Chow Chow is a dog breed known for its amazing fluffy fur coat. If you’re one of the many pet owners who adore this breed, you may have given a thought to take one home. Of course, while their fluffy coats look adorable, they need quite the attention.
So, do Chow Chows shed? Yes, Chow Chows do shed, and their adorable fluffy coat makes them heavy shedders. They tend to shed too much as they change their coats to adapt to the coming season. Thus, if you take one home, prepare to deal with fallen fur coats at least twice a year.
Since Chow Chows are heavy shedders, you may want to know a little bit more about shedding before you take one home.
This way, you can prepare yourself and know what you need to do when dealing with shedding.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Contents
- 1 Do Chow Chows shed a lot?
- 2 How do I stop my Chow Chow from shedding?
- 3 Why are Chow Chows shedding?
- 4 How long do Chow Chows shed for?
- 5 When do Chow Chows shed the most?
- 6 What to do if your Chow Chow is shedding excessively?
- 7 Are Chow Chows hypoallergenic?
- 8 What to do if I am allergic to my Chow Chow?
- 9 Summary
- 10 Resources
Do Chow Chows shed a lot?
Yes, Chow Chows do shed a lot, and they are even one of the heavy shedding dogs among all dog breeds.
Chow Chows have that thick and fluffy coat that makes them cute and adorable. However, while it may seem attractive, it needs heavy maintenance and grooming.
For this reason, a Chow Chow needs more attention to keep its coat looking good.
Unlike other dog breeds, you may need to brush this pet at least three times a week to maintain a good condition.
However, if you can do so once a day, it would result in a shiny and healthy fluffy coat.
The good thing about this breed is that they won’t have that strong doggie odor if their coat gets brushed often.
Also Read:
How do I stop my Chow Chow from shedding?
Shedding is a normal thing for Chow Chows. Since they have a thick and fluffy coat, they need to shed to keep it healthy.
It’s impossible to stop a Chow Chow from shedding since it’s quite normal. However, you can do some things to lessen it.
Bathe and brush your dog frequently.
Bathing and brushing your Chow Chow is the key and the primary way to deal with its shedding correctly.
Chow Chows, unlike many other breeds, need brushing at least three times a week. Moreover, it needs bathing once every six weeks.
Now, if your pet sheds too much, you may need to groom your dog more than usual.
Regular baths and brushes help your pet remove the loose and dead hair that will eventually fall. Thus, it will lessen the excessive shedding.
Remember that frequent baths may result to dry skin. However, you can avoid such by using an oatmeal-based shampoo.
Offer only a good-quality diet.
A good diet helps create and maintain a healthy and shiny coat. Thus, keeping your dog’s health in good condition may stop excessive shedding and prevent it from occurring again.
Prevent flea problems.
Flea and other parasites can be a severe factor for dogs to shed. For this reason, it’s always important to check your pet for these problems.
To ensure your pet doesn’t suffer from flea issues, consult your vet, and get your pet checked.
You can always prevent such issues by constant grooming. Thus, it would still be best to maintain your pet’s cleanliness by regular bathing and brushing.
Regularly exercise your dog.
Regular exercise is also a factor that can produce a healthy coat. Exercising maintains a healthy flow of blood. Moreover, it would give your good pet resistance against other diseases that can cause excessive shedding.
Visit your local veterinarian.
As always, your best bet to solve the excessive shedding is to have your pet checked by your veterinarian.
This way, your pet will receive a proper diagnosis to find out the cause of excessive shedding.
Moreover, it would also give you an idea of how to deal with that shedding.
Shedding is a part of a dog’s life. Thus, it’s not a good idea to always go to the vet whenever your pet sheds. Do so only when you think your pet sheds too much than usual.
Why are Chow Chows shedding?
First, it’s important to remember that Chow Chow is a heavy shedding dog breed. Thus, it’s part of their nature to shed their coat too much and quite often. They do so for many reasons.
Chow Chows shed to replace their old coat with new ones.
Like all other dogs, Chow Chows shed to allow new fur to replace the dead and loose ones. It’s a part of every dog’s life, and this breed is an excellent example of such.
Since these dogs have a thick fur coat, they shed more than any other dog breeds. Thus, it would be best to prepare to deal with such heavy shedding if you plan on getting this dog.
Chow Chows shed to adapt to changing seasons.
Aside from the primary reason, Chow Chows also shed their coats to adapt to different seasons.
For instance, these dogs shed their coats to replace them with thicker ones during winter. They do this to keep themselves warm amidst the cold season.
As they experience summer, they shed as well to replace the thick ones with thinner coats. They do this to withstand the heat and prevent themselves from feeling too hot.
Since shedding takes quite some time, they do so before the peak of the season. Thus, such a process usually happens during spring and fall.
How long do Chow Chows shed for?
Chow Chows shed their coats for three weeks in general. Since they have quite many fur coats, they need weeks to replace the old fur with new ones entirely.
During the said weeks, your pet may experience heavy shedding, which is entirely normal.
Thus, it would be best to help your pet in its shedding process by giving it more care and attention.
Try to up its bathing and brushing session. This way, your pet can pass through such a time with ease.
When do Chow Chows shed the most?
Chow Chows shed the most, usually during spring and fall or autumn. Some dogs may change their coats at other times. In fact, they may even shed more than twice in a year.
It may take up to three weeks for your dog to entirely change its coat, as I said earlier. For this reason, you may want to help it during such times.
Chow Chows usually shed during spring to prepare for the coming summer. During this season, they shed their thick coats for something thinner. This way, they can prepare and prevent themselves from getting too hot from the summer heat.
They may also shed during fall or autumn to prepare for winter. This time, they replace the thin coat with thicker ones. It will help them stay warm amidst the winter’s cold.
What to do if your Chow Chow is shedding excessively?
Chow Chows shedding too much is a regular thing. Thus, if you worry about your pet shedding too much, don’t. It’s an ordinary occurrence for this breed.
Thus, while you can’t stop it from happening, you can still do something to deal with it.
It may come to your mind that the way to solve this problem is by shaving your dog’s fur. While it may seem to solve all problems, it won’t.
A shaved Chow Chow is prone to getting cold in winter and getting sunburn during summer.
Thus, the best way to deal with it is to remove all those loose and dead hairs in your pet’s coat. You can do such by bathing and brushing your pet.
As I said earlier, shedding is when the old and dead hair gets replaced by new ones.
Thus, if your Chow Chow sheds excessively, it means the season is about to change and that it needs to change its coat.
Bathing your pet helps you remove those loose and dead hair without creating a big mess. Moreover, it will help you quickly take those loose hairs away in one washing.
Lastly, it will keep your pet’s coat clean and its skin healthy. This way, you’ll worry less about your pet shedding on your place.
Another thing you can do is to give your pet a brushing session as it sheds. By brushing, you help your pet eliminate the hairs that need replacement.
This way, you’ll lessen the shedding time and will help the replacement process to be quicker.
As a general rule of thumb, shedding is a part of a Chow Chow and all other dogs’ lives. Thus, it’s not something you can prevent, but you certainly can do something about it.
Are Chow Chows hypoallergenic?
The short answer is no. Chow Chows are not hypoallergenic. Thus, you may want to think twice about getting one if you’re allergic to fur and other things that this dog carries.
Now, if you already have a Chow Chow and you just find out that you’re allergic recently, don’t grieve. You can still do something about it.
Read on to know what you can do to deal with your Chow Chow if you have allergic reactions they can trigger.
What to do if I am allergic to my Chow Chow?
You can do many ways to test yourself if you’re allergic to your Chow Chow. Now, if you already think you are, here are some things you can do to deal with it.
Bathe your pet regularly.
Bathing your Chow Chow more often would do well not only for your pet but also for you.
In general, these dogs need to take a bath once every six weeks. Thus, bathing your pet once every three weeks would serve you well.
Be wary, though. Frequent baths can turn its skin dry. However, you can solve this through an oatmeal-based shampoo and a conditioner with a thick consistency.
Give the brushing duty to other people.
If you are allergic to your Chow Chow, brushing it on your own may not be a good idea. Moreover, it would be best to have your pet’s brushing session outside. This way, you’ll prevent dog danders from staying inside the house.
Regular brushing would prevent danders and other factors that may trigger allergic reactions. Still, it’s not something you need to do yourself.
If you keep, it’s coat short, brushing at least thrice a week lessens your chances of allergies.
Wipe your pet clean.
Using grooming wipes help keep your pet clean and prevent it from being an allergy trigger.
Three things can cause allergic reactions. These are dander, urine, and saliva. Thus, removing such things immediately with wipes would lessen your allergic reactions.
Of course, nothing beats an old-fashioned bath. However, bathing isn’t something you can do all the time. If your pet needs some immediate cleaning, a wipe will surely come in handy.
When using wipes, always give a run all over the body. Wipe up below to clean the specks of urine. It would be best if you also went for the face and neck for saliva and the rest of the body for dog danders.
Wiping is ideal, especially if your pet recently got back from playing outside.
Limit access for very allergic people.
If you or someone from your house is very allergic, it would be best to keep your Chow Chow from entering that person’s room. It would also be best not to let the pet access the room where that person spends most of its time.
Wash hands frequently.
The best way to prevent allergic reactions is by washing your hands. Most allergies get triggered through contact with their face. Moreover, a person may touch his face as frequently as we can imagine.
For this reason, washing hands is the best way to prevent such allergic reactions from happening.
If you are allergic to your Chow Chow, it would be best to clean your hands or even clean your body after handling your pet.
This way, you’ll lessen your chances of suffering from your allergies caused by your pet.
Purify your air.
Cleaning your atmosphere lessens the chances of triggering allergic reactions. By using an air purifier, you can get rid of particles that can cause allergies.
It’s something ideal for people who suffer from seasonal allergies. If you get a good-quality cleaner, you can remove those dog danders, dust, and even mold spores.
Summary
Chow Chow is one of the many heavy-shedding dog breeds. Thus, you may need to prepare to deal with loose hair. Since they have that fluffy fur coat that makes them look adorable, they require more attention and grooming than other breeds.
Shedding happens in Chow Chows not only to replace the old coat with new ones. Moreover, they need to replace such to adapt to the season.
You may experience shedding at least twice a year with Chow Chows, and it would be during autumn and spring to prepare for winter and summer.
As a general rule of thumb, all dogs require proper grooming, such as bathing and brushing. As long as you do so regularly, you can lessen your pet’s shedding and even avoid allergic reactions.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
[1] Chow Chows – Wikipedia
[2] Dogs Are Shedding… Light on Human Health – NIH
[3] Dog allergen levels in homes with hypoallergenic compared with nonhypoallergenic dogs – NCBI
