# Blowing the puppy coat 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… ## Thread In Shiba Inu · started by Ryu · 41 replies - **Category:** [Shiba Inu](https://nihonken.org/community/c/shiba-inu) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## Ryu · 2008-04-18T03:05:45.000Z 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?! ## _dlroberts · 2008-04-18T03:36:04.000Z 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. ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-04-18T12:45:44.000Z 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! ## Romi (admin) · 2008-04-18T14:50:27.000Z 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! ## Ryu · 2008-04-18T14:58:29.000Z 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! ## kojichan · 2008-07-11T00:39:57.000Z 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) ... ## Ryu · 2008-07-11T00:48:21.000Z 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!! ## brada1878 (admin) · 2008-07-11T00:50:29.000Z 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. ---- ## Harlow · 2008-07-11T00:56:45.000Z What a regal looking boy you have! Our Koshi sheds year round. I think southern California weather confounds the Shibas' usual shedding schedule. ## StaticNfuzz · 2008-07-11T01:05:07.000Z 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 ## Romi (admin) · 2008-07-11T01:37:01.000Z 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 ## kojichan · 2008-07-11T09:49:23.000Z 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. : ). ## kekti · 2008-08-12T22:29:25.000Z 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? ## _dlroberts · 2008-08-12T22:38:28.000Z http://www.furminator.com/ ## MommyofNiko · 2008-08-13T00:11:33.000Z Furminator is a Godsend!!!!!! ## kekti · 2008-08-13T00:14:05.000Z 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? ## mutantblack · 2008-08-14T14:21:45.000Z 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? ## brada1878 (admin) · 2008-08-14T14:34:23.000Z 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?? ---- ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-08-14T14:40:35.000Z 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. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-08-14T14:45:40.000Z 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! ## Kaddy · 2008-08-14T16:33:28.000Z Thanks for that link LJ! Just saved me from buying it at the store and spending an extra $20!!! ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-08-14T17:06:50.000Z 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. ## kekti · 2008-08-14T17:38:02.000Z hey lj I just realized you live where I'll be going to college soon. also roxy Is getting her new coat in now ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-08-14T18:22:13.000Z 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. ## mutantblack · 2008-08-14T18:42:06.000Z thanks for the link. Now I am debating furminator or fur buster. ## heem_infinite · 2008-08-14T19:03:26.000Z amazon.com has the medium furminator for $27.87 with free shipping right now. just ordered one. ## kekti · 2008-08-14T20:01:25.000Z 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. ## _dlroberts · 2008-08-14T20:24:06.000Z GT huh? Better not tell LJ, she's a UGA alum. ;-) What do you plan to study? ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-08-14T21:38:36.000Z Actually, I'm a UGA fan - I'm a GA State Alum! ## kekti · 2008-08-14T22:28:11.000Z computer engineering or game design and development. I'm following in my Gocky(grandfather)s foot steps but he became a mechanical eng. --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)