# How common is shedding in our "nonshedding" breed?



## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

I am finding an awful lot of Evye's hair all over the place. She has lost so much hair on top of her head and ears. I am assuming most of this is as a result of 2 playmates constantly pulled at her hair. She is on a good diet, on a good supplement (Sea Pet Omega 3 with E), quality grooming products. Her yearly exam is coming up and I will ask him to do blood work to rule out any medical cause. I would hate if it's a result of the IOD products after singing their praise so highly but it has become much more noticeable after Taylor joined the family. I have checked very carefully for any red spots and I cannot see anything and haven't noticed any excessive scratching. Thoughts?


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Sharlene, I wondered the same thing. How old is Evye now? Marble went through several blowing coat stages the first two years. After two years, he would hit periods where he lost quite a bit of hair, but it didn't last too long. I guess some of them still lose a little bit of hair at times.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Evye is 16 months and has gone through her first blowing coat. I half jokingly say I'm going to spray her down with Bitter Apple but they all play and all get their haired pulled and chewed and I'm not finding Bentley's hair everywhere.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Sharlene- While it is never a bad idea to do a full blood panel (I do it on all my dogs at least once so I have a baseline in case anything ever happens), don't panic. I didn't post but I took Dash to the vet in the fall and had a lot of money spent on blood work. Dash was losing a lot of coat and while I didnt see any other signs, I was noticing a lot of black hairs around the house. One person told me it could be thyroid (another breed) and I couldn't get it out of my head so I decided to take him in. Here I bring in this happy healthy energetic dog and my vet (who is actually a nice guy and didn't want to take my money!) but he would be willing to test whatever I wanted out if it would make me a little less crazy! Moral of the story and several hundred dollars later- I have a Neezer who plays rough and breaks his coat and not one part of his blood panel was off 

I also think they may break a bit more coat in the winter with the dry heat in our homes and having to blow dry them more often too- just another thought I have had. Also could you be brushing a bit less with 3? (I know the more dogs I have, the less often I groom  )


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

*Havanese Shed, At least mine do. * Smarty's is noticeable most when you brush her or wear dark colors. Galen's hair is just all over the place all the time and she still has a coat that is very thick. Galen is 14 months. Smarty is cottony, Galen is silk.

Cross posted with Amanda, the heat in the house could play a part in it, but I remember lots of hair last summer and thinking Galen was blowing puppy coat.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks Amanda, I haven't been able to get the thyroid concern out of my head either. I do have baseline blood work from her spay less than a year ago so I'll probably end up spending the stupid money on having her thyroid checked. I think I probably need to cut down on the bathing and blow drying (with Evye anyway). In the winter they get so many baths because they are constantly dirty...if anything just do foot baths. 

I use the terry bands on her head. I used to wrap them 3 times, now I'm having to wrap 5 times and they still fall out (or get pulled out).


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

SMARTY said:


> *Havanese Shed, At least mine do. * Smarty's is noticeable most when you brush her or wear dark colors. Galen's hair is just all over the place all the time and she still has a coat that is very thick. Galen is 14 months. Smarty is cottony, Galen is silk.
> 
> Cross posted with Amanda, the heat in the house could play a part in it, but I remember lots of hair last summer and thinking Galen was blowing puppy coat.


Evye is cottony too. It's a combination of finding a lot of hair in the brush, on my clothes, the floor and anything black.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Sharlene, both my boys can "shed" alot although with their hair cut shorter I find less hair around. I think they are both through the blowing coat. Rufus sorta did a second one and Marley kinda lost some here and there but seems to be done now. Both of my kids lost alot of head hair. With Rufus, he was one and had some allergies and itchies happening and then we got Marley who pulled at his hair. Pretty soon he had broken stub on his head and his whole look was sorta "bad hair day". It slowly grew back in though and is nice and pretty once again.

Marley seemed to do the same. In my avatar you can see he had a lovely ponytail and thick hair. Now it's broken and wispy just like Rufus went through. At least I feel safe that it will grow back in and be healthy and strong in the future it's just a matter of time. I don't know if it was just part of them blowing coat or maybe I was combing it out wrong?? 

I know Geri went through a similar thing with Milo though. She even did a thread on it somewhere about him losing his hair. Since then she has said it grew back in and you can see he has a lovely topknot now.

Maybe some of them just go through it this way?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If you think it is excessive, definitely talk to your vet. There could be a medical reason behind it.

Having said that, all creatures with hair have to "shed" it. Humans aren't considered to be shedders by the virtue that we don't have seasonal hair loss/coat change unlike some breeds of dogs. Havanese are the same way. They have hair and hair doesn't last forever. It must fall out. Like humans, some dogs have a higher hair loss than others. I know some people that lose a lot more hair than I do, but I also have hair in my bathroom (from drying & styling) as well as in my bed where I lay my head.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*hair breaks off...*

The cotton-candy coat tends to be drier and breaks off a lot. Like my Riki.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Havtahava said:


> If you think it is excessive, definitely talk to your vet. There could be a medical reason behind it.
> 
> Having said that, all creatures with hair have to "shed" it. Humans aren't considered to be shedders by the virtue that we don't have seasonal hair loss/coat change unlike some breeds of dogs. Havanese are the same way. They have hair and hair doesn't last forever. It must fall out. Like humans, some dogs have a higher hair loss than others. I know some people that lose a lot more hair than I do, but I also have hair in my bathroom (from drying & styling) as well as in my bed where I lay my head.


I think this is important to remember. How much of your hair do you find in the bathroom? Jasper definitely sheds more than Cash, but I believe that it is because cash has a wooly undercoat that keeps it on him, where as Jas is smoother and single coated although still cottony. But I still get quite a bit in the brush and comb when I comb Cash.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

That's true Missy--I leave alot of hair on the floor in the bathroom! If I had as much hair as a dog their would be hair everywhere!


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## Mom2Izzo (Jul 1, 2009)

ama0722 said:


> Sharlene- While it is never a bad idea to do a full blood panel (I do it on all my dogs at least once so I have a baseline in case anything ever happens), don't panic. I didn't post but I took Dash to the vet in the fall and had a lot of money spent on blood work. Dash was losing a lot of coat and while I didnt see any other signs, I was noticing a lot of black hairs around the house. One person told me it could be thyroid (another breed) and I couldn't get it out of my head so I decided to take him in. Here I bring in this happy healthy energetic dog and my vet (who is actually a nice guy and didn't want to take my money!) but he would be willing to test whatever I wanted out if it would make me a little less crazy! Moral of the story and several hundred dollars later- I have a Neezer who plays rough and breaks his coat and not one part of his blood panel was off
> 
> I also think they may break a bit more coat in the winter with the dry heat in our homes and having to blow dry them more often too- just another thought I have had. Also could you be brushing a bit less with 3? (I know the more dogs I have, the less often I groom  )


Amanda- just wanted to say I LOVE your siggy pic!!!


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Thanks so much for your responses. I feel better knowing it's not uncommon and hopefully her stubby head hair will grow back in. I notice she is losing a lot of her pretty long tail hair too, hmm? Why does it have to be my girl and I just love the pony and hair bows ??? I know I won't stop fretting over this until and unless I have blood work done. Hopefully it will all be normal and I can rest assured it's just simply shedding (and that I have bad, bad boys).


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Gracie sheds the most here, she fills the brush and comb when I'm done with her. The only place Scooter is long he sheds too, his ears and tail. Murphy is a big cotton ball with silkier hair over it and he mats and then sheds. Since Gracie has been here we notice a lot more hair on our clothes. I wonder if it's them playing all the time but I also think it's the winter, my skin and hair are dryer in the winter so it stands to reason that the same would happen with them? 

Like Sharlene, mine eat well, their hair care costs more than mine, and I know I worry more about their health than my own. With all that said, if you're worried I'd get her checked or at least mention it to the vet to get an opinion.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Just a quick update. Several hundred dollars later....All Evye's blood work came back normal. I will attribute it to winter/dry heat and 3 very playful pups....and not worry about it.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Great to hear all is well with Evye. Did you ge my PM?


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Evye's Mom said:


> Just a quick update. Several hundred dollars later....All Evye's blood work came back normal. I will attribute it to winter/dry heat and 3 very playful pups....and not worry about it.


I'm glad to hear she is "normal". Normal is good!


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

SMARTY said:


> Great to hear all is well with Evye. Did you ge my PM?


Yes, I am relieved. Sandi, I got a PM 2-3 days ago. That one?


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

I resent my pm.


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Honestly, I have never noticed my dogs shedding a single hair. Only when I groom them do I get any (a tiny amount) pet hairs on the front of me. I wear a lot of black, pick the dogs up and stroke them constantly, & there are no hairs! So where do the the hairs go?? I have never seen any on the floor, sofa, a dark afghan they favor, etc. It's strange. . .


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Sharlene, I'm glad to read that Evye's blood tests came back normal.  

Ricky and Sammy do shed, that is, they leave a bit of fluff on couch cushions, some blankies and on our bed sheets. When I groom them, forgetaboutit, there is hair all over me! I do brush them while holding them against me at times, so it's normal for some hair to stick to my clothing. I wear an old denim shirt over my clothes for this reason. They dont' leave a lot of hair on us after sitting or cuddling against us, but there is black fluff here and there on fabric around the house.

Poodles dont' shed at all, right?


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Poodles don't really shed, either, but with mine I would find just a little piece of what looked like cotton here and there - easy to pick up. With Abby, I have her white hairs all over my black pants and keep a lint roller handy to use before I leave the house!


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

good buddy said:


> I'm glad to hear she is "normal". Normal is good!


I agree!

I know Tori sheds more than Shadow did. I have no idea why...:suspicious:


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Tucker sheds very little, except an occasional long hair on the couch that I just pick up. Grooming him, though, leads to me being covered with a lot of hair! I often forget to put on an old shirt first, then have to change. But, the cat! Oh, my, she sheds terribly!


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Sometimes the most obvious escape us....never thought of putting on a shirt over my clothes.

I do think it is weaning off. I am not finding hair everywhere. Either that I am just not as worried about it knowing there is nothing wrong. I am pretty confident it's just being chewed, bitten and pulled out by her playmates. I'm just waiting and waiting for the hair to grow back on the top of her head and ears. The only color left of her sable are her ears and her tail so the boys better leave it alone.

Sheri, former cat family. I know what you mean by their shedding. I warned people who came to my house not to wear black.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I feel silly for not thinking to cover my clothes with something old. Duh! Even dumber is that I'd often wear my sweatpants (black) when I was planning to really brush and bathe because I spend so much time on the floor. My sister, a hairdresser, gave me an old apron of hers that she doesn't use anymore, I think she'd give me almost anything to avoid having to help me trim doggie bangs again! :bolt:


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

I bought a shirt at Sally’s a few weeks ago, that works but is short sleeve and just comes a little below the waist. Saturday we passed a yard sale that looked interesting to DH. Ended up being a sell off of a beauty shop, I saw a rack of the dressing gowns, got 2 for $1. One is long sleeve and covers everything. After thought, I should have looked at the dryers.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Sally's is great I bouht a simple black grooming apron from them and I love the pockets in front for combs and such and it keeps the hair off me when I do the major grooming.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

The last time I gave Shelby a bath, about 2.5 wks ago, I used Plush Puppy products. The time before that, I used Equyss. *Never again!* She matted like crazy witht he Equyss, and hardly a mat after using Plush Puppy.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Evye's Mom said:


> Sometimes the most obvious escape us....never thought of putting on a shirt over my clothes.


Oh yes. Any old shirt will do, and definitely not sweats! lol Not only that, Sharlene and Ann, but after I'm done, I wash my hands but keep them wet and rub the entire front and sleeves of the old shirt I'm wearing. You should see the amount of fluff that gets rubbed off! I then rinse my hands and it all goes down the drain.

I have tried shaking the shirt out outdoors and beating it, as you would a rug, but there are always lots of hairs left. I've seen this fine, black fluff show up on other items in the laundry when I throw the grooming shirt in with other things, but no more.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Kathie said:


> Poodles don't really shed, either, but with mine I would find just a little piece of what looked like cotton here and there - easy to pick up. With Abby, I have her white hairs all over my black pants and keep a lint roller handy to use before I leave the house!


Ditto. My standards don't shed, period. The only hair that ever comes out is on the brush and comb after I brush them out. There are never any loose hairs anywhere in the house or on my couches or clothes. Bugsy, being in full coat is a totally different story. There is always quite a bit of hair that comes out when I brush and comb him both on the brushes and on me and there are always some stray hair around the house and on couches. Compared to my poodles, he sheds!!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

marjrc said:


> Not only that, Sharlene and Ann, but after I'm done, I wash my hands but keep them wet and rub the entire front and sleeves of the old shirt I'm wearing. You should see the amount of fluff that gets rubbed off! I then rinse my hands and it all goes down the drain.


Marj, thanks for this tip. I'm going to start doing that, I've never tried it but it sounds much more effective than just trying to pick it off.


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## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

I agree with Julia. Miley sheds WAY more than our poodle ever did. Her hair is the longest it's ever been, and I'm noticing a lot more white hair around the house. She's getting a puppy cut this week. I love the long hair look, but a puppy cut will be so much easier. Besides...she's as cute as a bug in a rug with a puppy cut!


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

I'm glad the blood work came back normal!

Lulu is cottony and I swear I wear her! 
Vinny is amazing. Everyday I comb him out and get a ton of hair. I swear the next day will be less, but no, the next day is the same. By the looks of all the hair I comb out of him he should be bald!
Gabby is blowing right now but normally I get very few hairs from her and she doesn't shed.
They're all just different.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

marjrc said:


> I have tried shaking the shirt out outdoors and beating it, as you would a rug)


That must amuse your neighbors. They probably think they have a hallucinating homicidal maniac trying to kill the imaginery person inside that shirt your beating to death. :biggrin1: Just got a chuckle when I read that.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

LMBO Sharlene!! ound:


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## sherryhh16 (Feb 16, 2010)

My puppy is 16 weeks old and seems to have lost quite a bit of hair. Its thinned out and her legs have grown. She looks so thin and only weighs about 3.2 pounds at this time. My vet suggested changing foods. So i am putting her on Iams. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Sherry, welcome to the forum! 

What food was your puppy on before? Did she come from a pet store or a breeder that does this for fun/hobby, but not into medical testing, etc...? Her issues could be genetic, but most definitely food will play a huge part in how her coat is.

Iams is among the worst foods you can feed, just to let you know.  For more information, check out our many threads in the "alternative diets..." forum or "health..." and also take a look here: www.dogfoodanalysis.com This site analyzes and explains ingredients in almost all dog foods (kibble) found in North America. They rate them from 0 to 6 stars and Iams is at the bottom due to its grain- and corn-filled kibble with little, high quality meats.

You'll get a nicer coat with a diet that is higher in meat protein and as little or no grain at all in the kibble. Corn is a big no-no as it often triggers allergies, causes bloating and digestive issues and leaves coat and skin looking dull and stringy.

Hope that helps! Don't be shy about asking questions. We'll try to help as best we can!


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

sherryhh16 said:


> My puppy is 16 weeks old and seems to have lost quite a bit of hair. Its thinned out and her legs have grown. She looks so thin and only weighs about 3.2 pounds at this time. My vet suggested changing foods. So i am putting her on Iams. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


I'm glad you asked! The kind of hair loss you are talking about doesn't sound normal. I agree with Marj - she needs to get on a good quality food. I wouldn't ask my vet about this because they tend to sell things like Science Diet (one of the worst) so usually recommend that! I found that out the hard way when my puppy came with Science Diet (#1 ingredient corn) and she pooped several times a day! Her coat is thickening up now and she looks and acts so much healthier.


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## sherryhh16 (Feb 16, 2010)

Can people tell me what they are feeding there puppies? Bella is 16 weeks old and I have her on Iams. Her coat is so thin. She was fine then I bathed her and brushed her and she lost alot of it.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Iams isn't a good quality food. Check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com to see how foods are rated.

We use Merrick Before Grains, many use Evo, and some feed raw.


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## Me+Sydney (Mar 5, 2010)

I have my 9 month old on Acana Grasslands. She was started out on Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, but after the first couple of weeks of being home with me, I transitioned her onto something better. She was on Legacy Small/Medium Breed Puppy for a few months (not easy to get though, my dog walker happened to have a supplier connection). Ultimately, I decided to put her on the Acana Grasslands. It is an "All Life Stages" formula, so it is not specific to puppies/adults/seniors but its protein content was comparable to the puppy food she was on before. It is also Canadian made and entirely grain-free, and a little cheaper than Orijen (same company). 

I thought I had a picky eater for the first 6 months. She rarely finished her meals and it took her all day to pick away at them. Since we started on the Acana, she gulps it down in 2 minutes flat! I feel horrible for not doing it sooner!

I know the breeder where I board Sydney in Toronto feeds Fromm's, which is another good choice.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

sherryhh16 said:


> Can people tell me what they are feeding there puppies? Bella is 16 weeks old and I have her on Iams. Her coat is so thin. She was fine then I bathed her and brushed her and she lost alot of it.


I fed mine Fromm Family Foods when they were puppies and give them the Wellness Core now. Do you have a pic of Bella to share? I don't remember my pups shedding much hair at all. Is it just coming out in the comb??


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Sherry, even if everyone told you what they feed their dogs, you'd still have to muddle through the huge variety of kibble out there. There are as many diff. types of kibbles given to the dogs on this forum as there are out there! lol 

Please take a few mins. to check out the site I mentioned, and that Ann also included in her post, and look at 5 and 6 star products. I am pretty sure you'll find at least one or more that are in your area. Most stores will give you samples that you can try. That won't tell you what effect it has on your little one, because it's just a small amount, but it will tell you if she likes the taste.

Iams is one of the worst foods you can give.  Once you learn to look at and understand ingredients listed on all kibble bags, you will be able to see for yourself what is a good product and what isn't. Basically, dogs dont' need a lot of grain, if any - though some dogs do great with or need some form of grain - so anything with protein coming from animal meat (and not byproducts), or meat meal, fresh eggs, fish, is usually a good kibble. 

Do watch out for corn, lots of grains (millet, barley, oats, wheat,,,), flavoring, coloring, cellulose, exothycin, BHT BHA ... well, you'll see once you check out the dog food analysis site why these ingdts are not at all good for dogs and you will know to avoid them.


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