The charming King Charles Spaniel makes a good family canine since they can adjust to any lifestyle. They are the largest toy breeds and are athletic as a true sporting canine breed. They love running on the beach, hiking, and playing dog sports like flyball and agility. Spaniels are friendly and tend to socialize well with kids and other animals.
They love human interaction and should not be left alone for a long time because they can easily suffer from separation anxiety. This breed’s unique feature is their stunning coat, which is smooth and medium in length and feathery around the chest, ears, and legs. And today, I will take you through everything you need to know about their shedding.
Do King Charles Spaniels shed? The simple answer is yes; they do shed. They are considered to be moderate shedders all year round. Therefore, you have to decide to cope with the shedding and learn how to minimize it; otherwise, you will have hair all over your house. This is usually more important to allergy sufferers to help reduce allergens that cause allergic reactions.
Before welcoming a canine into your house, there is always a lot to consider. For example, where is he going to eat, sleep, play, or who is going to walk them each day? But every pet parent’s biggest concern is typical, do they shed? The good news is that Spaniels are a small canine breed, so even if they shed, their hair won’t be a huge problem for you.
This article also has tips on reducing and managing the Spaniel’s shedding. So, if you love them, you will only have to groom them properly and feed them an optimal diet to keep their shedding under control.
How Much Do King Charles Spaniels Shed
Maybe you are a new King Charles Spaniel owner, and you wonder how much they shed? These dogs have smooth, medium-length hair that sheds moderately throughout the year. This means that you will likely see hair on your couch and floor. They are not the lowest shedding breed, nor are they heavy shedders.
The good news is that their fur doesn’t require high maintenance like other canine breeds, and you can also manage and reduce their shedding. Read through to find out all the possible ways of reducing and managing your King Charles Spaniel’s shedding.
Why Do King Charles Spaniels Shed?
Nearly all dogs shed, and your King Charles Spaniels will shed to get rid of loose hairs and replace them with a new and healthy one. Furthermore, shedding is a normal process as it helps dogs regulate their body temperature. The shedding varies on the breed type, health, and seasons.
The King Charles Spaniels are not born with their adulthood coat, so they shed their puppy coats mostly between 1and 2 years while growing their permanent fur. However, the only thing you can do to reduce and manage your dog’s shedding is by grooming them regularly and feeding them a proper diet with all the necessary nutrients to maintain healthy fur.
Shedding Seasons and Frequency
Which time of the year do King Charles Spaniels shed? The Spaniels will shed more during spring and fall. They will shed to have a lighter coat during summer seasons and a thicker one during winter. Therefore, regular brushing and grooming are needed to keep up with the increased shedding. However, if your pup is mostly indoors and is susceptible to the lighting inside, he is likely to shed all year round. Females are known to shed longer if they have litter after every heat.
Unhealthy Shedding
As much as shedding is normal in every canine breed, your King Charles Spaniel should not be shedding in clumps. King Charles Spaniels are prone to certain diseases like Cushing’s disease, whose main symptom is augmented molting. So, if you are concerned about your dog’s shedding, it is worth consulting a skilled vet to help you determine what could be the cause.
That being said, some of the common causes of unhealthy shedding in dogs are allergies, parasites, poor diet, stress, and infections. Whereas the symptoms you should watch out for include having bald patches on their skin, open sores, itching, etc.
What Type of Coat Does King Charles Spaniels Have?
The Kings Charles Spaniel’s fur is silky and medium in length. This canine breed doesn’t have an undercoat, thus reducing their shedding levels. Unlike dogs with double coats, single-coated Spaniels won’t shed much fur. Their single coat means they have fewer hairs on their body. They also have a long fluffy bunch on their chest, tails, ears, and feet.
The King Charles Spaniels come in four distinct colors. For example, we have black and tan, ruby (rich red color), white, and lastly, the tricolored with black, white, and tan markings. A dog’s type of coat will also affect its shedding levels.
How to Manage and Reduce King Charles Spaniels Shedding
Before you change your mind about adopting the loving King Charles Spaniels, we have some ways to help keep their shedding under control. Nobody wants to end up with dogs’ fur all over their house and clothes. King Charles Spaniels are not the worst shedders, but they do shed irrespective. This is where you learn how to manage and reduce your dog’s shedding once you have answered the question, do King Charles Spaniels shed?
King Charles Spaniels Grooming
The first step to managing and reducing shedding is by maintaining a proper grooming routine It is the most effective way to reduce and manage your dog’s shedding. Grooming removes loose and excess hair while redistributing natural skin oils evenly to promote healthy fur and reduce shedding. Always brush your dog regularly to remove the dead hair before they get a chance to fall out during shedding.
This is also a good remedy for allergy sufferers to help reduce the amount of dander in your home. While brushing your Spaniels, look out for any sign of excess shedding on their skin, like bald patches. Many Spaniel parents say a slicker brush is the best because it has firmly packed short wire pins that can scope through the fur.
Some active outdoor King Charles Spaniels will need daily brushing because they collect debris and dirt in their coats while outside. It would be best if you also considered brushing your pup daily during the seasonal shedding to keep up with their increased molting.
King Charles Spaniels Diet
What you feed your King Charles Spaniels can greatly affect their overall health and shedding levels. A poor diet can cause your Spaniel to shed more. So, ensure that you feed your King Charles Spaniels an optimal diet to help improve the health of their coat, thus minimizing shedding. In addition, ensure your
Spaniel has access to water throughout because dehydration can result to dry skin and increased shedding. Your vet should be able to help you choose the high-quality diet your pup needs.
Baths, Supplements…
Bathing is another way to manage and reduce your dog’s shedding. Bathing your Spaniel helps capture dead hair before they fall off and spread all over your furniture and house. It would be best only to bathe them once a week to keep them odor-free and maintain healthy fur. Remember that overbathing is not good for your King Charles Spaniels. It can strip them of their natural oils, thus leading to dry skin that causes shedding.
You can consider adding supplements like olive and flaxseed oils to your pup’s diet. These supplements contain Omega 3 fatty acids that improve the health of your dog’s coat.
Are Kings Charles Spaniels Hypoallergenic?
A canine breed is considered hypoallergenic if they are less likely to trigger allergic reactions in allergy sufferers. Some of those symptoms you will experience if you have dog allergies include running nose, itchy eyes, difficulty breathing, coughing, and sneezing. These allergies are caused by allergens found in dogs’ urine, saliva, fur, and dander.
The allergens attach to the fur and are released into the environment during shedding. That is why low-none shedders are often considered hypoallergenic; they tend to transmit fewer allergens than moderate-high shedding breeds.
Unfortunately, King Charles Spaniels are not considered hypoallergenic because of their shedding tendencies. But if you have mild allergies and are still determined to own one, you can reduce shedding by feeding him a high-quality diet and maintaining a proper grooming routine.
Other ways to reduce allergens and minimize your chances of an allergic attack include:
- Invest in a HEPA air filter to capture allergens in the air.
- Make your bedroom a no-dog zone; otherwise, they will leave fur and dander on your beddings, which can affect you during sleep. You can always keep the bedroom door closed to prevent him from entering inside.
- Vacuum and dust your house frequently to remove any allergens that might trigger your allergies
- Avoid touching your eyes after petting your pup; instead, always wash your hands thoroughly after being with your dog to avoid such accidents.
- Brush your canine outside the house and ensure you wear gloves while on it, or you can ask someone else to do it for you if possible.
- Restrict your dog to a specific area where they can always take a nap to contain their hair and make it easier to clean
- Visit your allergist and seek medications to help with your allergies. Some allergy pills are even found over the counter.
That being said, for severe allergy sufferers, I wouldn’t recommend this breed. Luckily, there are several breeds that are considered allergy-friendly, including the Standard Schnauzer, Spanish Water Dogs, Portuguese Water Dog, Poodle, and Maltese, to name a few.