Dog Blowing Coat: What It Means and How to Get Through It

Blowing coat is the seasonal undercoat dump that hits double-coated dogs – huskies, malamutes, goldens, samoyeds, kelpies, cattle dogs – twice a year. In Australia that’s roughly September to November and March to May. It runs 2 to 4 weeks, looks alarming and is normal. Brush daily with an undercoat rake, never shave and watch for patchy spots that don’t regrow.

A bin liner of hair – that’s roughly what a fully blowing husky drops over a fortnight in a Brisbane spring. Three weeks later, the dog has a tidy summer coat and you have a vacuum that needs a new filter. The shock for first-time double-coat owners is the volume, not the process. The process is normal. The volume just looks like the dog is falling apart.

What ‘blowing coat’ actually means

A dog blowing coat is wearing two layers. The outer one is the guard coat – longer, coarser, water-shedding. Underneath sits a soft, dense undercoat that does the temperature work. When daylight hours shift, hormonal signals tell the undercoat to release. The follicles let go in waves, and the dead undercoat lifts up through the guard hairs in chunks. That’s the blow. It isn’t a fault, a stress response or anything you caused. It’s how the dog gets out of its winter underwear before summer.

Single-coated dogs – maltese, cavoodle, poodle, bichon – don’t go through this at all. They shed steadily, slowly and without the dramatic clumps. If your dog isn’t double-coated and is suddenly losing hair in handfuls, jump to the vet section.

When AU dogs blow

The AU calendar is where most online advice falls over – almost every other guide uses US autumn and winter timing.

In southern AU – Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide – most double-coated dogs blow their winter coat in early to mid spring, roughly September through early November. Up north – Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin – the same blow tends to come earlier and run longer, because daylight changes slower and humidity holds the dead undercoat against the skin instead of letting it lift away. North of Coffs Harbour you can be deshedding into late December.

The smaller autumn blow runs March to May, when the dog drops its lighter summer coat and starts laying down the heavier winter layer. Indoor dogs that live mostly under air-conditioning often blow on a confused half-schedule, year-round, because their bodies can’t read the seasonal cues clearly. We see this most with Sydney apartment Australian working breeds – kelpies and cattle dogs whose bodies want to behave like outdoor dogs and whose homes won’t let them.

The breeds it hits hardest

Not every double coat blows the same. The four groups worth naming, in roughly descending order of volume:

Northern spitz breeds – Siberian husky, Alaskan malamute, samoyed, akita. The most dramatic blowers. A husky in full blow can drop close to a kilogram of undercoat across three weeks.

Long-double pet breeds – golden retriever, bernese mountain dog, Newfoundland, great pyrenees. Heavy, long undercoat that mats as it lifts if you don’t brush daily.

Working herders – border collie, Australian shepherd, kelpie, blue heeler. Less volume than a husky, but still serious. These are most of Australia’s working farm dogs and they all blow.

Short-double sturdies – labrador, beagle, pug, corgi and similarly built medium breeds. Short coats, but the undercoat is there and it releases on the same calendar – just less visibly.

Single-coated dogs (poodles, maltese, bichon, Portuguese water dog) do not blow. If a single-coat is shedding in chunks, that’s a vet visit – not a brush session. For more on AKC coat types if you’re unsure which camp your dog sits in.

Day-by-day management

Brush every day.

Not every second day, every day. Skip three days and you’ll be picking matted undercoat off the dog’s flanks instead of out of the brush.

Undercoat rake first.

A double-row rake or shedding blade does the heavy lifting in 10 minutes. Wahl, Furminator and Yours Droolly versions sit between $25 and $55 at Petbarn or Pet Circle.

Slicker brush second.

The rake pulls clumps; the slicker smooths the coat and catches the last loose hairs.

Bathe once a week, not more.

Wash loosens undercoat that’s ready to release. Use a deshedding or standard dog shampoo in warm water – never hot. Towel dry, then brush again before the coat dries completely.

Hit the hidden spots.

Behind the ears, under the front legs, the breeches (back of the thighs), base of the tail. Most blow lives under the dog where owners don’t see it.

A salon or mobile deshed groom in metro AU runs $90 to $160 in 2026 – worth booking once mid-blow if you want a reset, especially for huskies and malamutes (the difference in coat behaviour between the two is covered in this husky vs malamute breakdown).

The tools that earn their place during a blow

Three brushes matter, the rest can stay in the drawer.

Undercoat rake (double-row preferred). The workhorse for huskies, malamutes, samoyeds and goldens. About $35 to $45 at Petbarn.

Furminator deshedding tool. Sharp, fast, easy to overdo. Three to four strokes per area, then move on. Strip too much and you damage the guard coat.

Slicker brush. The finisher. Smooths the coat and lifts anything the rake left behind.

Skip the rubber grooming gloves for an active blow. They’re fine between blows for short coats, but they don’t reach the undercoat layer of a husky or a samoyed.

Common mistakes

Five mistakes show up in the salon every spring.

Shaving the dog because they ‘look hot’. The undercoat is the cooling layer. Shave it and you get worse heat regulation, sunburn risk and sometimes post-clip alopecia where the coat regrows patchy and dull. The Australian Veterinary Association position on canine coat care is clear on this.

Brushing only the back. Most blow lives under the flanks, breeches and behind the ears. Lift legs, lift tail, work the spots the dog hides.

Bathing every day to ‘get the hair out’. Strips skin oils, makes the coat dry and brittle, and the blow doesn’t finish any faster.

Using the Furminator like a regular brush. It cuts the guard coat if you over-stroke. Three passes per spot, max.

Assuming all heavy shedding is a blow. Patchy hair loss, smelly skin, persistent itching or a coat that doesn’t regrow is a vet job – not a brush job.

When the shed isn’t a blow

A blow is even, all over, undercoat-deep and stops in 2 to 4 weeks. Anything else deserves another set of eyes.

Patchy bald spots – round, coin-sized, mostly symmetrical – can mean hypothyroidism, especially in middle-aged labradors, goldens and dobermans. Dry, flaky skin alongside heavy shed can mean food or contact allergy. Bilateral hair loss on the flanks that doesn’t regrow can mean follicular dysplasia or hormonal disease. Hot spots, scabs and constant scratching usually mean flea allergy dermatitis even when you can’t see the fleas.

The simple rule: if the shed pattern is symmetrical and the dog otherwise looks healthy, it’s a blow. If the skin looks angry, the coat doesn’t regrow, or the dog is itchy or lethargic, book a vet visit. A PIAA-accredited groomer will usually flag dogs they think need a vet check before the deshed.

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