Do German Shepherds Shed A Lot? How Much?

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

The German Shepherd is the second-most-popular dog in the United States, behind only the Labrador Retriever. They can make great family pets and can be an excellent addition to any home that has the time and energy to meet their needs.

If you’re looking at bringing home a German Shepherd, you probably have a lot of questions. At the top of your list might be: “Do German Shepherds shed?”

Let’s talk about if, when, and how much German Shepherds shed along with grooming and nutrition solutions you can use to reduce how much fur flies around your house.

Table of Content

Do German Shepherds Shed?

Yes. German Shepherds shed a little bit all year long, and they “blow” their undercoat anywhere from one to four times per year, when the seasons change.

While most of the year, you’ll just see a few hairs left behind when your Shepherd stands up, a German Shepherd blowing its coat will leave tufts of fur tumbleweeds floating around your home.

How Much Do German Shepherds Shed?

It’s fair to say that German Shepherds shed a lot. Most of the year, the shedding is manageable with a couple of brush-outs per week, but one to four times per year, your GSD will lose all of their undercoat at once.

During this time, they may need an hour or more of brushing to remove most of the clumps of fur that are falling out to prevent fur tumbleweeds that can make your home resemble a Wild West town.

A professional groomer has additional tools to help remove as much undercoat as possible, like a high-velocity dryer.

Used outside, a high-velocity dryer for dogs can blast massive amounts of undercoat out of your German Shepherd more gently and effectively than any brush.

Are There Any Non-Shedding German Shepherds?

No, all German Shepherds have a double coat, with an outer coat that protects the dog’s skin from the elements and an undercoat that offers extra insulation during certain seasons, then sheds when it isn’t needed anymore.

When Does a German Shepherd Shed? Is There a Shedding Season?

German Shepherds shed a little bit all the time, but they will shed their coat more one to four times per year, typically when the seasons change.

The biggest shed of the year will usually occur as spring turns into summer as body temperature rises, but any season changes can cause your Shepherd to “blow” their undercoat.

Do Some German Shepherd Coat Types Shed More than Others?

No, all German Shepherds shed regardless of coat color or length. With that being said, long-haired German Shepherds can become matted when they blow their coat if it isn’t brushed out in a timely manner, so they need more proactive brushing than GSDs with the typical shorter coat.

The German Shepherd Coat

A GSD’s coat involves coarse outer coat hairs that protect the dog’s skin from the sun, burrs, insects, and other irritants as well as a fluffy undercoat that helps provide insulation during certain seasons and “blows out” after each season.

While the coarse guard hairs shed from time to time, most of the hair that sheds is the fluffy undercoat.

6 Tips for Managing German Shepherd Shedding

Even though you can’t stop your Shepherd from shedding, there are things you can do to help minimize the impact your GSD’s shedding has on your home.

#1 – Keep Your Dog as Healthy as Possible

While there is little you can do to reduce the amount of fur that sheds during the seasonal blowout, there are some things you can do to reduce how much your German Shepherd sheds the rest of the year. One of the things you can do is to keep your dog as healthy as possible.

A top suggestion is to spend a little extra money feeding your dog a higher-quality diet. (Check out our dog food recommendations for large dogs) Why?

Cheap dog food is the equivalent of junk food for humans. It includes poor-quality ingredients and lots of filler that may keep your dog full but don’t have much nutritional value.

If you aren’t already aware of the health problems that people who eat too much junk food can face, check out the documentary “Super Size Me.” Dogs can suffer many of the same health problems, and shedding is one more side effect of eating a low-quality diet.

Another way to reduce how much your dog sheds is to keep them on a flea and tick preventative, such as Seresto or Frontline Plus. Flea infestations can cause intense itching, and the more your GSD scratches themselves, the more loose hair they’ll kick out of their fur and into the air of your home.

One overlooked cause of itching in dogs is food allergies. If your vet has ruled out fleas or skin problems, food allergies may be causing your dog to be itchier than usual. Some ingredients that are more likely to cause allergies in dogs include grains, corn, beef, and chicken.

If you suspect that your dog has food allergies, a hypoallergenic dog food can help you identify which ingredients are causing your dog problems.

While there are limited ingredient commercial diets on the market, you might also choose to cook for your dog at home so you can see exactly what ingredients are going into their food. Check out our recommendations on the best homemade dog food recipes here.

Did you know that stress can cause shedding? You may have noticed that your hair falls out more when you’re stressed out, and the same can happen to your dog. If your German Shepherd isn’t getting enough exercise or mental stimulation, boredom can lead to stress which can lead to shedding.

While nothing beats a long walk or a run at the dog park, interactive dog toys can help keep your German Shepherd entertained when you have to leave them alone. These puzzle toys can keep your dog’s brain engaged and help reduce boredom and stress.

ALSO SEE: The Best Food for a German Shepherd Puppy

#2 – Visit Your Vet Regularly

Some health conditions, such as hypothyroidism, can cause excessive shedding. Visiting the vet at least once a year can help catch serious health conditions before they become worse. Not only can this potentially reduce how much your German Shepherd sheds, but it can improve the length and quality of their life.

#3 – Brush Your German Shepherd Often

The best way to reduce how much hair your dog spreads around your home is to groom and brush them often to remove undercoat before it falls out by itself.

You can learn more grooming tips, tricks, and the best shedding brushes for German Shepherds in our guide: The 13 Best Dog Brushes and De-Shedding Tools.

But some of the shedding tools you should consider owning include:

Different tools get out different layers of hair, and overusing certain tools can lead to bald spots, so it’s best to rotate among several different tools to remove the most hair from your pup with the least chance of irritating their skin.

#4 – Give Your Dog an Omega-3 Supplement

Omega-3 is a fatty acid that helps improve your dog’s skin and coat. While most dog foods claim to include omega-3, it’s often damaged during the cooking process. It’s also important for your dog to get the right ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, and most dog foods are proportionately too high in omega-6.

Want to learn more about omega-3 and fish oil supplements? Check out our guide to the best fish oils supplements for dogs here.

#5 – Bathe Your GSD Regularly

One of the best ways to get hair out of your dog without any of it floating around your home is to give them a good bath, especially if you massage them with a rubber curry brush while they’re soaking in shampoo or conditioner.

If you wash your Shepherd in the bathtub, be sure to put a hair trap in the drain to prevent clogging up your plumbing with all the fur you’ll rinse out of your dog.

This is especially true if you use a shower attachment to rinse out hair and shampoo better than you can by just dumping water over your dog with a pitcher.

One caveat here: washing your German Shepherd more than once a month or so can dry out their skin and cause additional shedding. If you feel the need to wash your dog more than once a month, be sure to use a gentle shampoo along with a conditioner to minimize the risk of drying out your dog’s skin.

#6 – Keep Your Dog Hydrated

You may have noticed that your skin starts to dry out if you don’t drink enough water. The same holds true for your German Shepherd, and dry skin can lead to shedding.

Make sure your canine always has access to clean water. If you worry that your dog isn’t getting enough water, you can add moist canned food or certain fruits and vegetables (like cucumbers, bananas, and apple slices without seeds) to their diet to increase their moisture intake.

Can I Shave my Shepherd to Reduce Shedding?

When you’re fed up with your German Shepherd’s shedding, it can be tempting to give up on regular grooming and shave them down to reduce how much hair is around your house. This is a very bad idea for a number of reasons.

German Shepherds need their fur to protect them from the elements. In addition to opening your dog up to the chance of getting sunburned, shaving a GSD can also increase their risk of having a heat stroke because you’ve taken away one of the methods they use for regulating their temperature.
Repeated shaving can damage your German Shepherd’s coat. This is especially true if your dog has or develops certain health conditions. Post-clipping alopecia is a real problem among double-coated dogs and may cause the hair to grow back patchy, cottony, or not at all.
Your German Shepherd will still shed; the hairs will just be smaller. While this may seem like a good thing, take it from a former groomer – short hairs cause dog hair splinters more than naturally shed hairs, and those splinters can embed themselves in your clothing and furniture, making it harder to remove them.

Wrapping Up German Shepherd Shedding

In short, yes, German Shepherds do shed, but there are things you can do to reduce the impact of their shedding around your home. Unless you absolutely can’t stand the idea of having dog hair in your home, you shouldn’t let their shedding hold you back from bringing a GSD into your home if you think they’re the best breed for your family.