Do Huskies Shed? Everything You Need To Know

Huskies are mainly known for their mesmerizing blue eyes and friendly nature. They possess excellent sled-pulling skills and have a high metabolism rate that keeps them active. Apart from this, Huskies are also famous for their unique coating. Generally, they have a thick double coat that helps in keeping them insulated. Their undercoat is warm and petite whereas the overcoat is long and resistant to water.

Yes, Huskies do shed but not like the other dog breeds that keep shedding throughout the year. The Siberian Huskies shed once or twice in a year because of the seasonal changes. This process is also referred to as blowing of the undercoat and it can take a time duration of three to five weeks approximately.

If you are a pet parent, then many concerns must have popped up in your mind regarding the shedding of your furry pal. Several misconceptions are associated with shedding such as shaving the Husky but they do not work in favor of your furry companion.

However, you can easily deal with the blowing phase of your Husky with the help of the right information and resourceful tools. The below-mentioned information would help you out in tackling the shedding period of your Husky with greater ease.

The Coating Mechanism of a Siberian Husky

Huskies are blessed with thick coats that help them in surviving harsh weather conditions. It is quite common for a Husky to play in the snow without any worries of catching a cold. Their double coating enables them to cope-up with the extremely cold weather. Generally, the inner coat is comprised of very thick and short fur that is closest to the skin and helps in keeping the Husky warm and comfortable.

The outer coating is made of long hairs that hold resistance towards water and provides a shield against the cold, wind, heat, and sun. With the help of double coating, Huskies can tolerate glacial cold temperatures for up to -75 F (-59 Celsius). During the summer season, Husky’s topcoat helps him to remain cool whereas, during the winters, the double coat helps in regulating the temperature.

Do not shave your Husky

It might sound good to shave your Husky during summertime but it can cause severe health issues to your furry pal. The coating of a Husky is crucial for its survival. Even in the warmer temperatures, a Husky requires his coat to keep himself insulated. However, shaving your Husky would not cool him down during the scorching heat temperatures.

Little we do know that shaving your Husky might cause him heat stroke due to the absence of fur for temperature regulation. The lack of fur implies that the sun would beat down directly on the skin of your Husky and as a result, even a mildly sunlit day is enough to make your shaved Husky feel uncomfortable. Their skins are not familiar with direct exposure to sunlight. That is why shaving your Husky is not a feasible solution to deal with the blowing period.

The only time when it is appropriate to shave your Husky is during the occurrence of any sort of medical emergency or surgeries. Apart from this, there is not even a single reason that is justified enough to clip or shave the hair of your Husky.

Shedding of a Husky

As mentioned earlier, Huskies do not shed throughout the year and they possess dual seasonal coats that consist of a heavy coat for winter and a light coat for summer. During the winter season, the coat of a Husky would become fluffy and thick. However, withstanding warm summer temperatures with a thick coat is almost next to impossible for Huskies. That is why they blow their thick winter coating within a short period of three weeks approximately.

The shedding mainly consists of the thick undercoat and a large portion of hair would shed in a shorter period as compared to the other dog breeds. Once the thick and fluffy winter coating gets completely blown, you would notice an emergence of a light undercoat. Although the double-coating would still be there, the undercoat would not be as thick as it was earlier.

The shedding pattern differs in each Husky. Some would blow their winter coat only once during the spring season whereas some might even shed their summer coat during the fall season. But this shedding is not as intense as that of a spring season. As soon as a Husky begins to lose his summer coating, there would be the growth of dense winter coating.

You can easily notice the traces of shedding by slowly pulling out the clumps of Husky’s hair using your hands. You would see that the loose hair starts building up in clumps. The blowing phase of your Husky can be a little painful but you can take a sigh of relief as you would only have to cope-up with minimal hair in and around the house for the rest of the year.

Huskies do not shed heavily all year round like the other dog breeds. So, if you own a Husky, then it would be a lot easier for you to deal with the shedding period as compared to other breeds of dog in the segment. Huskies would go through the shedding phase only once or twice in a year.

During the blowing phase of your Husky, you can easily notice an undercoat building up above his front legs. Also, the white hair would eventually become loose and can be pulled out easily using hands. In this phase, the intensity of the shedding can be determined by the hole in the Husky’s hind leg. A lot of hair would come out during this phase and it is completely normal.

Are Husky Hairs Hypoallergenic?

Huskies do not contain strong doggy odor unlike most of the other dog breeds. Some people often think that Huskies are hypoallergenic as they do not keep shedding their hairs around the year. Huskies are not hypoallergenic as it is not the hair that leads to allergies but it is the dander that flakes off from Husky’s skin that causes allergies.

Although Huskies shed only once or twice in a year, they still shed enough hair during that period that can easily cause allergies to people. The allergens are solely produced by the saliva, urine, and skin of a dog and it is common in almost all types of breeds. This directly implies that all dog breeds can affect people with allergic reactions. The level of allergens produced is different in every dog.

How do Huskies Shed?

If you are experiencing the shedding of a Husky for the very first time, then it is quite obvious for you to get stunned as, during the blowing phase of the spring season, the total amount of hair shed by a Husky is nearly unbelievable.

It is quite a common thing for the first-time owners to assume massive shedding as an indication that the Husky might be sick. But there is nothing to worry as, during the blowing phase, lots of hair would come out every two-three days.

The dense coating of a Husky begins to spread out as soon as the shedding of undercoat takes place. It might seem like digging a hole in the coating of your Husky as there would be the removal of hair in a huge amount. It is very necessary to groom and brush your Husky daily as it helps in controlling the intensity of shedding and also prevents the appearance of patches on the skin.

How to cope-up with a Blowing Undercoat?

As soon as the blowing phase of your Husky approaches, you need to take extra care of your furry companion. During that phase of unbelievable shedding, you would need to put some extra effort into cleaning the house too. However, here are a few tips that would guide you on how to cope-up and manage this phase effortlessly without any hassle.

Daily Brushing and Grooming

As soon as you notice that your Husky is shedding, start brushing him daily to remove the hair as much as possible. For this, you can even select a particular corner or area of your home where you can brush your Husky. Daily grooming and brushing also help in improving the texture of your Husky’s coating.

Brushing your Husky regularly eases your job too as it helps in reducing the mess around the house caused by the shedding hairs. In case if there are too long gaps between the brushing sessions, then the hair would build upon the skin of your Husky and it would become too hard to remove.

Two Separate Brushes

There are different types of dog brushes available in the market. Some are designed for heavy shedding whereas some are made exclusively for light shedding. However, Huskies generally have denser undercoats as compared to other dog breeds, so it is advisable to use a brush meant for heavy shedding.

If you are using a brush that has been designed specifically for light shedding, then the thick hairs would clog up the brush. You can even use two brushes to groom your Husky in the best possible way. For this, you can get a rake-like and thick brush. Such type of brush is effective enough to remove thick hair effortlessly.

The rake-like brushes contain larger gaps between the pegs that make it quicker and easier to collect the dense hair without getting stuck in the brush bristles. Apart from this, you can easily remove the collected hair from the rake after it gets full. Afterward, you can use a finer brush to remove the rest of the hair.

By using a finer brush, you would be able to collect the fine hairs that the rake was not able to grab. Ideally, you can use a fine brush for collecting 20% of the leftover hairs. By using dual brushes, you would be able to remove more hairs in less time.

Using a Vacuum Cleaner

If you mostly keep your Husky indoors, then a lot of hairs are expected to spread around the house during the blowing phase. You cannot even leave the mess unattended as for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, it is necessary to vacuum clean your house every day as no one finds it good to get them covered in the shedding hairs.

For proper and effortless cleaning of your home, you can use an automatic vacuum cleaner. It would not only save a lot of your precious time but would also reduce the workload off your shoulders. While you brush your Husky daily, an automated vacuum cleaner would assist in keeping the surroundings neat, maintained, and free from Husky hairs.

It is one of the most feasible solutions to tackle up with the constant shedding of your Husky’s hair during his blowing phase.

Train your Husky to Relish Brushing

When your Husky starts to blow its coating, it is very important to train your furry pal in such a way that he fully cooperates with you during all the brushing sessions. Once your Husky learns that he would feel better after going through a brushing session, he would become more cooperative.

You can even reward your Husky with the pet treats during the initial brushing sessions. To keep your Husky engaged during the brushing session, you can even give him a few attractive toys to play. One of the most pivotal things is to train your Husky to make him understand that he cannot leave you until the completion of the brushing session.

The few brushing sessions of the initial stage helps in establishing future standards, so make sure to do it the right way. Stay calm, gentle, and stress-free as much as possible to give your Husky the best brushing treatment. Once your Husky understands that brushing sessions are soothing, it would make your job a lot easier.

Shedding of a Husky Pup

The Husky pups have a short and soft coat. Generally, they begin to shed the puppy coating somewhere around when they are 6-12 months old and would get an adult double-coating. The climate in which the Husky pup lives plays a major role in determining the period and intensity of the shedding.

Husky vs. Other Dog Breeds

Huskies differ from other shedding dog breeds such as Labradors and German Shepherds. Most of the dog breeds tend to shed their hairs all year round but Huskies blow their coat only once or twice throughout the year to switch between their summer and winter coats.

Besides this, Huskies shed less hair as compared to the other dogs. So if you are a Husky owner, it would be comparatively easy for you to manage the blowing phase of your furry pal.

Background of Siberian Huskies

This breed has been originated from the cold arctic regions of Siberia where even in the month of summers, temperatures remain very cold. Originally, the Huskies were introduced into Alaska, during the early stage of the 20th century and they were also addressed as Siberian Rats as they were quite small as compared to other giant dog breeds across the globe.

The Siberian Huskies are extremely active and they love to spend all day outdoors, indulging themselves in physical activities. If you own a Husky, then do not forget to take him for regular open-air exercise sessions as a normal routine walk is not enough for them to stay fit and healthy.

This breed was made specifically for surviving in cold climates. Although they can survive different types of climates, one needs to take extra care and precautions before taking the Husky out in direct sunlight or hot temperatures.

Can shedding be stopped?

Shedding cannot be stopped as there is no such way through which you can stop your Husky from shedding his hairs. However, with the help of some productive measures, you can reduce the intensity of shedding.

You need to set up a regular grooming regime for your Husky. It would also help in the removal of loose hairs before they fall off around the house. Apart from this, it is one of the best ways to establish a strong bond with your pet.

Shedding generally takes place due to the hormonal changes in the Husky probably caused by climatic variations. During summers, Huskies tend to shed more hairs as compared to the winter season, so it is preferable to keep them well-groomed throughout their blowing phase. It would help in maintaining the soft and silky coating of your furry companion.

Bathing

Unlike other breeds, Huskies do not need to take bath every fifteen days. Huskies are naturally clean and they need to be bathed once in every two to three months to keep themselves well maintained. During the blowing phase, do not bathe your Husky regularly or too often as it can strip away the natural oils present on their coat and skin.

Wrap Up

Siberian Huskies are gifted with a strong coating that helps them in surviving extreme climatic conditions. They blow their coat once or twice in a year and it is completely normal. However, you need to take extra measures during the shedding period to keep your Husky healthy and well-groomed.

Also, you need to make sure that your Husky consumes nutritious and healthy food. Do not give him junk food or sugary treats as it can cause shedding of hairs unnaturally. If you notice that your Husky is shedding abnormally, then it is advisable to take him to a good veterinarian doctor as sometimes an unhealthy diet and any sort of health ailment can also lead to shedding.