Miko is 15 months and has not even began blowing coat. I was told by the vet that I should expect her to do this after her one year mark when the warm weather comes. Granted here is upstate NY its not exactly warm yet. And I do brush her weekly. I also take her to petsmart to have her groomed. Should I be concerned that she hasn't begun a coat change?

If it's still pretty cold where you're at, and you brush and groom her, you may not see a coat change just yet. I think depending on your climate, it'll vary. I think Val mentioned somewhere in another topic that her boy used to blow coat 8 months out of the year because at the time, she lived in Florida. We just adopted my boy and he came from Kansas in April, we adopted him on April 17th and we thought he wasn't going to be blowing coat. Well, we're not seeing that he's got a lot to brush out!

So I think blowing coat time with vary by individual and by your climate.

If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will chime in and correct me.

Blowing more varies by individual dog. Koda would blow coat the same in Postdam, NY as he does down here and it's definitely colder longer up there. Huskies generally blow with the seasons, but it's just as common for some to blow in the middle of summer or in the dead of winter (when Koda likes to blow ).

However, like Claudia said, if you keep her regularly groomed, you probably won't be seeing the typical blow that huskies get as she'll be shedding it more steadily at the groomers

It definitely depends on several factors including the individual dog, climate, and season. Some start their first coat blow earlier than others, some get their first before turning a year old and others start later. I am surprised that Miko has not blown coat by the 15 month mark but that just means you should be counting your blessings! I wouldn't be concerned at all and I would bet it won't be too long before she starts...then you'll be wishing she hadn't! lol

Regular brushing at home and at the groomer does help CONSIDERABLY in keeping it under control and making the official coat blowing a little less painful. But believe me, when she finally starts blowing it will still be a LOT.

Also keep in mind that when she starts blowing coat, the length of time that individual dogs will blow will vary as well. Some sibes blow coat for only 2 weeks while others blow coat for a good 2 months, and many tend to blow on average somewhere in between that range. My sibe blows coat for a full 2 months, aren't I lucky? There are even differences in how individual sibes do their bi-annual shedding. Some blow coat while others moult. Moulting tends to be more patchy and leaves the coat looking much more uneven as giant "patches" of fur come out. Blowing tends to be much more even as the dog loses fur fairly evenly throughout the coat. I think blowing coats are much more common than moulting but be prepared for either and don't freak out if you have a moulter on your hands, it's normal.


Just to offer examples of how different climates can affect an individual dogs blowing pattern, take my boy who has lived in Mukilteo, WA; Orlando, FL; and Charleston, SC...

Mukilteo, WA - he blew coat twice a year (February & October) for 2 months each blow and had slightly increased shedding in July.

Orlando, FL - he blew coat 4 times a year (January, April, July, October) for 2 months each blow and had a decent amount of shedding all year round even when not blowing coat.

Charleston, SC - he blows coat twice a year (January & October) and has slightly increased shedding in the warmest summer months.

One thing that climate does not affect is how long he blows coat, that stays at 2 months regardless of how many times a year he blows coat.

Since you're so far north I am sure you'll just have the normal bi-annual shedding once Miko kicks it into gear.

If you haven't looked at it already, here's an older thread on shedding: Shedding?.........

Thanks everyone. Guess I just have to be patient. My vet thinks I am a paranoid parent because I call regularly with questions. Glad to finally have feedback from experienced owners.

I thought the little tufts of fur was coming from Ginger...but today, I found out it's from Storm! And I thought we escaped his shedding cycle, but from this video, he's just started...Jenn busted her shedding blade out...and it snowed fur...

Wow, Storm's blowing coat and you have Jenn doing the de-shedding! How did you manage that one?! lol

Wow what a video of my ass! I have hair all over the back yard! It was just coming out in rows