Picture this: you’re mindlessly running your hands through your pooch’s hair, only to find a substantial amount of strands coming off. Something like this can shock new pet parents, but the experienced ones know how often their dog is likely to shed.
While some dog breeds shed a lot, there are many gorgeous canines that shed only seasonally. So, while you can’t completely bail out of grooming and having to clean dog hair from your couch, seasonal shedding pups make it easier to handle.
If you don’t have the kind of time to deal with heavy-shedding dogs throughout the year, here are 7 low-shedding dog breeds that shed minimally during specific periods.
Dog Breeds that Barely Shed Seasonally
1. Shih Tzu
If you’ve ever seen a Shih Tzu in all its glory, aka, its long hair cascading down its body, you might have wondered if it sheds a lot. Many pet owners just trim down that silky coat, or pin up their hair behind their head (so it doesn’t block their view).
The good news is, shedding is only a seasonal event for these adorable pups.
Shih Tzus are too adorable to handle with their lion-like man; they’re called “little lions” for a reason. These small dogs are mischievous in nature and will make their presence known.
They get along amazingly with children and stay happy indoors; after all, they have been residents of royal palaces historically. As they shed very little hair, it’ll go on growing and requires regular brushing and occasional bathing to stay clean and gorgeous.
American Kennel Club suggests taking them to professional grooming off and on to get their hair a little clipping and trimmed.
2. Miniature Schnauzer
If you want a little pooch that doesn’t shed a lot, bring a Miniature Schnauzer home. These dogs have a very distinct look due to their bearded faces, dense coats, and perky ears. It’s impossible to mistake them for any other dog breed.
Mini Schnauzers are no taller than 12-14 inches, with a weight range of 11-20 pounds. These low-shedding dogs are amazing family dogs with their outgoing and affectionate nature. Their comical facial features give them a human-like expression, especially with their bushy eyebrows.
Minis make amazing indoor pets due to their compact size. But if you’re all about the farm life or love outdoor walks, these little walking clouds of fur will happily follow you.
Minis do need frequent grooming sessions, like brushing and combing. Trimming and clipping their hair will be occasionally needed, as minimal shedding means their coat just keeps growing.
3. Giant Schnauzer
If you love them large, you can find the fluffy bearded Schnauzers in a bigger package. Giant Schnauzers have similar facial hair and a thick double coat as Minis, but they look imposing and brave due to their imposing stature.
As the American Kennel Club mentions, they’ve been described as “a bold and valiant figure of a dog”. Giant Schnauzers are great for people who want an alert dog with a regal personality. Its regal coat comes in beautiful colors like black, fawn, pepper, and salt, etc.
These woofers can be 23.5-27.5 inches tall and can weigh up to 55-95 pounds. Giants are seasonal shedders, but their wiry coat needs at least weekly brushing to maintain its gorgeous look.
4. Bichon Frise
Bichon Frise is one of the cutest dogs that don’t shed except seasonally. These pups are sturdy and enduring despite being tiny and carry a big personality under all the fuzziness. These pups are no taller than a foot and weigh from 12-18 pounds.
Bichon Frise is a breed of dog that has captivated aristocrats. King Henry III of France was obsessed with his pups and would have them carried along in a basket wherever he went. Bichons’ privileged lifestyle met its tragic end during the French Revolution when their owners went to prison or were executed.
These fluffballs then found themselves being trained as entertainers; from doing somersaults to walking on their hind legs, these agile dogs picked up the tricks pretty fast. Now, as one of the most loved pets, Bichons are popular also due to their hypoallergenic coats, making them suitable for allergy sufferers.
As these dogs shed minimally, their soft curly coat needs regular grooming; brushing twice or thrice a week will do. You might also want to take your pup to a groomer to have their coat trimmed once in a while.
5. Chinese Crested
Chinese Crested dogs have a really unusual look as they’re a hairless breed, though they also come in a hairy variety called “powderpuffs”. The hairless crested have smooth skin and silky hair head, tail, and feet.
The bigger concern with the hairless dogs is keeping their soft skin protected. Using good doggo sunblocks when taking out outdoors will keep your pup safe from the UV rays.
Hairless pooches also need regular bathing to avoid allergic reactions on their skin. Powerpuffs have thick double coats, which makes regular brushing a must to avoid matting.
In any case, these friendly and playful low-shedding dogs won’t drive you insane with dog fur everywhere on the floor and bedding.
These dogs love to jump around and, despite being small, they are high-spirited in dog sports.
6. Poodle
Poodles are one of the most popular hypoallergenic and low-shedding breeds with a lively and loving personality. Poodles come in three size varieties: standard, miniature, and toy Poodle.
Standard: 18-24 inches, 40-70 pounds.
Miniature: 12-15 inches, 10-15 pounds.
Toy: Under 10 inches tall with a weight range of 4-6 pounds.
All three varieties come in beautiful, dense, and curly coats that catch our eyes.
Poodles are adorable pups with affectionate eyes and a love for bouncing around, playing with their humans. What makes them even more desirable as pets is their less frequent shedding compared to many other breeds.
Since their coat will keep growing, regular grooming is still very important. Their thick coat can become tangled and might accumulate dirt; other than brushing, occasional bathing will keep their coat healthy.
7. Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terriers are beautiful pups that make loving and joyful family pets. Instead of fur, these pups have hair that grows consistently throughout the year. If you allow it to keep growing without trimming or clipping, they’ll have a full-blown waterfall-like hair running down their little bodies.
These tiny dogs are no taller than 7-8 inches, and weigh up to 7 pounds. These are feisty dogs with a huge sense of self-importance, but they possess a love for human companionship. Yorkies originally used to be ratters in mines and later found their way into the lives of Victorian ladies as lapdogs.
Since they have hair like human hair, it needs a similar kind of upkeep. From daily brushing to once-a-week bathing, keeping your dog’s coat in good condition will keep it looking like a pup straight out of doggo heaven.
Conclusion
These gorgeous dog breeds make swoon-worthy companions with their seasonal shedding and their need for minimal grooming (mostly). If your dog has long hair that can block its eyes, make sure to give it a little trim so its adorable eyes don’t get irritated.
