Do Pitbulls Shed
One of the most confusing things when you first get a pit bull puppy or pet a pit bull is their coat. It’s short, unlike many dogs, but it’s hard to tell if that type of fur falls out.
Do Pitbulls shed? Pit bulls while having a short coat do shed fairly often about twice a year, late winter and late fall. You can reduce shedding by giving your pit bull regular baths and brushing them weekly to remove the dead fur that falls out. In a pinch, you can also use lint rollers (I recommend big ones) if you don’t have a brush to use.
If you ever wanted to know all about pit bulls fur we are going to dive into washing them and maintaining their coat. They have a few tricks you might want to be aware of to help you with your dog’s coat.
Do Pit bulls shed a lot
While many pit bulls have much shorter coats than the doggo brothers and sisters, they can become a problem for most dog owners. Pit bulls coats are short and sleek unlike many other dogs, it’s hard to separate the hair when you are looking through it because it is so short.
But just like most other dogs, these dogs do shed during at least two or three seasons out of the year. Usually the most common time for them to shed is late winter and late fall.
During this time you can expect that if you are not brushing them that hair will be on everything. Keep in mind that dark furniture that matches a dog’s hair will not show as much.
Also, it has been proven that while these dogs do shed tests have shown very little different from their hypoallergenic causes who are better for allergies. Point being that they really cause no more allergies than a regular dog.
So now that we have talked about why they shed, let’s talk about what you can do about it.
Pit Bull shedding causes
There are many things that can cause your dog to shed more than other dogs. Below we will tackle each of these issues separately so that if your dog is shedding, you can resolve it.
Poor Diet
One of the biggest issues for any pit bull is a poor diet or just changing a dog’s diet. We know pit bulls to have very sensitive stomachs with food, so feeding them random human food or changing their diet randomly can cause shedding issues.
When we first got Fiona from the shelter she was on a dog food that she did not like. While her fur did not fall out she had skin issues until we changed her dog food. More about this below.
So if your dog’s fur is falling out, ask yourself have you changed their diet or given them something that maybe they should not be eating. A healthy coat starts with a healthy diet.
Poor Grooming
Many pit bull owners are busy, they have jobs, mortgages, children and so much more. So it’s not uncommon to find out that people routinely forget to brush their dogs.
However, this is one of the biggest mistakes that will cost you more mess in your house than you even realize. Brushing a dog once a week is not only soothing to some people, but the animal enjoys it in most cases.
Getting rid of their fur does not have to be an all-day event, as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day will help reduce the amount of fur in your home.
Using the wrong shampoo
We mentioned up above that pit bulls have sensitive stomachs, well guess what, they also have sensitive skin. Because their fur is so short you have to be very careful about the type of shampoo, you use otherwise it will make them itch.
Fiona had this problem when we got here, and finally I changed her shampoo and bathing routine. Naturally the more a dog itches the more fur will come out of their body.
Stress or Anxiety
Just like people when dogs get stressed or anxious they can run into problems where their fur can fall out in clumps or even worse yet they just start shedding at a rapid rate.
Unlike all the other problems above, this can be a behavior or trigger that is causing the stress which you need to figure out. Sometimes it’s best to talk to your vet about the problem, as they may give the dog medication to help reduce their stress.
Illness
If a dog comes with certain types of illness, they can begin losing hair. If you notice your dog not eating, losing hair or being very sluggish get to a vet immediately. This is probably a sign they need some help from someone who can find out what’s wrong with them.
How to stop my pit bull from shedding
The first step to stopping a pit bull from shedding is to realize they will never stop shedding. A dog will always shed, you can reduce the problem, but never stop it completely.
What has really worked for me with helping reduce Fiona’s shedding is listed below. Use one or all the tactics to help your doggy buddy have a sleek coat that hardly even ends up on your furniture.
Find your dog’s bath tolerance
When we first got Fiona she smelled so bad that people would mention it to us when they picked her up. Her little puppy smell was mixed with a healthy dose of stink.
It didn’t help that she liked to go outside and lay in the grass to sunbath, which is her special time, so we just allowed her to do it.
At about that time I started researching giving dogs baths and most articles stated that once a month was enough. But not Fiona, we tried two weeks and she would smell bad after week one. I then discovered that yes, some dogs do need baths more frequently.
We now wash her once a week and while that might seem excessive, her itching has gone down and her smell has been reduced. Some dogs will just require more pampering time.
Besides you’d rather have all the loose hair fall out in your tub than on your couch.
Finding the right Shampoo to reduce shedding
I would recommend you use something with oatmeal or something that is specially formulated for dogs. This can also help their skin and keep them very nice and soft. Our recommendation can be found on Fiona’s corner, but almost any dog shampoo will do.
Brushing her weekly
Fiona needs a healthy amount of brushing and that is helped reduce some of her fur from falling off. As a special tip in the beginning we did not have a fur brush we used a giant lint roller. While not as effective Fiona didn’t mind and enjoyed getting rolled, she still barks when she sees it.
Be careful with the brush you use because of the pit bull’s short fur. Use something that’s easier on their skin and doesn’t scratch them.
We feed her scrambled eggs
Now and then for a treat Fiona gets scrambled eggs (plain) which are great for dogs’ coats. Eggs have important vitamins that dogs need and can also help with the appearance of their coats.
Pamper your pup
Just like humans sometimes want to go to a spa, there’s nothing wrong with bringing your dog to a grooming salon who is going to help them keep up their coat. Many of these professionals can even help make sure that you keep your shedding down to a minimum.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you with your dog’s shedding problem. I think just using one or two of the tactics above will help reduce their shedding.
If you enjoyed the article and you want to learn more about your pit bull check out our website.
