Shedding

[Australian Labradoodles]

We have 4 AL's, all non shedders.  Our female had 9 puppies and one of my puppy adopters is saying that his sheds.  This dog has a soft fleece coat, like several in the litter, and the others are fine.  The owner says that he's shedding "puffballs" all over.  The dog is almost 17 months old and should have lost his puppy fur long ago.  Does anyone have any ideas?  My girls only shed puffballs when they are in heat or pregnant but this dog has been neutered since he was 9 weeks old so hormones aren't the reason.   Thanks.

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

I get puffballs on my floor when Cooper's hair is long or I haven't brushed as well as I should. I think maybe some in the spring too - I assumed that was because of the coat change for summer. As long as she brushes the dog, they should all come out on the brush. Cooper is a multi-gen AL.

[Nugget's Family]

The only time our ALD (who is 3 years old now) ever shed puffballs of hair was when she was having a horrendous allergy season at age 2. Her skin was a mess. She has since been diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis and is under treatment recommended by a board certified dermatology vet who specializes in allergies. She is not shedding any more. She has a fleece coat and is an apricot creme "medium" (56 lbs) ALD. According to our breeder none of his other dogs have ever had this problem, but if there's a way you (as a breeder) can talk this over with other breeders, I think you will find it is not uncommon. (Our vet has other ALDs in her practice with the same condition.) My friend who has yellow labs has two dogs with this condition so maybe it runs through the lab line?

We have an Atopic Dermatitis support group here on DK in the groups area if you want to read more.

[sandy b]

I keep Max trimmed pretty short since it's really hot where we live but if I don't brush often we get the puffballs. Max was early neutered also so I really think it's all about the brushing.