Most double-coated dogs shed heavily twice a year, in a process called “blowing the coat.” Spring shedding, which usually lasts from March through June, is typically the more intense of the two, since the dog is releasing its entire winter undercoat at once. Fall shedding, usually September through November, tends to be lighter, since the dog is growing in a new coat rather than dropping one.
Climate can change that pattern as well. Dogs in colder regions tend to shed more predictably along that twice-a-year schedule, since the temperature swing between seasons is sharper. Dogs in warmer climates can shed four times a year or continuously, since there’s less of a clear seasonal trigger. Dogs that live primarily indoors, with consistent heating and air conditioning, often shed lightly year-round instead of in two distinct bursts, since their body never gets a strong enough seasonal signal to time the shed.
This is also why double-coated dogs shed more, in total, than single-coated breeds: they’re losing an entire insulating layer twice a year, on top of the slower, steady shedding every dog experiences as hair naturally cycles through growth and replacement.
