Dogs are our adorable companions; the Rottweiler breed is point-blank, one of the most sought-after dog breeds globally. Rotties can bond with an entire household or an individual owner. However, with the dogs’ popularity in homes, so is the concern about their shedding. Therefore, one typical question often asked by people seeking to own the dog breed is: Do Rottweilers shed a lot?
If you own a Rottie or have an intention of ever owning one, then you must have experienced or heard the tales of how heavily they shed. And in most cases, there is a tinge of curiosity or frustration behind the tone of these comments. Rottweilers shed lots of hair.
Rottweilers shed hair for different reasons, and sometimes the process may be tolerable for owners when it is moderate. However, it can be highly irritating and uncomfortable when there is a mess of hair shedding everywhere.
Rottweilers shedding is quite different from that of many dogs. How much hair they shed may depend on their breeding style, allergies, nutrition, and several environmental factors. They also shed hair when they feel threatened or if the weather is unfavorable.
While it is evident that Rotties shed hairs, the critical questions that prospective and new owners have continued to ask are; why does a rottweiler shed? Do rottweilers shed a lot? And, how can shedding be reduced to the minimum? This article will answer these questions to provide users with the clarity they seek.
Table of Contents
Do Rottweilers Shed?
The answer to this question is very straightforward. Yes.
Like most dogs with fur, Rottweilers shed their hair as a part of their nature. Shedding is how dogs get rid of their old and damaged hair strands. In addition, it helps the dogs in their own right feel better and refreshed.
Rottweilers shed their hair very often. However, the amount and level of shedding for each process vary. Notably, like any dog that shed hair, Rottweilers can frustrate their owners and make them uncomfortable when they shed excessively.
What makes it worse is that they are frequent shedders, so the process is something that prospective owners must be ready to deal with.
How Often Do Rottweilers Shed?
Rottweilers shed a lot, and that comes in two ways;
Firstly, they shed all year round. Secondly, they shed heavily on certain occasions.
All Rottweiler breeds are significant shedders. In most cases, they shed moderately, while they shed heavily to adapt to a particular season at certain times.
How often does Rottweiler shed? Rotties are shed frequently and are categorized among the top shedders. A healthy Rottie is expected to steadily lose a moderate amount of fur without respect to any seasons.
They drop hairs now and then, and any owner will get to notice these hairs on themselves when they snuggle with their pet or when they inspect areas where the dog spends time.
In some cases, moderate shedding may not be easily noticeable if your dog spends more time outdoors than indoors. However, if it lives indoors or has unlimited freedom to any house area, you really can’t go without encountering hair sheds here and there.
Rottweiler shedding is a normal process, as most vets have found out over the months and years. Shedding is a normal process for furred canines, especially for breeds with undercoats, a category where Rotties fall.
The shedding process occurs in a range of lifespans that include hair growth (anagen), stoppage of growth (catagen), and the falling off of hairs that no longer grow after being replaced by new ones (telogen).
If your Rottweiler does not have a little shed hair all over its body at least once a month, then you must check on the dog to confirm if everything is alright with it.
Now for the question; how frequently does a Rottweiler shed? The answer is very often. The next question usually follows: Does a Rottweiler shed massively at a go?
Hopeful owners are not only concerned about the frequency of Rottweiler shedding. They also seek to know If the dog is a heavy shedder.
While it is evident that Rottweilers shed hair moderately, as pointed out at the start of this article, they can also be heavy shedders.
Rotties shed heavily seasonally. By seasonal shedding, it means that your potential new dog will let go of lots of hair during the start of new seasons, such as Winter, Spring, Autumn, and Summer.
If you get to miss their shedding at other times due to lack of time to play with your dog, you can barely pass on seasonal shedding, especially if you live with the dog alone and do not implement proper shedding management tips.
In early Spring, Rottweilers usually molt their winter coat to accommodate the temperature change. Although winter coats are generally thicker and meant to limit the direct impact of the cold, Rotties do not need such an amount of cover for spring and the upcoming summer.
Therefore, they always get to perform seasonal shedding that sees them lose a large chunk of furs and replace them with newer ones that are lighter and more adaptable to the cold weather.
As Autumn approaches, Rotties repeat the shedding process and get rid of their light furs for thicker ones, so they can quickly adapt to the cold. Seasonal shedding occurs at least twice a year due to summer and winter.
Coat Blow Factor
The process of seasonal shedding is known as a ‘coat blow’ because the shedding at this period is more extreme than expected.
Hence at the start of a new season, owners should not be surprised when they notice unusually heavy shedding from their Rottweilers as they are going through the coat blow.
Rottweiler seasonal coat blow can last anywhere between two weeks to four weeks. At the beginning of a significant change in weather.
If dog hairs make you uncomfortable or it is not something you will not want to deal with often then, going for a Rottie may not be the best of options.
On the other hand, if you are a dog lover and do not mind, then adopting management tips can help you deal with many of the challenges of a Rottweiler having to shed hair.
The Coat Factor and How it Affects Rottweiler Shedding?
Most Hairy dogs go through the shedding process. However, for Rottweilers, the effects of shedding are extremely high due to the type of coating this breed has. The Rottweiler has a double coating categorized as the undercoat and outer coat.
Due to the dual coating factor, Rotties shed more hair than most dogs do and will require more attention at the start of seasonal transitions to mitigate its effects.
The outer coat, which is more visible, is coarse, straight, and medium length. It could either be rust, mahogany, or tan in color.
The undercoat is softer than the outer coat and can easily be spotted around Rottie’s thighs and neck. When shedding occurs, both coats get shed and, in most cases, double the regular single coating of shedding dogs.
The double coat, however, has its advantages. Its advantage trumps that of the shedding issues that owners face. A double coat offers better protection during cold or hot seasons, and as such, a Rottie is more likely to adapt to seasonal change than most breeds.
Also, the coats provide better cover for the skin and do not necessarily require any unusual extra care for maintenance as general single care coating will do.
Is Coat Blow the Only Reason for Heavy Rottweiler Shedding?
While heavy seasonal shedding is the primary natural reason for excessive Rotties shedding, other factors could trigger the same effect and have no relationship with the season’s weather.
The coat blow is a natural process that a healthy Rottie should encounter, and it should not be considered an unusual phenomenon for dog owners.
However, owners would have to pay attention to their pets when excessive shedding occurs without triggering the season’s weather.
Heavy shedding for Rotties without the coat blow phenomenon could be caused by underlying conditions that include allergies, fleas, incompatibility with a new environment, illness, or stress.
When Rotties feel uncomfortable, stressed, or unsafe, they usually react with forced shedding amid other red signals that owners could easily pick up.
However, if the shedding is caused by a lesser perceived threat, such as a flea attack on injuries, then there may not be other signals that owners could look out for to confirm if everything is alright with their pet or not.
Owners will be making the best decision to take a visit to the veterinarian if their pet is shedding more than usual without any apparent change in season. This will help them know if something is wrong with the pet or not.
In some instances, the vet may find the shedding to be quite normal due to the breed of the dog or could diagnose an ailment.
The outcome would be great for Rotties as all uncertainties will be eliminated.
Management Tips for Rottweilers Shedding
If you love a Rottie enough to want to own one, and you can deal with a little mess of hair around your home, then you could opt for management tips to control heavy shedding.
Good management tips for Rottweiler shedding will help you live with your pet with less hair floating and lying everywhere in your home.
Brush the Fur
As far as Rottweilers are concerned, the good old brushing of furs to remove dead hairs still works perfectly in controlling moderate and heavy shedding.
A nice brushing once or a week during a moderate shedding period will go a long way to eliminate most dead furs and prevent floating hairs in the home. Doing this regularly during your dog’s coat-blowing season will make the hair mess less obvious and the dog more comfortable.
Dog brushes are relatively inexpensive, and a slicker or bristle brush will work well for a Rottie as they are more suited for its coat.
The Slicker brush goes farther down than the bristle brush and is more effective than the bristle brush in the overall riddance of dead furs. However, the Bristle Brush covers a wider area and adds better shine.
Deshedding Tool for Seasonal Coat Blow
While a Brush tool is great for moderate shedding and a bit effective for removing stray hairs, using a dedicated shedding tool for your Rotties during its seasonal shedding will make the job easier for you and much neater. These tools are also time-saving and require significantly less effort than a brush.
It is advisable to use a de-shedding tool twice a week to effectively manage floating furs.
Regular Bathing
Regular bathing will not work the trick alone. However, it is necessary to complement other management tips like brushing and the de-shedding tool.
A nice bath with a dog shampoo will also help eliminate small furs that may be sticking on the Rottie after de-shedding or brushing.
It is important to note that you cannot stop a Rottie shedding as it is natural to molt its hair all year round.
It is best to get a hypoallergenic or non-shedding dog if you are hair intolerant instead of taking drastic measures on a Rottie. Animal abuse is not the best way to go with any pet and must not be meted under any guise.
Conclusion
Rottweilers shed a lot of their fur at least twice a year. At other times they shed moderately, so you must prepare your mind as a potential owner if you think the shedding would be challenging for you to handle. It is natural for furry mammals to lose hair, and most house dogs do. However, heavy shedding can be quite hard to deal with for some dog owners.
Implementing a series of Rottie’s coat management tips can help you control the loose hairs to an extent. However, seeking expert counsel from a licensed veterinarian is the most recommended step to take.
However, it would be best if you don’t take any drastic step in your attempt to handle shedding, as it is a perfectly normal process.
In summary, Rotties shed a lot, so you should only go-ahead to acquire one if you can stand their excessive shedding.
FAQS
Do all hairy dogs shed the hair?
As long as your dog has fur, shedding is likely to occur, and it is not a bad thing. However, a dog with a healthy coat sheds hair, so it should be a cause of concern if your Dog is not losing hair.
What do double coats in dogs mean?
Double-coated dogs have double fur covering. A Rottweiler’s coat is an example of a double coat as it has the outer coat and undercoat. Dogs with double coats shed much heavier than other species during Winter, Summer, spring, and fall.
Is the Rotweiller the highest hair shedding breed?
While your Rottweiler’s shedding may give you the thought that it is probably the biggest shedder among other breeds, there are 0ther bigger shedders. The German shepherd, for example, is a big-time shedder.
Heavy shedders lose more hair in a shedding season than in any other time.
Can illness make my Rottweillers lose fur?
Yes, your Rottie can lose hair following an illness. However, hair loss in Rotties may be mistaken for natural shedding.
How much do Rottweilers shed?
Rotties shed lots of hair during seasonal periods and lose at a moderate pace in other seasons.
Is the Rottweiler categorized among hypoallergenic dogs?
No. A Rottweiler sheds fur too often and frequently and so cannot be considered a hypoallergenic dog.