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Ethically breeding dogs for over 70 years and 3 generations
Welcome to Banksia Park Puppies second feature article! This feature article has been written by Matt Hams, the owner and manager of Banksia Park Puppies. This article is focusing on the difference between puppy and adult coats, and how best to deal with them as an owner. Thanks Matt!
At Banksia Park Puppies we often get questions a month or even up to 4 or more months after one of our customers has brought home their puppy, and they exclaim ‘ah! I wanted an oodle dog so that he/she doesn’t shed…. why is my puppy shedding?!’. We’re going to a little bit into what a puppy coat is, why it sheds, and how you can deal with this part of their life.
It is sometimes unknown to new puppy owners that all puppies actually have what is called a ‘puppy’ coat that they lose before they get their full adult coat. This is a really soft fur that covers their body, and is intended to help keep them warm and to protect them from the elements when they’re only little. Each puppy’s coat will be different to another puppy’s, and it will also be different in some ways to their adult coat which will eventually replace it. Every puppy (yes even puppies who are ‘non-shedding’) will lose their puppy coat.
Every puppy is different, but expect your Banksia Park Puppy to start losing it’s puppy coat anywhere from 12 weeks up until about 6 months old. It really depends on your puppy. It will begin to be replaced by the adult coat over this time. This adult coat will be fuller and thicker, and may not be as soft or look exactly the same as the puppy coat.
While shedding a puppy coat to make room for it’s adult coat is a normal part of a puppy’s life, there are some things that you should look out for in case the shedding is related to a more serious issue. Below is a list of things to look for which would suggest more than the puppy coat shedding, and in these cases we would suggest you take her to your vet for assessment.
Puppy coat shedding will not hurt your puppy, so if your puppy’s skin looks ‘sore’ or like any of the above, this may suggest a more pressing issue like fleas, mites or parasites. It is really important if you are worried to go and see your Vet to have your puppy checked out in more detail.
Unfortunately you cant actually stop your puppy from shedding over this time. But you can help minimise it, and you will also be happy to know that the shedding from a puppy to an adult coat only happens once!
To minimise the shedding and it’s impact on your life, brush your dog very regularly (every day for 15 minutes or more!) over the initial few months of his or her life with you, and when he or she is likely to be shedding. There are a few great reasons – detailed below – why you should brush your dog over this time.
Our advice over this time for these reasons is to contact Pines Puppies and get a brush that is suited to your particular dog and it’s individual hair/fur and brush brush brush!
Dogs shed their adult hair as a result of various things, but the most prominent reason is due to their breed. We breed our ‘oodles’ (cavoodles, spoodles, groodles etc) for their lovely temperament, the ability of these dogs to fit into your lifestyle, and of course their extremely low shedding coat. We know that Australians want their dogs inside their homes (did you know that around 76% of dogs in Australia* are now allowed inside?) and for this reason we breed dogs who shed as little as possible. It is important for an oodle dog owner to know though, that there is no dog that does not shed at all. Dogs are the same as humans and nearly every other mammal on the planet and they do shed hair, but we reduce this to as little as possible by breeding with the correct selection of parents.
Our oodles are extremely low shedding – so much so that we’d expect you to be able to wear white pants with a chocolate oodle and you wont see any hairs on your pants. We know that this is what our customers want – to have your dog inside, on your bed, on your couch or pat them on your lap! We breed our dogs so that you have puppies and then dogs who perfectly fit into your house and your lifestyle.
Be VERY wary of any breeder who tells you that their dogs are ‘completely non-shedding’, or ‘a rare breed that does not shed at all’ – this breed of dog does not exist.
If at any time you are concerned about your puppy’s shedding, please make sure you contact the team at Pines Puppies, or us at Banksia Park Puppies, and we can help talk you through your questions.
*Reference: https://petsinaustralia.com.au/wp-content/themes/_TBST-BusinessAccelerator-v3/library/Downloads/Pet-Ownership-in-Australia-2013.pdf