Brittanys & Shedding: Here’s Exactly What To Expect

If you are considering a Brittany dog you might be wondering how much shedding to expect from this breed. Here’s everything you need to know.

How Much Do Brittanys Shed?
Brittany dogs shed moderately. You should expect some shedding all-year-round. It has a single-layered coat which means it does not shed extensively in the main shedding seasons either. You should expect to brush it biweekly to avoid too much dog hair in the house.

But of course, there’s much more to say about this topic.

Here’s some more in-depth information.

Brittany Shedding Information

The Brittanys’ are easy to keep.

They require very little grooming and you only need to brush them once or twice per week. It’s the ideal dog for people who like to keep a dog without having to groom and brush it every day.

If you want to keep as much dog hair off your couches and carpets as possible, you will need to brush it biweekly. It’s simply not possible to avoid the fine little hair without putting in some effort.

That being said, the dog needs almost no grooming because it has a very strong and sturdy coat.

The coat is always covered with straight hair. You never find a Brittany dog with curly or wiry hair. This is also part of the reason why you don’t need to spend much time grooming and brushing your Brittany.

It’s a little hard to explain exactly how much shedding to expect from this breed because it is positioned in the middle of the shedding scale.

Under one and you have shedding monsters like Labradors and Golden Retrievers and on the other end, you have the dogs that shed very little.

In the middle, you find the Brittanys which are fairly easy to handle when it comes to keeping your house clean from dog hair.

As long as you have a good vacuuming routine you will be just fine.

The hair doesn’t get tangled up too easily and you don’t need to brush it daily. Even when you are coming home from long walks or if you have been wrestling with him on the lawn. It’s a very low maintenance coat so it’s great for dog owners who don’t like to spend a lot of time with the brushes and de-shedding tools.

The above information applies to both the American Brittany and the French Brittany breeds.

Both of these breeds need very little grooming and they will not shed very much. There are slight differences in the colors and the French Brittany is a little more compact and they can have a darker coat that is almost black.

Help, My Brittany Is Shedding Extensively

If you find your Brittany dog to be shedding extensively there might be something wrong.

It’s important that you pay close attention to what is going on because it’s not normal to see a lot of shedding going on with this specific breed.

Here are some of the most common reasons why we sometimes see Brittany dogs start shedding more than usual.

1. They are stressed
   Whenever dogs feel stressed or if they are worried or feeling anxiety, they will typically start shedding more. This is because the skin retracts itself when the dog becomes surprised, stressed, or excited. This is very normal and if it happens over a longer period of time (like a week or longer) you need to make sure the dog gets the more quiet environment.
2. They need fatty acids
   All dog breeds need sufficient amounts of fatty acids in order to well maintain a healthy coat. And Brittanys’ is no exception to this rule. You need to make sure to feed the dog with proper dog food. They should have dog food that is primarily based on meat and not grain. The cheapest dog food is based on corn and this is no good for your Brittany. It needs to meat-based diet with lots of nutrients and some fatty acids.
3. They have been bitten by parasites
   It might also be the case that your dog has been bitten by mites or fleas, or other similar parasites.
   When this happens, you need to take your Brittany to the vet immediately. This is important in order to get it the proper treatment it needs. When the parasites have been removed the shedding should stop after a few days and the dog should also stop scratching itself because the itching goes away.

There are many other reasons why dogs might start shedding extensively.

We have written a long list of all the most common reasons (and solutions) to extensive shedding.

A Great Trick to Reduce the Shedding Indoor…

If your dog is shedding more than usual it’s a great idea to use anti-itch shampoo. This way you can limit the amount of hair that ends up on your sofas and floors.

Use a good de-shedding tool (more below) to get the hairs off outdoors or in the shower. And then you can use this shampoo to make sure the dog doesn’t scratch itself too much indoor.

You can find this shampoo right here (our recommendation) and you should also check our helpful list of must-haves for dog owners here. It’s a great checklist to run through!

How About The Puppies And Shedding?

You should expect your Brittany puppy to shed more during the time it changes the puppy coat for an adult coat. This typically happens when the dog is around 6 to 8 months old.

During this time, you will need to brush and groom the dog daily.

Otherwise, you would have dog hair all over your furniture and carpets. It’s important to establish a good routine during these couple of weeks in order for the dog to get used to the brushing.

It’s always good to teach your puppy that brushing the coat is a good thing and something you can enjoy together with your owner.

We recommend you use these rubber gloves which give the dog a nice rub whenever you groom it. They are very easy to use and they are also a great tool to help you when you are showering your dog.

You can find a link to these rubber gloves here as well as brushes we recommend.

You shouldn’t show your Brittany more than once per month and in most cases, it will be sufficient with 3 to 4 showers per year. This is to make sure that the skin maintains a good moisture balance.

If you shower it too frequently, the skin will dry out and you also need to make sure to always use a very mild shampoo.

You can find the shampoo’s we recommend here.

During the shower, it’s a very good time to do some de-shedding with the gloves we showed above. They are ideal for showering your dog because you are in full control of the brushing and de-shedding when the “tool” is attached to your hands.

It makes everything so much easier because you might struggle a bit with the puppy the first couple of times you try to shower it. It’s the perfect timing for removing some dog hair in order to avoid getting them everywhere in your house or apartment.

Additional Questions

Are Brittany Dogs Hypoallergenic?

Brittany dogs are not hypoallergenic. They have a moderate amount of shedding so you will have to deal with dog hair and this will leave dander in your home. This doesn’t work well with people who are allergic to dog hair.

Are Brittany Dogs Easy To Groom?

Presented dogs are very easy to groom because the hair is straight and they require very little brushing. You only need to brush it once or twice per week and you don’t need to remove tangles and knots from the coat.

In Closing

I hope you learned everything you needed to know about the Brittany breed and shedding.

I would like to finish off by letting you know that this is indeed a very easy breed to keep indoors when we are talking about dog hairs and grooming.

As long as should do regular vacuum cleaning and you remember to brush your Brittany weekly you will do just fine. You don’t have to groom it and brush it in order to maintain a healthy coat.

Brushing is only necessary if you want to keep the amount of dog hair to an absolute minimum in your house.

Good luck with your Brittany you will never regret getting one of these amazing creatures!

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