I have 2 GSD`s an 8yr old short haired bitch and a 20month old long haired male. Both of which have extremely thick undercoats.  The bitch moults twice a year and the moulting lasts at least 8 weeks!  in fact she has just finished moulting and has now a lovely coat.  However the young one has just started to moult, blowing his undercoat everywhere.  He last moulted last May when he was just a year and lost stacks of his great thick puppy coat, however his undercoat came back, I am just puzzled as to why he is moulting now, especially as we have the coldest weather to come.  It is not because of the central heating as he doesnt like the heat andwhen indoors spends most of the time in the kitchen or bathroom which both have cool tiles on the floor. In fact he would spend all of his time outside given the chance.  I dont know why but I thought dogs moulted in the spring and late Autumn, so they have the correct coat for the seasons, or do they moult anytime of the year.??

You're right, dogs generally do moult twice a year - once from January till June, and again from July to December! :D :D Seriously though, the weather's been really unusual this winter, with reports in the paper of no snow in Moscow or New York, and animals waking early from hibernation, and butterflies and flowers out early because it hasn't been cold yet. Your dog's body probably assumes that winter's been and gone so there's no point in maintaining the winter coat!

>do moult twice a year - once from January till June, and again from July to December!<

ROFL :-D :-D good one JG

Oh yes we are coming up to that wonderful time again where I can,t see the carpet for GSD hair.My two are just starting to get undressed now.
God bless the dyson
I never understand why my girls cast their coats when the cold snap is reportedly on the way but then again I,m not as clever as them and never will be so I,ll just merrily keep on pushing round the hoover.

I dont worry about when they blow thier coat I just deal with it when required :) if its coming out then take it out.

My GSD has been moulting in clumps for ages, we have a permantly hair covered carpet, despite daily grooming.
Is it legal to shave a dog in winter

Shaving doesn't stop moulting, though - it falls out at the same rate. It just makes the shed hair shorter!

My Malinois always moult twice a year and one of the times is always in January. I find it speeds the process up a LOT if I bath them and brush as much of the undercoat out as I can, with a rake whilst they're still wet in the bath! I also give Keeper's Mix and it helps a lot too. Being shortcoated dogs it's incredible how much fur comes off them -bagfulls. The positive side being the rest of the year there's nothing.

Our Swedish lapphund only cast his coat once every 5 years - common for dogs in the breed but the bitches seemed to cast their coats every season :-( . In between he used to lose some undercoat but not very much, however when it did go it was like having 5 Dakko's in the house, one running around and 4 in the hoover!!

When i decided on a golden I was aware that there was going to be a hair issue, and then about 3 months ago, I was pleasantly surpirsed to find I didn't have to do the carpet shuffle as often or for as long......then about 2 weeks ago I noticed great clouds of hair coming off her if she so much as sneezed :rolleyes: and have to VAC, strenuously about once a day. If I don't it looks like it's snowed!

Anyway, if she's loosing all her fur because it's not so cold, what about when (which no doubt it will) we have a really cold spell? It was freezing last year from February - till about the end of March - will she get a thicker coat?