Cocker Spaniel Shedding

Cocker Spaniel Shedding is a subject that crops up frequently, and it's becoming apparent that Cockers lose their coats in varying degrees. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any consistent reason why.

However, evidence suggests that solid coloured coats are more prone to shedding, but that is not always the case. Read on to find out what our visitors have to say on the subject.

Is this Cocker Spaniel shedding? It's hard to tell!

Do Cocker Spaniels Shed?

Do Cocker Spaniels Shed?
By: Anel Hulley

We are thinking of buying two cocker spaniels for our family, but we would like to find out if they shed their hair?

Can you maybe help us?

Thank you.

Anel

Reply from Pauline
Website Owner

Hi Anel,

Cocker Spaniel shedding is not usually something to worry about because, even though they do shed their hair, they tend not to shed much, unless you are very unlucky!

Very often, it's a case of pot-luck. 

I've certainly been lucky because my cocker spaniel doesn't moult very much - thankfully!

I have known some Cocker dogs that lose their hair all year round and others that shed hardly any hair at all.

It is difficult to be any more specific, but should you want it, you can find further information about Cocker Spaniel shedding here, or you can read on to learn about visitor experiences with their dogs.

Grooming Your Dog Reduces Shedding

Generally, if your dog is bathed regularly and brushed several times a week (using a slicker brush), you shouldn't have much of a problem. 

Brushing your dog keeps shedding to a minimum. 

I usually groom Max after he's had a long walk when he's pooped out, which means he lies quieter for much longer and just lets me get on with it.

If you don't want to do this yourself, professional grooming once every 3-months will go a long way to keeping your dog's coat healthy and looking good.

Hope this helps Anel!

Visitor Comments: Cocker Spaniel Shedding

Cocker Spaniel Shedding Suddenly
By: Lucky

My buff cocker spaniel, Lucky is about seven years old and, up until this summer, has never shed before whatsoever. He now he’s shedding profusely, and I’m very worried.

His hair started growing very fast and was re-growing thicker than usual. He was panting a lot, even when indoors at rest. Over the last month, his hair has been falling out at an alarming pace.

He has been prone to skin allergies with much flaking and itching, but the doctor gave him a shot and placed him on a course of medication, which helped immensely over the period of a month.

All the flaking and such went away, and the hair on his stomach and throat area grew back.

I'm a cool-looking dude!

Puppy Cocker Spaniel Shedding
By: Anonymous   

I have a 12-week-old blue roan puppy who is shedding a lot.

Will this be less when he has finally lost his puppy coat?   

Cocker Spaniel Shedding and Food
By: Jen     

I think it depends on the dog and what they are fed.

I have been a Cocker Spaniel Mommy for over 22 years and have owned seven Cockers in that time.

One English Cocker Spaniel, five American Cockers, and my newest is an SPCA rescue dog and is half English and half American.  

NONE of my Cockers has ever shed.

In fact, I thought they were a non-shedding breed!

You can literally pull on my black Cocker Spaniel's fur, and no hair will come out.  

He has a gorgeous coat and is a purebred American from Castletop Cockers out of Hudson Valley, New York.  

He is three years old, and I feed him holistic dry food mixed with canned chicken and gravy (both grain-free because my experience with my previous dogs and their skin allergies and ear infections showed me this was the best food for all cockers.)  

My last black Cocker Spaniel never had an ear infection in his entire life, nor has he had a skin allergy!  

My very first dog had terrible allergies and ear infections, but no shedding still. 

She was a buff coloured Cocker Spaniel, and I find the lighter coloured Cockers have more allergies.

I gave her a food supplement called Dream Coat, which helped a lot, plus her grain-free holistic food.

My first buff and white dog had a ton of allergies and ear infections, and then he became diabetic, blind and deaf.

He was a rescue and was a wonderful dog. He never shed his hair, but he had so many health problems.

I have always groomed my dogs myself. Every 8 weeks, my dogs are bathed and given a Cocker cut, and I leave their withers long.

None have ever shed, even though I do not brush them daily.

We just adopted a buff and white Cocker Spaniel who is half English and half American from the SPCA, and I was shocked to find that he sheds like a cat!

I find white hair everywhere!

She is worse than my daughter's two shorthaired dogs!

I thought, either he is not pure Cocker, or he has a skin condition because I have never seen a Cocker Spaniel shedding hair as he does!  

I took him to the vet and mentioned this, and when I said Cockers are a non-shedding dog breed, she looked at me like I had two heads!

Could I really have just been that lucky to have randomly gotten seven Cocker Spaniels that were non-shedding from rescue centres and five different breeders?

None of them came from the same place! Not even the same State!

Some were from Maine, some from New Hampshire, and some from New York. So I really cannot figure out why they would all have been non-shedding from the start, even when some had skin conditions.

However, my new boy is a serious shedder...I have him switched to no-grain holistic food, which he seems to love, and I may add some Dream Coat to see if that makes a difference.

I ordered a Furminater (the brush/comb that pulls out all the shed hair from underneath), so we shall see if we can curtail some of this!  

One thing I do know is that Castletop Cockers DO NOT SHED.

So if you are looking for a non-shedding Cocker, you may want to contact Zoe Toce at Castletop. Her puppies were featured in the Dogs 101 show on Animal Planet, the segment on Cocker Spaniels.

My Cocker Spaniel that I got from Castletop is the most intelligent dog, and he also has the sweetest temperament of any of my dogs so far.

He is intelligent and loves everyone and every animal, even cats. He is amazing.

Castletop's dogs have loose eyelids and jowls, so Cherry Eye is more prevalent, but Cockers suffer from Cherry Eye and loose jowls anyway.

Cocker Spaniel Shedding Hair
By: Anonymous

My puppy is a cocker mix Shih-Tzu. She was not shedding when we got her at 3 weeks, but now that she is almost 4 months old, her coat is shedding a lot.

Is excessive Cocker Spaniel shedding normal?     

Cocker Spaniel Shedding
By: Susan

It's funny because all the Cocker web pages say Cockers Spaniels shed, yet none of mine has.

I had a chocolate merle, a tri-colour, and a buff and white coloured Cocker Spaniel. Shedding was never a problem with them.

I keep my dog's coat shaved on the body and the hair on their legs longer. It's called a Lamb cut.

Now, Cocker Spaniels can get smelly, so I usually give them a haircut every 3 months, with a bath in between.

So after 6 weeks, they have a bath, and then in another 6 weeks, they have a bath and a haircut.

Cocker Spaniel Shedding: Keep It Short!
By: Shirley

I have a black and white Cocker, and he is approximately 9-years-old (he's from local dog pound). 

We let his hair grow out for the winter months, and during that time, I noticed that he shed lots of black hair and hardly any of the white. He has about equal amounts of both colours.

We usually keep him trimmed neatly, and he doesn't shed when he has a short haircut.

My Chocolate Cocker Spaniel Doesn't Shed!
By: Bella

My friend and I adopted sister puppies together, and mine is chocolate, and hers is a white and chocolate Cocker Spaniel.

The chocolate hair doesn't shed and is curly, whereas the white fur is straight, sheds, and grows more slowly.

I don't brush her often because that frizzed out the curls, and I like her curly hair.

I usually keep her in a town and country cut, which is a shaved torso and face, leaving longer hair on her mop-like legs and long floppy ears.

Cocker Spaniel Shedding Lots

Cocker Spaniel Shedding Lots
By: John

I have a 2-year old Cocker Spaniel girl dog. Her hair is falling out, and I don't know why.

I'm so upset, can you help me?

Cocker Spaniel Shedding
By: Pauline (Web Owner)

Hi John,

You don't say how much your Cocker Spaniel is shedding, but I guess it's enough if you're worried about it.

Unfortunately, with this breed, Cocker Spaniel shedding ranges from hardly any shedding to quite a lot, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for it!

If your dog is otherwise healthy, have you thought about taking her to a local groomer for an opinion?

Choose a groomer who's experienced in Cocker Spaniels and explain the circumstances and that you're worried about your dog's shedding.

The groomer will explain what (if anything) can be done.

You don't say, but I'm guessing that your dog is a solid colour (probably black as they do tend to shed a lot).

If that's the case, the problem may be resolved simply by more regular grooming.

However, if it's not a grooming problem, your dog's shedding problem may be a sign that she has an underlying health issue. 

I think it would be a good idea to take her to see the vet, just to make sure that she's okay. With a bit of luck, it may be that she's just one of those Cockers that shed a lot.

Hope this helps, and I look forward to hearing how you both get on.

Tan Cocker Spaniel
By: Anonymous

My dog Kiko is an 8-year-old tan-coloured Cocker Spaniel, and he doesn't shed at all. I am wondering if Cocker Spaniels are supposed to shed their coats.

I don't brush his coat often because he is not used to it. (I never groomed him when he was a puppy - my bad!)

These days, I brush every now and then, but not much hair comes out of him. I love that!

I'm thinking of getting another baby girl for us, and yes, she too will be a tan-coloured Cocker. We shall see what happens.

Cocker Spaniel Shedding? Not My Dog!
By: Anonymous

I have a black and tan cocker spaniel who is a 6-year-old girl, and she does not shed her coat at all.

Great after having Labradors!

Blue Roan Colour Change
By: Anonymous

My blue roan pup was the same. Hun seemed to lose all her grey and white hair. However, she's just had her first cut and now looks like a cow! LOL

I think it's because most of her coat was dark, and the dark fur grew over the light as it grew longer, if that makes sense?

Blue Roan Changing To Black
By: Gemma

I think it's all in the genes!

The stronger colour won out. I suspect your cocker spaniel will stay black with bits of white. (Are you sure it's black and not a dark blue/black?)

Blue Roan
By: Anonymous

My spaniel was a blue roan but looked more grey with two black patches when I got him at 8 weeks old.  

He is 15 weeks old now, and he's almost black all over, with white showing barely at all. Is this normal?

Will he get the grey back or stay black? He looks like someone swapped him for a different dog because he is so different!  

Cocker Spaniel Shedding
By: Fran

Hi Sandra, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I also believe that parti-colours don't shed as much as solids.

I had a black and white cocker many years ago, and I don't remember him dropping hairs, ever! Who knows, perhaps I was lucky. I have also had a solid black cocker, and his coat was everywhere: the carpets, the sofa, my clothes. It was a nightmare.

We tried everything, and the only thing that seemed to help (although not worked completely) was to brush him every day. Even 5 minutes a day helped.

We loved him so much, we thought a little shedding wasn't really a problem for us. 

Colour Difference?
By: Sandra

It is great to read about all these different experiences with Cocker Spaniel shedding and their coat colours!    

I have an American cocker spaniel who is a black and white parti-colour. He is 10 years old and rarely sheds, but when and if he does, it is very little.

Actually, he only sheds after he is groomed. After a couple of weeks, we see nothing. Our couch is sky blue, so his hair would definitely show up if he shed.

Do you think it would be because of the parti-colour?

I noticed that others mentioned that their black cocker sheds a lot. Maybe age has something to do with it?

I know that all dogs have to shed, just like all humans do, and I know that I shed more than my husband does! Hmmm...hormones? Very interesting.

Cocker Spaniel Shedding: It's All About The Hair Cut
By: Sarah

I keep my English cocker in a "puppy" cut year-round (groomed every 6-8 weeks), and he sheds less than I do.

My husband's German shepherd, now that's a whole other story!

No Cocker Spaniel Shedding Issues Here!
By: Anonymous

My brown and white cocker, Winston, does not shed whatsoever. I keep him in a more of a 'puppy' cut and have him groomed often, as recommended by the rescue person, who always has several cockers in her home and doesn't have a problem with Cocker Spaniel shedding issues.

I only have experience with American Cockers and cannot say if the same is true for the English variety.

In fact, my husband and I shed more than the dog!

Depends On The Coat Colour
By: Nat

Our dog breeder explained to us that dark-haired cocker spaniels shed more hair than light-haired dogs.

We have a black and tan male, and he is a bit of a nightmare. He gets professionally groomed once every 3 months, and it helps a lot.

Also, because it makes his coat so smooth and shiny, he looks like a seal!

Cocker Spaniel Shedding
By: Nina

I've had Cockers for most of my life, and it's my experience that, in general, they don't shed as much as some other dog breeds.

My golden cocker spaniel (Jarvis - yes, after Jarvis Cocker!) hardly shed any hair at all, just a little in the Autumn.

My blue roan, Poppy, didn't lose much of her hair either. However, my black cocker, Miles, shed hair all over the place.

I am sure that your Cocker Spaniel will shed less hair if you brush it regularly. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense doesn't it?