Shedding

[bajoiner]

Could anyone tell me how often Corgi's shed? Sassy shed in November and is now starting to shed again. We live in Florida if place of residence makes a difference.

bajoiner

[Corgis'R4me]

Originally Posted by bajoiner

Could anyone tell me how often Corgi's shed? Sassy shed in November and is now starting to shed again. We live in Florida if place of residence makes a difference.

bajoiner

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*~* Midnight & Sunshine are 7 months old now....& they DO NOT shed that much at all. I brush them everyday & I only give them a bath once a month.

I wonder...if diet/food has anything to do with possibly controlling some of the shedding ???

** Michael...what is your opinion ?? **

*~* Nikki

[Michael Romanos]

Go Corgi has devoted a lot of space to shedding. So go to Advance Search and type in the word: shedding.
But briefly, Corgis usually shed big twice yearly. But conditions eg weather, heat (natural or un-natural eg electric or gas heaters) and inside/outside living, do play a part. Some Corgis shed often - like a lot of minor sheds around the major ones. Corgis have some loose hair daily and that's a very good reason why they should be groomed daily - to get rid of a lot of the loose stuff. It just requires three -four minutes daily with a comb-brush-comb system - and don't forget their tummies and fronts, and monthly or three weekly baths. Climatic conditions also affect the thickness of the coat. The thicker the coat the more hair that is shed. Taylor has a thick double coat and he would obviously be much more luxuriously coated than Corgis born and raised in the Southern parts of the USA.
I doubt that a special diet will help "glue" a dog's coat so that shedding will lessen.

[Chip's Mom]

Digger was born in Northern New York - where it is 40 below for days. Short Summers and long winters. He always had a heavy corgi winter coat. When we moved to Tennessee, he still grew his heavy winter coat but he grew it and shedded it all year round. Lot's of fluff and Dig never liked to be brushed - it made for much fun and little clumps of Digger all over. Believe it or not but I miss his clumps.

[gailkate]

I'm sorry I don't know where to find "advanced search" because this is probably covered in detail somewhere. I'm not so concerned about shedding at the moment, I'm concerned about our Tosca getting overheated. We also have a little Cocker and we just did a minor clipping - some of the feathering under his legs - because it's HOT right now.

Both pups (~5 mos.) seem to get tired on a short walk, their little tongues hanging out, so I'm wondering if we need to clip the Corgi, too. Please don't everyone have a fit about messing up her coat - she's never going to be shown, just an adored family pet. I want her to be comfortable in extremely hot weather. She doesn't have her full coat yet, but the fur on her chest and around her neck is very dense.

[Michael Romanos]

I would never clip a Corgis coat because it would look just ghastly. When you take a Corgi in, you take every part of him/her. Weather conditions will influence the length of Toscar's coat. Don't take Corgis for walks in the hot parts of the day - Take him out early morning, late afternoon and in the evening. On a hot day were I live, I can go 'bush' with my Corgi ie walks in among the trees in forested, bushy reserves And I carry a cold water bottle that fits into a water container so that Taylor can have a drink any time. Taylor has the thickest of coats so on summer picnics and at agility meets etc in warm/hot weather, I make sure he has access to shade.

[darci]

I dont know if this is true or not, but I have read somewhere that the undercoat helps to keep them cool.
I cant remember where I read this, maybe someone could let us know if this is true.

[KatC]

gailkate - we live in a hot climate, Abby has a thick coat, almost a Fluffy. She is tri-colour, her back is very black which I am told will make her feel the heat more than a light coloured dog, however I am one of those who believe that the natural coat is an insulation against both heat and cold.

She is 17 months old and so far no heavy shedding, but we shall see what happens after this winter.

Re the short walks and tongues lolling right out, until Abby was about 15 months she would only walk a very short distance before insisting on lying down for a rest - after a minute would be ready to continue. Her tongue always hanging down - I carry water but she usually just has one lick at it.

Even now when she is playing her favourite game of ball in the back yard she will stop in the drop position and rest for about 30 secs (far side of yard with ball between paws and a big grin on her face), then gets up totally rejuvenated and expects me to carry on with the game, she repeats this until I am exhausted. Her tongue is always almost reaching the ground when playing.

[corgimom]

I am with y ou Michael, I would never clip a Corgis coat - With the hot
weather here this weekend, I have been taking Cody out in the late
evening for walks now or very early morning.

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

I know from way in the past that you could always tell an Aussie bred Pem at a conformation show in NZ by the length of their coat - they all seemed to be such short haired obviously due to the climate from which they came. But there are some parts of Australia very much like NZ - Victoria and Tasmania in particular. Here in NZ, a Corgi is able to have a full blown coat because of our temperate climate - and the Corgis from our South Island from the middle to the bottom are even thicker coated. Taylor was born near Christchurch which is in the mid-South Island.

[gailkate]

I do appreciate all your comments and the information about lolling tongues. I sure don't want to ruin her appearance, but her appearance isn't my first priority. I was thinking thinning shears, which wouldn't risk getting her too short or too choppy. I don't want her limited only to walks early or late in the day. She loves to play outside, and I'm thinking it isn't her fault that we got a dog bred for mild to cool climates whose coat wasn't intended for 94º (which is what we reached today).

I agree that the coat can be good insulation, but since a dog cools off only through its pads and panting, we must be vigilant about overheating. Just as we wouldn't leave a dog in a hot car, I think we have to protect them from conditions nature never intended.

[corgimom]

Gailkate

Your Corgi can still play outside when it is hot, but provide plenty of water,
maybe a wading pool and lots of shade and don't overdo it. Just like when
a child is outdoors in the hot weather, you make sure they don't overdo it
and they are well hydrated. Your Corgi will let you know when she has
had enough, by laying down in a cooler shaded area, and after she has
had enough of the hot outdoors, take her inside where it is cooler(I am
assuming you have air conditioning; she will appreciate it. Just save the
longer walks for the cooler times of the day. I just don't think the clipping is necessary.

linda

[corgimom]

Michael,

I was wondering if you have people in New Zealand that work in the dog grooming business that travel to peoples homes to groom their dogs? We have those here, where they come in their "mini motor home," and will groom your pet in their vehicle right in your own driveway. Quite a few people in our neighborhood utilize this service.

Linda