Do Pitbulls Shed?

Having a pup in your home is one of the most beautiful things one can ever do. Imagine coming back home, only to be greeted in glee by a pup that is just happy that you, are you. Wouldn’t that be something nice?

Well, as much as a puppy literally is love, there are some maintenance tasks attached to them. You would have to feed them; you would have to house train them.

You would have to provide some toys for them to stop them from chewing up your house, and you’ve also got to love them. All this is routine until you factor in the fur. Yes, all dogs have fur, with varying lengths and density in coats. They are beautiful and protect the dog from all manner of weather conditions. It’s all fun and games until you find all that fur on your couch, and on your clothes.

Yes, all dogs shed, even the hypoallergenic ones. The worst shedders seem like the ones that have the densest coats of the bunch, and those that have long coats. This may be a good reason why you are avoiding the likes of the Huskies and the German Shepherds. Then you came across this enigma known as the pit bull. Wonderful looking dog with a head that sticks out, and guesses what?

A very short coat. Bliss! But still, the question remains…

Do Pit bulls shed?

You may have already answered yourself on this one. Yes, pit bulls do shed. And no, it’s not just an amount that is negligible, it is something that you will definitely notice. A pit bull and its short hair may look like the perfect dog for someone who doesn’t want to spend too much time grooming them. You still have to put in the work though.

The short coat on the pit bull is absolutely deceptive as they do shed quite a lot of their fur. The shedding though is not quite to the level of the aforementioned dogs. This is because unlike them, the pit bull does not have an undercoat making a double layer with the top fur. A pit bull has only a single coat of short hair. While it is normal for dogs to shed hair any time of any day, the pit bull is noted for shedding more at two specific times of the year. These are the latter days of winter and the start of spring, as well as the latter days of fall and the start of winter. This shedding is to help them cope with the coming changes in climatic conditions. The shedding at the start of winter will give way to a coat that appears thicker. This is to help cushion against the frigid temperature of winter. After the winter is done, that excess fur needs to go if the dog is not going to overheat in the warmer weather. And you had better be prepared for what’s coming your way. Pitbull fur is tiny and will, therefore, spread with minimum effort. They might even bunch up and blow across your floor as though it is a barren wasteland.

Why Do Dogs Shed?

Your pitbull shedding fur isn’t something to be really concerned about, well, to a point. Your dog, just like you, will shed hair from time to time. This is a natural process in the body, like the lifecycle of cells. Fur will sprout from the skin and then grow for some time and when it is time for the fur cells to die, the fur will fall off as shedding. Now, how much a dog sheds is directly proportional to the amount of fur it has on its body. For dogs with double coats, such as the Caucasian Sheep Dog, the shedding they will undergo is definitely more than what your single coat pit bull will undergo. Others will shed according to season. Dogs are highly attuned to the length of daylight. When the days are long, they will typically shed their winter coats for something they can survive in during the spring and summer. When the days start getting shorter, the coats grow thicker for protection. These, however, are not the only reasons that a dog will shed its fur. Reasons your dog is shedding fur. While shedding is an entirely natural process, in certain cases, it could be as a result of a situation that your pup is going through.

Below are some reasons your pup could be shedding.

1. Stress or Separation Anxiety.

This has to be the biggest reason that your pitbull will shed. Dogs naturally form packs with the families they live with. Your pitbull considers you their pack and as a social animal, they want to be with you everywhere you go. This is not always feasible. As a result, when you go away for work and leave your dog in its kennel, it develops stress.

For pit bulls, this is even more pronounced. Pit bulls can be better described as hard lovers. This love and affection are the reasons pit bulls develop separation anxiety and stress. It’s also one of the reasons they become aggressive. Pit bulls also love their routines. Take them out of their routine and you will ruin their entire day. If you recently moved or were away from them for extended periods, you may notice that your pit bull is shedding a lot of furs. A good sign of this is if you confine your pit bull to a kennel, you will always find great amounts of shed fur in there.

2. Dehydration Your dog is made up of cells.

These cells need water to do their job well, to survive and thrive. Whenever there is a shortage of water in the system, cells will start shutting down unnecessary functions to conserve water for the necessary ones. If the pit bull is dehydrated, the fur cells will start to die off as the body wants to conserve water. This will result in the pup shedding at unusual times during the year. All you would need to do is provide a bowl of fresh-water regularly to keep your dog hydrated.

3. Diet.

If it’s not apparent by now, maybe this would help. A pit bull is a big softy. A change in routine can cause them to shed hair, and so will a change in whatever they are eating. This change in diet could result in the pup not receiving all the nutrition it needs, and therefore its body will have to shut down some functions. This is to ensure essential functions get all the necessary nutrition.

4. Parasites.

Through your research or your experience as a dog owner, you know that ticks and fleas can be terrible for your dog. You may never have gotten to this extent, but the bites from ticks and fleas can actually cause your dog to lose its fur. This can sometimes manifest as bald patches across the dog’s entire body. If you don’t pay much attention to it, this can lead to your dog developing even more intense conditions, which will only increase the rate at which it is losing fur.