Blowing the puppy coat

RyuRyu
edited April 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)


Ryu's definitely blowing his puppy coat now - we've had to furminate him twice this week and there is no end in sight!! We are about to lose our minds, popping benadryls each morning, looking into each other's bloodshot eyes while wiping our runny noses.... definitely not sexy ;)


any idea how long we should expect this to last?!

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Comments

  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    I don't know about puppy coats, but regular coat blowing lasts a few weeks, maybe a month from the early signs to the last few hairs that fall out. The heavy part shouldn't be too long, maybe a week or two at the most. If you're lucky, it'll be even shorter than that.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1


    http://i-am-shiba.blogspot.com/2008/02/do-shibas-shed.html


     its
    too funny. we furminate on a bi-weekly basis to stay ahead of the coat
    blowing game, actually the foster i'm driving to get tomorrow should
    have some interesting before and after furmination pics. when Tsuki
    blew her coat at approx 5 months of age, it took a good month to
    control it withOUT a furminator! 

  • RomiRomi
    edited November -1
    Pam - you can try giving Ryu a bath to speed up the process.  Poor you and Tim....I can't imagine what you guys are going through.  Im allergic to gnats and get crazy swollen eyes and a running nose and I feel like crap!  Oh, the things we go through for our dogs!  Good Luck!
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1


    Thanks Romi! We're a complete mess but those puppy eyes help us to deal :) The worst part is that I love to run my hand from the base of his tail along his back up to his neck (against the direction of hair growth) and that just causes a big flurry of hair to fly off each time.... but i can't help but to keep doing it! It drives Tim crazy!


    Dave: I'm praying that we'll get lucky! 


    Jen: Thanks for the tip - looks like we'll be furminating more often! Good luck with your foster!

  • kojichankojichan
    edited November -1
    Hi All,

    New Shiba owner here. I have a 5-month old male that I got just a month ago. At what age do Shiba's blow their first/puppy coat? Also, I understand that they do blow their coat twice a year. So I assume he currently has a "summer" coat that will be shed in the fall to be replaced by a winter undercoat? Hence, they blow the summer coat in the fall, and the winter coat in the spring? If so, I would assume the "spring blow" is a lot heavier than the one that takes place in the fall.

    My boy Koji (First post on the forum. If I did this right, his picture will follow) ...
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1
    Well, looking back when I posted about Ryu's puppy coat, he was right at 6 months when we really noticed it was coming off in clumps. It lasted about 3-4 weeks and hair was EVERYWHERE. That was also in April when things started to get really warm 'round these parts so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

    Your boy is a CUTIE-PIE!!!! His face reminds me of my Shiba Ryu but his paws are all Ninja!!
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Welcome! Koji is really cute, and handsome!

    Maui, our male Shiba, blew his puppy coat around 6 - 8 months... can't really remember but other members will know better than me.

    As for the coat blowing, your description is pretty accurate. Females seem to blow their coats earlier than males too.

    ----
  • HarlowHarlow
    edited November -1
    What a regal looking boy you have! Our Koshi sheds year round. I think southern California weather confounds the Shibas' usual shedding schedule.
  • StaticNfuzzStaticNfuzz
    edited November -1
    Welcome! What a pretty boy Koji is.

    Shedding cycles tend to be individual to each dog. I know some Shibas hold on to a coat longer than others. Weather has something to do with it but I don't think completely. For females, they usually blow a coat right around their first heat cycle or right after spay. I have seen males shed right after neutering also. Factors such as hormones, genetics, and quality of food all can influence coat growth and shed quantity.

    Snf
  • RomiRomi
    edited November -1
    Hello! Welcome to the forum! Koji is super cute! Im from Southern California - like Patty - my shiba sheds year round. Haven't really noticed a time when Ninja was blowing like crazy. Seems like its just continuous in small amounts.

    Pam - For a second I thought that was Ninja! haha
  • kojichankojichan
    edited November -1
    Thanks for your feedback all. I've been using the "furminator" on him a few times a week, just to make sure he's comfortable with it before the time comes that I'll really need to use it. At first he was a bit leery of it, but now he seems to enjoy it. By the way, Koji has a dual meaning... "filial ruler; happy second-born son". Both really fit. As a Shiba, I'm sure he will want to be a son who rules. Plus, I have an 8-year old son. So Koji is my happy second son indeed. : ).
  • kektikekti
    edited November -1
    ok I have a quick question what is a furminator? and well roxy is 11mo. and never shed her puppy coat, well til now and I think thats whats been making her shed so long is the fact that she didn't start shedding til end june mid july, her shedding has slowed considerablly, and we've had her since she was 8wks old so could her outragous shedding just be her blowing her puppy coat?
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    http://www.furminator.com/
  • MommyofNikoMommyofNiko
    edited November -1
    Furminator is a Godsend!!!!!!
  • kektikekti
    edited November -1
    may have to get one though it semms like roxy has really slowed with the shedding, almost stopped even, also do they shed and then like a week later they're fur comes in, or is it a simutanious thing?
  • mutantblackmutantblack
    edited November -1
    this is good to know. I saw the furminator but that thing is so expensive. Thank god my mui mui is only in 7 weeks. Still a long way to go for her to shed. Which size of furminator is the best for shiba?
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    I think Heidi found a knock-off version of the furminator that worked great and was half the price... I can't remember the name of it tho.

    Anyone??

    ----
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    Bamboo makes good products, with grooming blades like the furminator. http://www.bamboopet.com/all_products/grooming/

    I personally think with my shibas that the furminator (we got the small one) was worth the investment, as was the rubber body brush that we use on a more regular basis than the furminator, like this one: http://www.puplife.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/3695589/vpcsid/0/SFV/32255
    Its more gentle for more frequent brushes and the hair clings to it! I even use it to clean off our stairs and furniture.
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    I just double checked the price and it is still the same on these sizes for the furminator:
    OMAHAVACCINE.COM med $ 29.97
    OMAHAVACCINE.COM sm $ 20.95

    I bought the small one (Blue Handle) for Jazz and it works great!
  • KaddyKaddy
    edited November -1
    Thanks for that link LJ! Just saved me from buying it at the store and spending an extra $20!!!
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    No problem. If you go to this discussion:
    http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=914&page=1#Item_21

    you'll find a whole group of websites. I went through each of them to do a price comparison on Flea/Tick prevention and Heartworm prevention. For what I use, omahavaccine.com has the best price. I signed up for their newsletter so that I would get the promo codes for free shipping. The last one that I got has already expired or I would've posted that for you as well.
  • kektikekti
    edited August 2008
    hey lj I just realized you live where I'll be going to college soon. also roxy Is getting her new coat in now
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited August 2008
    Where will you be going? Feel free to join our meetup group that's in Atlanta (http://shibainu.meetup.com/138) and that way you could still see some shibas if you are available on that weekend.
  • mutantblackmutantblack
    edited November -1
    thanks for the link. Now I am debating furminator or fur buster.
  • heem_infiniteheem_infinite
    edited November -1
    amazon.com has the medium furminator for $27.87 with free shipping right now. just ordered one.
  • kektikekti
    edited November -1
    Georgia Tech, well I may end up with my own shiba down there, its still a year before I go there if I get in.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    GT huh? Better not tell LJ, she's a UGA alum. ;-) What do you plan to study?
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    Actually, I'm a UGA fan - I'm a GA State Alum!
  • kektikekti
    edited November -1
    computer engineering or game design and development. I'm following in my Gocky(grandfather)s foot steps but he became a mechanical eng.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Oh LJ. That's even worse. Now you don't even have a legit reason to route for the wrong team. :-P

    ---

    Alex, have you looked into the Computational Media program? I believe you can enter as either a Computer Science student or a Literature, Communication, and Culture student to take part in that program depending on what aspect of game design you're interested in.
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