# Amount of Shedding?



## megsauce (Jan 6, 2013)

Hey everyone, sorry if this is has been answered before, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for when searching the forums. I don't own a chihuahua yet but I'm seriously considering adopting one from a local shelter. I've done a lot of research on various dog breeds and I think a chihuahua suits my lifestyle best, but there's one possible deterrent: shedding. I'm not interested in adopting a dog that will shed a ton (i.e. so much that I'd have to use a lint roller on my clothes every time I go out). A few hairs here and there is fine, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer on how much chihuahuas shed! I've read that they are low shedders, I've read that they shed just as much as any other dog, and I've read that they don't shed at all. I heard long-haired ones shed less; is this true? I want to make sure I adopt the right kind of dog, and I thought this would be a good place to get some answers. Thank you all so much for your help! x


----------



## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

I also heard that long-haired one sheds less. BUT giving any chihuahua (or any dog) a great diet/food makes them shed less also. I own a short hair chi and I give her the best diet that I can afford and she barely sheds (I only see like 4 dog hairs on my body now). The only time she lost a lot of hair was switching her to a better diet and seasonal. Hope this helps.


----------



## Sideout (Sep 3, 2012)

I kind of feel like any dog breed would have some shedding that would require a lint roller at some point. The amount of shedding would also depend on genetics and how well taken care of they are (food and overall health). My mom also wanted a low shedder but I'm definitely left with a lap full of fur sometimes. I have a chi mix though so hopefully purebred chi owners can help you out more.

I hope you come back often if you get a chi! You'll learn a lot here.


----------



## Ricci and Ruby (Dec 16, 2012)

I've had my pure bred short hair chi for 6.5 months now and have gone from winter to summer with her and have hardly had any shedding at all. With coming into the warmer months I did start to notice hair was left where she had been, but that only lasted for at most a week.


test test test


----------



## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

I can confirm that my long coats shed less than my short coat did.
the hair texture is very different.

I'm sure others will weigh in on this.
I find the short coats to have more bristly hair that tends to stick to things more?


----------



## megsauce (Jan 6, 2013)

Sideout said:


> I kind of feel like any dog breed would have some shedding that would require a lint roller at some point. The amount of shedding would also depend on genetics and how well taken care of they are (food and overall health). My mom also wanted a low shedder but I'm definitely left with a lap full of fur sometimes. I have a chi mix though so hopefully purebred chi owners can help you out more.
> 
> I hope you come back often if you get a chi! You'll learn a lot here.


All dogs shed, for sure! Even humans shed, but I guess I don't mind a bit of shedding as long as it is not all over my clothes after holding/cuddling with a dog. My mom's dog is a jack russell mix and he sheds so much it's ridiculous. You pet him and a huge cloud of fur comes off, and if he sits on your lap, you will spend at least a few minutes with the lint roller if you want to go out and not look like a furball. He's the best dog ever but I couldn't deal with it in my own home. 

So I guess I'm more curious about the LEVEL of shedding in chihuahuas, in general. I realize all dogs are going to leave hair around the house, which is fine and unavoidable, but I just wanted to get a better idea of the volume of hair that is shed, I guess! 

Sorry if this is an impossible question to answer -- I understand if it is! x


----------



## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

If you own a dog type that sheds (As in not a non shedding breed like a poodle) then you will need a lint roller when you leave the house if you don't want dog hair on you. Dogs have hair, dogs shed. Chihuahuas are small so they don't shed as much as a bigger dog but it is still there. If you feed a good diet they shed less, some dogs are just not big shedders and certain times of the year it is worse. You can do things like brush them and groom regularly to blow out dead hair but you will never have no hair. Remember chis are lap dogs too- so they usually want to be on you and they will leave some hair behind. What is so bad about a lint brush anyway?


----------



## megsauce (Jan 6, 2013)

doginthedesert said:


> If you own a dog type that sheds (As in not a non shedding breed like a poodle) then you will need a lint roller when you leave the house if you don't want dog hair on you. Dogs have hair, dogs shed. Chihuahuas are small so they don't shed as much as a bigger dog but it is still there. If you feed a good diet they shed less, some dogs are just not big shedders and certain times of the year it is worse. You can do things like brush them and groom regularly to blow out dead hair but you will never have no hair. Remember chis are lap dogs too- so they usually want to be on you and they will leave some hair behind. What is so bad about a lint brush anyway?


Thank you, that's a good point. Maybe a chi just isn't the right dog for me and I'd be better off with a breed with hair, not fur, like a poodle.


----------



## thatrandomgirl (Mar 4, 2012)

Welcome to the forum! Good on you for doing your homework and thank you for considering adoption.

My Chi is short haired and I'd say she sheds a light to moderate amount, but the hair is pretty short so I usually don't notice. Definitely not to the point where I need a lint roller after playing with her.


----------



## NaeNae (Jul 21, 2012)

My Chi's both have short hair. They are in my lap all the time. I notice "some" shedding, but not enough to pull a lint brush out for.


----------



## Ay Chi-mama (Nov 28, 2012)

Get a breed that has hair, not fur. My chihuahua SHEDS. All my friends and family's chihuahua's shed. I mean they are in your lap, and you will have prickly hairs all over you. I did not grow up with furry pets, and we lived in an immaculate home. Hair was something I had to adjust to. Fur everywhere. I vacuum daily and wash my dog once a week, still hair in my bed(My dog isn't even allowed in my room.), hair on my clothes out of the dryer, hair on the couch, hair on the floor. My 2 best friends both have a long hair and a short hair, all of them shed all over me when I go to visit. The long hair is more noticeable, like big puffs of cotton. I wear a lot of black, it's a bother. I have lint rollers in multiple rooms of the house. There is hair ingrained in my wool mid cent lounge chairs(Which I also vacuum daily), on the bottoms of my curtains, in the corners of the house, on the walls. I invested in a couch cover, if you sit on that you will be covered in hair. I wash it weekly(I have serious allergies so I clean constantly.). I have a corgi(28 lbs) too who sheds insanely, and yes I feed top of the line organic food. Don't get a chihuahua if you don't want to be covered in hair. No, not as much as a large dog, but also yes more than a large dog because my larger dogs were not allowed on any of the furniture, or bedrooms, or in my lap on my clothes. One of my friends has a mini poodle, she is sweet, smart, lovely and doesn't shed on me. I maul her too, she is adorable. Get a poodle or something.


----------



## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Jaxx used to shed loads. It got to the point I was brushing him three times a day just to keep it under control.
We switched Jaxx to ZP a while back and the shedding has stopped. He still gets brushed once a day but I no longer even have a shirt filled with dog hair after brushing or any other time.
I have quickly become a believer that food matters on a lot of things with dogs that I didn't even imagine


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

I would also say it may be best not to get a chi if you don't want a dog that sheds. My chi, Max, is a long coat and on a good diet but still sheds quite a lot depending on the time of year. His hairs get EVERYWHERE. When we got him I was hoping this wouldn't be the case but it's just something we have had to get used to, and he is worth it! It doesn't help that our main carpet is black and he is red so his hair shows up really badly, just can't justify spending money on a replacement at the moment..


----------



## *Chloe* (Feb 6, 2006)

my long coats only shed seasonally or if the girls are dropping coat after a season, generally not much fur comes off them at all even when they are brushed


----------



## Tink (Oct 14, 2009)

megsauce said:


> Thank you, that's a good point. Maybe a chi just isn't the right dog for me and I'd be better off with a breed with hair, not fur, like a poodle.



Just so we're clear, poodles shed just as much as any other dog. But because of their coat styles, the hair that they lose gets caught by the existing coat so they don't tend to leave hair residue on furniture or people. But the downside of that is that unless they're groomed meticulously their coats will matt. Matting can be a health hazard, and even before it gets to that point, it can be painful to the dog if allowed to become excessive.

So take your pick.......either deal with a little shedding, or be prepared to spend a good deal of time~~or money~~keeping up with a "non-shedding" breed's coat. 

And fyi, Tango and Jazz shed differently. They're both SC's but Tango sheds more than Jazz. They both eat the exact same food, are groomed the same amount, fed the same treats etc., but because Tango's coat is thicker than Jazz's, he leaves more hair behind. Also, because he's a cream color, his hair tends to be more noticeable on most fabrics, whereas whatever Jazz loses tends to blend in more. Regardless, they're both under 4 pounds, so the degree of hair I have to deal with is minimal compared to the 50 pound family mutt we had for 20 years who routinely clogged up the vacuum with his hair!


----------



## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

Poodles were always my breed before I had Chihuahua's they actually have wool, not hair.. it's a common misunderstanding.

They actually don't shed, but the wool grows and grows and necessitates timely grooming. I always did my own grooming (as I had good oster clippers from when I owned my horses) the upkeep can get expensive depending on your area and how much groomers charge, where I live it was always a minimum of 60.00 for a toy sized Poodle.

From time to time you will see a dropped ball of wool or fluff stuck to something in your house, that is the extent of shedding, it can turn up felted onto objects from the laundry as well when you take them out of the dryer :lol: 
I used to love those little random apricot fur balls.

I miss my Poodle sometimes, he passed away at 19 years of age.


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

If you want a chihuahua that doesn't shed much, look for one with a sparse single coat. The CORRECT coat on a smooth is a thick, double coat. You will see fur around the neck, the back of the legs, and the tail will be especially full. 

Example... this is the correct smooth double coat .... notice how full the tail is.










Brody is an example of an incorrect smooth coat. It is a single coat, with no undercoat, and very thin/short. More like a doberman. He does NOT shed. He can sit on my lap when I have on white sweatpants and I can pet him for hours and when I get up, there is no hair on my pants. 

So if you really want a chi, get a longcoat that is sparsely coated or a smooth coat that has an incorrect single coat instead of a double coat. You will easily tell the difference when you see them in person.

Are you looking at rescues?


----------



## Sideout (Sep 3, 2012)

Thanks brodysmom! I just learned my dog has a smooth double coat!
I've always wondered why the back of her neck was extra furry.


----------



## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

The differences on this are strange. 

I've read that long haired chihuahuas shed less because they shed twice a year whereas a short haired chihuahua is constantly shedding and renewing their fur. I've only ever had long haired chihuahuas though. Mylo and Willow both don't seem to she'd much. They're both still puppies but Mylo had a spate where he shed his wavy puppy fur and got long, straight, thicker fur and Willow seems to be shedding at the moment. I brush them once or twice a day with a good brush when they're shedding and feed them a good quality food and I've not had a problem with needing a lint roller. When they're not shedding I never find any hairs of Mylo and very few off Willow. I probably see more of hers because I wear a lot of dark colours and she is lighter but I'd say that shedding from them is pretty minimal.


----------



## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

Douglas hardly sheds. He's a smooth single coated one though.

I have noticed in grooming that a lot of red and white parti-colored chis shed a LOT. No one knows why this is and it could be coincidence.


----------



## Elle (May 4, 2010)

I've never even noticed Harry shedding, to be honest. I guess he must shed, as his coat does gets thicker with seasonal changes, but it's not something I've ever really been aware of. I mostly wear dark coloured pants, and Harry has a very white tummy, so I would definitely notice! I've not owned a smooth coat, so I can't comment on how much they might shed.

We used to have a toy poodle, and although he didn't shed in the same way that a fur-coated dog does, his coat meant he did need to be groomed every day, and that meant brush loads of hair each time.


----------



## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

I would also suggest not getting a chi if any amount of shedding bothers you. Toby is on excellent food and is brushed daily. He still sheds a bit. And no matter how little they shed, you will need a lint roller- they shed enough. Short coats shed more, but neither variety will be completely shed free. 

Poodles, spaniels, shih tzus, etc. have hair and don't shed but have high maintenance coat care needs. 

Also, different Chis shed at different levels. My moms chi sheds way more than mine- it's just a different type of coat. 


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App


----------

