When Do German Shepherds Lose Their Puppy Coat?

German Shepherds of all ages are typically heavy year-round shedders. Yet, puppies, in particular, will start to shed more when they’re around four to six months old.

Not to worry; it’s completely normal. The reason for their noticeable increase in shedding is that this is when they start to grow in a new adult coat. For this to happen, their baby fur has to go.

Yet, unlike other breeds where they shed their hair all at once. It happens gradually over the course of a week or two.

You’ll start to notice that more of their fine baby fur is shedding. It then gets replaced with a new, coarser, denser coat.

Keep reading to learn more about when these adorable puppies and their coats.

Losing the Puppy Coat

At Birth

German Shepherd puppies are born with a dense, fluffy coat that keeps them warm and snug. It was also thick enough to keep him protected from bumps and falls.

Keep in mind that German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) are curious learners. So, they don’t take very long before they begin to venture out away from Mom and start exploring their surroundings.

That soft, but highly dense, coat helps reduce their risk of injury.

A Young Pup

When they’re about 4–6 months old, GSDs are still in their puppy stage.

It’s worth mentioning that they don’t fully mature into adulthood until they’re almost three years old.

Yet, when they’re between four and six months old, they begin replacing the soft, fuzzy puppy fur with a thicker, denser, two-layered coat.

You probably know by now that German Shepherds are big shedders anyway. Although, during that time, there will be a distinct increase in shedding.

All of their hair won’t suddenly fall out all at once. Instead, it’s a gradual process that takes several weeks.

Then, they’ll go back to their average amount of shedding.

Adult Double-Layered Coats

After this initial period, you’ll notice that your soft, furry pup isn’t so fuzzy anymore.

Yet, don’t be alarmed when you’re met with tight, stiff fur when your pooch comes in for a snuggle. That’s just his new adult outer coat starting to grow in.

GSDs have a medium-length coat that consists of two layers: an undercoat and an outer coat.

The undercoat is the one closest to their skin. It’s fuzzy and soft, and it’s a lot similar to the one they had when they were puppies.

This fuzzy layer is thick with fluffy hairs that are relatively short, measuring less than two inches on average.

It serves one primary purpose: to keep the dog comfy and cozy all winter long.

Then, you have the outer top coat. This is what you feel when you’re petting your German Shepherd.

This top outer coat is made up of rough, wiry, heavy hairs designed to keep dirt and moisture away from the dog’s body. It comes in three different lengths: short, medium, and long.

Even though GSDs shed non-stop all year long, there are two times during the year when their shedding becomes excessive.

In the spring, they ‘blow,’ or shed, their coat to stay cool during the hot summer months. They do this again in the fall to make room for a new, thicker coat to grow in preparation for winter.

This ability to adapt is one of the reasons why GSDs are great at functioning in all kinds of various weather conditions.

Grooming Your German Shepherd

Short-Haired

Short-haired German Shepherds are the easiest to groom. That said, they still do a lot of shedding, and their fur is just as susceptible to getting tangled and matted up.

Thus, the best type of grooming brushes for this short-haired breed is pin brushes. It helps remove tangles and dirt. They also work to eliminate pests, such as fleas and ticks.

Medium-Haired

Depending on the length of their fur, they’ll either need a pin or a slicker brush.

Slicker brushes work best with dogs that have wiry hair. They have short, thin wires placed close together on a flat surface designed to effectively remove mats, dirt, and pests.

Those with hair on the longish side will also benefit from an undercoat rake.

Long-Haired

To keep their coats slick, shiny, and tangle-free, long-haired GSDs do well with an undercoat rake.

As the name suggests, this grooming tool has many tiny, curved, sharp blades placed close together. It’s designed to remove dead layers of the undercoat to maintain your dog’s overall health and help him feel cooler.

It also helps break up mats and remove loose hairs.

Dogs with a long outer coat will also need a slicker brush to ensure their fur is clean, knot-free, and shinier than ever.

Health Benefits

Grooming is an essential part of your dog’s care and maintenance routine. The primary function of dog grooming is to keep your German Shepherd’s coat shiny and glossy.

For GSDs, grooming is vital to help you manage and take care of their hair, mainly because there’s so much of it!

Experts recommend brushing your GSD’s hair 2–3 times a week for best results.

Here are a few common health benefits of regularly grooming your German Shepherd:

• It prevents the undercoat and outer coat from getting knotted up or matted
• Gets rid of dead hair, dandruff, dirt, and debris stuck in the fur
• Stimulates the skin and hair’s natural oils, which give the coat a healthy, glossy sheen
• Helps control shedding

Emotional Benefits

In addition to providing your pooch with many health benefits, it also helps create a strong bond between you and your pet.

This is especially important because GSDs are such people lovers. They want to please you, which is why you’ll notice that he’s always seeking your approval in everything he does.

So, being the friendly, fun-loving dog that he is, grooming becomes a special way for the two of you to spend quality time together.

Check out more emotional benefits grooming has on your German Shepherd:

• Increases the special bond you have with your furry four-legged friend
• It makes your pooch calmer and more relaxed
• The positive reinforcement dogs get during grooming makes them more confident
• Fosters positive behavior

Paul S.

Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.