Cocker spaniel and shedding

[joanna]

I know even within the breed dogs vary in shedding patterns but generally speaking are cocker spaniels heavy shedders?

First of all, three of the breeders mentioned that their cockers don't shed much, and if they ever do, you just find tumbles/clumps of hair so you can just pick it up and toss.
Nothing like a golden or a lab...

Well, our house has become a total nightmare from all the shedding hair from Royce, our 6 month cocker...
He's definitely shedding like a golden/lab!
We brush him everyday, each time picking up 4 handfulls of hair. (and his hair... don't tumble, they stick into everything)

Anyone experienced with cockers?
Could he simply be losing his puppy hair and will it get better afterwards?
Could it be from all the hormones he's producing now?
Would shaving his back, like how they groom cockers, help with the shedding?

He was on flint river ranch, we switched him to sold gold wolf today... so I don't think it was from poor nutrition...

Anything would help....

[Prin]

Be careful with the switch, eh? You have to spread it out over at least a week.

Are you feeding wolf king? Solid Gold's Just a Wee Bit might be better. It's made for smaller doggies, whereas wolf king is for large breeds (but the difference is quite slim).

Diet can certainly be a cause. Even if you feed the best diet there is, it depends on your dog. Allergies and hormone issues can also cause hair loss.

It could also just be seasonal shedding. A lot of dogs shed a ton in the spring.

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

Joey hasnt shed yet, he's a cocker too mind you we have had him less than a year so maybe we missed that phase for him. Also we got him as an adult so maybe the shed as puppy. We've had his back both shaved and not shaved and it doesnt seem to make a difference.

[momto2]

Our cocker is 10 and we have never really had a problem with shedding. We keep him groomed the way you are talking about, shaved on the back. At one time we let his hair grow a bit and he did shed a little more. But it was just clumps here and there. In our experience, shaving does help with shedding. As you said, it could be his puppy hair, I can't really remember though having the same problem. Is he purebred or a cross?

[joanna]

Hey guys..
thanks for the reply..

Royce is a pure bred....and no his hair doesn't fall out in clumps but as single strand of hair... all over the place...

I've brushed him everyday for the past week... and I also gave him a bath last night and I think he's shedding less today. I'm gonna make an appointment at the groomers and get him shaved down like a cocker.. hee hee

but I love the teddy bear look when the hairs all grown out and puffy lol...

I'm hoping it's a combination of his increasing level of testerone and losing the puppy hair.... We'll see how it goes...I'm taking him to the vet next week for neutering and talk to him about it then.

thanx you guys~

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

What a cutie is he playing with a stuffie - I love the teddy bear look to hope you don't me posting a pic of my baby in your thread

here is ungroomed and shaggy

below is after the groomer

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

Here he is after - he looks way slimmer after he is groomed - and younger too - my hubby said he looked like a two year old dog not a six year old doggie.

[chico2]

Bailey,my little dog-walker friend hardly sheds at all and she has not been groomed(clipped)since last summer.
She is starting to look like a bear,but I think the owner is waiting for it to get warmer

[mafiaprincess]

I have a blonde cocker.. and a black rug in my bedroom. I vaccuumed a week ago, and there isn't much fur on my rug at all.. But in the span of a month or so you start to notice a build up.

Isn't so much that you really notice the fur.. just the difference between what the just vaccuumed rug, and well not..

When I lived with mainly tile floors in an apt we'd get tumble weeds... not so much in my family's home though.

[joanna]

Oh my god...
THank you so much for the pictures!!
It has made my day

I love the teddy bear look on JOEY!!! He really looks like a chocolate stuffed teddy bear... He is truly adorable...

chico.... thanx for the info... I'm really really hoping that Royce is losing his puppy hair...
does that even make sense?
Do puppies lose their hair to get the adult coat?

MafiaPrincess.. How old is your cocker?
if you have a black rug & silver cocker and don't notice the hair building up.... (which is basically what I hear from almost everyone who owns cockers) It's most difinite that cockers don't shed as much... How often do you brush your baby? I'd love to see pictures!.

[SarahLynn123]

Hate to break it to you but I have a cavalier crossed with a cocker and she sheds like crazy! Maybe it is the cavalier that makes her shed but I swear Its all over! She is 8 years old.

Hope this is not the case for you, I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

[mafiaprincess]

Mine's a year and a half. I brush her about once a week. We just cut her down some so she isn't tangling as fast as usual.


I don't have any new pics online.. so this is liek a year old sadly, but she's just as cute now.

[chico2]

Here's a pic of Bailey in my birdbath a few years ago,she was much slimmer then,LOVED my birdbath!!

[mafiaprincess]

Cider now looks a lot liek that pic of Bailey. That picture is adorable though.

[joanna]

Hi guys..
Oh Baily and Cider are sooooooooooooo precious!!!
Haven't been on for a while.
The weather in DC is sooo beautiful we spent most of the day outside at the cherry blossom festival....

Royce is still shedding moderately and the vet told me it was seasonal (spring) shedding, not from hormones, or losing puppy hair.....

I just wanted to share some picture from our outings
Please excuse the painted faces!!!

[joanna]

this one is with my husband

[joanna]

Hee Hee by the river~

[chico2]

She is beautiful,wonderful colour:love:
Baileys owners just had her shaved(she needed it),she now looks like a puppy

[joanna]

so adorable~
How can you not love that face?!

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

Royce is a cutie - and Bailey looks great with her new doo.

[mafiaprincess]

I love the cherry blossom pics. Adorable.

[spanielmom]

I have always been owned by cockers too and LOVED seeing everyones pics!!! My Charlee is 5 months old and he dosent shed..he just got a cocker cut last week and I brush him nightly...some hair comes out onto the brush but not much. I luckily havent had much trouble with my cockers shedding.

Dawn