guarantees even with those. Something crossed with a poodle can end up with a coat like the non poodle part.

I agree with what others have said - I grew up with poodles and would never have another because they are so labour intensive. I'll put up with having to hoover up dog hair - it's quicker than grooming a poodle properly.

 

Pam

[mum24dog]

I prefer a female, ages 7 months to 15 months (I still want them to have some pup in them}

 

I meant to pick this up. I'm still waiting for my 11 year old BC mix to grow up.

General opinion around here is that most BCs retain some "puppyness" until 4 or 5, or even later.

 

Pam

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

No guarantees even with those. Something crossed with a poodle can end up with a coat like the non poodle part.

I agree with what others have said - I grew up with poodles and would never have another because they are so labour intensive. I'll put up with having to hoover up dog hair - it's quicker than grooming a poodle properly.

 

Pam

That is totally true! (and they can turn out rather weird looking to)

BUT, most breeds that don't shed or shed very little will require a considerable amount of grooming no matter which way you look at it. The OP must have already taken that into consideration. Non-shedding=higher coat maintenance.

[Maralynn]

I'd look into a poodle rescue group. Standard poodles are smart, outgoing, playful and eager to learn and please.

 

ETA- If a BC fits you in every other way, I'd look for a medium coated dog and plan on brushing it 2-3 times/week. My smooth coated dog seems to shed more than my two rough coated ones. My rough coated dogs shed their winter coat once a year and then I've got more dog hair to deal with but other than that brushing a couple times a week keeps their shedding to a minimum.

[moabams]

I have two rough coated border collies and they don't shed that much. They both live inside, though. One of them hardly sheds at all, but he requires more grooming because the soft hair behind his ears tends to knot pretty badly. He also has some rough hair on his hind end which tangles pretty good. We have a huge cedar tree and everytime he runs under it we have to pull out a bunch of dead tree pieces. He's like a magnet for foliage "jewelry."

 

My other BC sheds a bit more, but requires less grooming so far (we got her from a rescue at 7 months and she's now only 13 months so we haven't seen the full adult shed cycle yet).

 

However, neither of these shed at all compared to our Siberian Husky! You can practically see the hair leap off him when he walks by. The border collies' shedding seems like nothing.

[NorthfieldNick]

My Nick is a medium-rough coat with a serious undercoat. He sheds a good deal in spring & fall, but his shed hair comes out in nice little dust-bunny like poofs. I'd much rather have those poofs than my sister's lab's hairs that stick to everything & get everywhere. Hair poofs are much easier to pick up. Nick gets covered in gunk (mud, burrs, rose bush branches...) when we're out working, so he does get something of a grooming several times a week.

 

As for the drive thing: You most certainly can have a high-drive dog that shuts off at home. It'll take some teaching & effort on your part, but a high-drive dog should no be "on" all the time. My Nick would prefer to be moving sheep all day, every day, but when I'm inside working ("working"...) he's happily slabbed on his bed. Ready to go at a moments notice, yes, but not constantly hyped up and bouncing.

[SoloRiver]

I'm with almost everyone else. If low/no shedding is a major criterion for you then this is not an appropriate breed to be looking at. By "dog person" standards I don't think they shed very much, but I also groom my dogs fairly regularly and vacuum at least three times a week and my husband, who loves dogs but is not a "dog person" like I am, thinks we live in a giant hairball.

 

My dogs run the gamut from extremely rough coated to medium to practically hairless with some fringe. Of the three, the practically hairless one is actually the worst shedder (yes, I'm looking at you, Jett). You would never predict it to look at her.

 

I also agree that if the specific traits of Border Collies are not what you are looking for then I'd recommend seeking out another breed. They aren't for everyone.

[ShoresDog]

This is a silly picture of Juno (age almost 2 yrs) but shows her smooth coat. She seems to not shed at all!

 

 

Rough-coated Daisy gets brushed once a week, or maybe every other week, and maybe once a month I snip off a few dreadlocks from her rear end or ear area. She does shed some. But as Ben pointed out, the fur is shed in lightweight bunny fur clouds that are very easy to pick up with the battery charged Shark vac and do not stick to furniture etc. like Lab fur. Given that her grooming requirements are so minimal, it doesn't seem like a lot of hassle.

 

 

ETA: Oh, and puppyishness. Daisy is about 6 years old and still very playful and puppyish in some ways.

[geonni banner]

I'm with almost everyone else. If low/no shedding is a major criterion for you then this is not an appropriate breed to be looking at. By "dog person" standards I don't think they shed very much, but I also groom my dogs fairly regularly and vacuum at least three times a week and my husband, who loves dogs but is not a "dog person" like I am, thinks we live in a giant hairball.

 

My dogs run the gamut from extremely rough coated to medium to practically hairless with some fringe. Of the three, the practically hairless one is actually the worst shedder (yes, I'm looking at you, Jett). You would never predict it to look at her.

 

I also agree that if the specific traits of Border Collies are not what you are looking for then I'd recommend seeking out another breed. They aren't for everyone.

 

Hear, hear. To look at this dog, who has no undercoat to speak of - even now in the middle of winter - you wouldn't think she sheds a lot. I vacuum at least twice a week and do hair-bunny patrol in between.