When winter comes, we dig out our hats, thermal mitts, boots, and that good ol’ heavy winter coat. Dog owners also prep their pooches for the colder weather with doggy coats and booties. With this change in weather, why do we still see shedding in the winter months when our pup should be storing all that fur to help keep them warm? Let’s take a look at our furry friends’ coats.
Dogs who do well in winter have a heavy, thick coat that includes an undercoat and an overcoat. The undercoat is very dense which helps insulate them from cold weather and regulate their temperature. It’s important to never shave double-coated breeds in the summer as that undercoat does not grow back the same and can help them stay cool in the summer, too.
Each season, a dog’s coat is shed to prepare them for the weather to come. Summertime means double-coated dogs losing their dense undercoat, whereas with winter they shed that lighter summer coat in preparation for that heavy winter coat. Shedding is a continuous and normal process that dogs go through all year round to make way for new and healthy fur. You can see more shedding from double coated breeds year-round or when the weather is dry, like in winter when the air outside is dry or indoors when the air inside is dry due to heating.