German wirehaired pointer

How Much Do Pointers Shed? 8 Breeds Compared (With Pictures)

In Dogs by Morten Storgaard

Pointer dogs are really popular but how do they stack up against the other dog breeds when it comes to shedding?

How Much Do Pointers Shed?
The pointer breeds are moderate shedders and they don’t require much attention to the coat. They are double-coated breeds and will shed the winter coat toward the beginning of spring and the summer coat in the late fall. With regular brushing, you can keep shedding indoors to a minimum.

This is the very short answer and there is much more we can dig into, obviously.

Here are more details on the different types of pointer breeds.

Quick Tip
A great way to reduce the amount of shedding indoor is to use a great anti-itch shampoo. Check the products we recommend here. That makes sure the dog won’t scratch itself too much. Check also our recommendations on our list of 24 must-haves for dog owners. It’s a helpful list with many helpful things for dog owners!

Shedding Facts For 3 Different Hair Types

We have free different main categories when we are talking about the coat and hair of the pointer breeds.

These are the long-haired, short-haired, and wire-haired pointers.

Here are the details you need to know regarding the amount of shedding to expect from each type of coat. There are some main differences even though they are closely related.

1) Long-haired Pointers

Long-haired dog breeds will always shed more compared to the short-haired breeds. This is simply because the hairs are longer so when your pile up the same amount of hair it will seem like more hair.

You also need to brush and groom long-haired pointers more than the shorthaired and wirehaired cousins.

It has a moderate undercoat which will fluff up during the cold winter months but the shedding shouldn’t be too extensive.

2) Short-haired Pointers

The short-haired pointer has a short and smooth coat that doesn’t shed too much. When you remember to brush it at least weekly with a good brush you shouldn’t have too much hair in your home.

The short-haired and the long-haired pointers are actually quite similar when it comes to the number of hairs they shed. But because the long-haired pointers have longer hair the shedding is easier to spot in the house.

But sometimes it’s harder to get the shorter hairs picked up from carpet and furniture. So it’s not as simple as sounds to compare the two types of pointers.

With a short-haired dog, you will need a very good vacuum cleaner in order to get all the pet hair sucked up into the machine.

We will come back to this further down the article but here’s a link if you want to see more about the special vacuum cleaners for dog hair.

3) Wirehaired Pointers

German wirehaired pointer

Wirehaired dog breeds typically shed less than other dog breeds such as long-haired and shorthaired dogs.

This is because of the way the hair is structured. The wirehaired coat is thicker and more sturdy than other types of dog coats. The wirehaired pointers are typically bred for hunting and being out in the wild and therefore the coats are stronger.

You will still need to brush the dog a couple of times a week in order to get rid of the hair. When a piece of hair dies it will typically get stuck in the coat and not fall on the floor so it’s important to get it brushed out in order for it not to end up on the sofa.

Shedding Facts For Different 4 Types Of Pointers

Generally, all the pointer brakes are very low maintenance. You shouldn’t expect any of these breeds to shed much, at least outside the main shedding seasons.

They do have a double-layered coat so there will be some extra shedding in the spring and fall. Outside these periods there will be very little shedding going on.

Let’s get into more detail about each specific pointer breed.

1) German Pointers

German pointer shedding information

German plunders are bred in Germany as the name indicates.

Germany has a moderate climate that doesn’t get too cold or warm so the coat of the German pointer will only shed moderately. It’s closely related to the other pointers and Large Münsterländer breed.

All these breeds will only shed a little bit and you can easily keep them indoors if you brush them biweekly.

The German partners are always double-coated which means they will have to layers of hair under the skin. This also means that you will have more shedding going on in the shedding seasons which are in the early spring and late fall.

During these two periods, you will need to brush the dog regularly in order to keep the shedding to a minimum in your house.

When the German pointers are used for hunting and sport they should be brushed regularly.

This is important in order to avoid tangled hair and little knots in the hair. Especially when we are talking about the wirehaired and the long-haired breeds.

It is not a hypoallergenic dog.

2) French Pointers

Braque Francais

These pointers are typically referred to as “Braque Francais”. They are also what we call hunting dogs which basically means that they are bred especially for hunting.

They are also what we call moderate shedders which means they do shed, but not extensively.

They require very little grooming and attention to that coat. They have been bred to live outdoor and they do really well without showers and grooming.

This is because the hair is short and doesn’t get tangled up easily.

They have an exceptionally good temper and they are easy to groom and brush. This makes it very easy to give it a weekly brushing in order to reduce the shedding to a minimum.

This is very typical for these types of dogs and other dogs that are trained to be around hunters.

3) English Pointers

English pointer shedding info

The English pointers are also used a lot for hunting. But they are very smart dogs and you can easily take them inside without having to worry about them wrecking the whole house.

But how about shedding if you take the English pointers indoors?
Just like the other pointer breeds, the English pointers only shed moderately. They are easy to groom and they don’t need much attention at all. They are the perfect low maintenance dog which you can easily keep indoors as well as outdoors.

But you need to be aware that it does have a double-layered coat. This also means that the English pointers do need access to lots of time outdoors.

Otherwise, they might not detect whenever winter turns to spring and they will not know when to shed that winter coat.

This might seem like a brilliant solution if you want to avoid shedding but the problem is that it won’t start shedding all through the year instead.

Double-coated dogs are supposed to shed the winter coat at the beginning of the spring but if they don’t know when the seasons change they can start shedding extensively all through the year.

This is not something you want!

So make sure the pointers always get lots of time outdoors in order to follow the season and get a good amount of playtime.

They will know how to behave indoors and they are also great around kids.

Both the German and English pointers have derived from the Spanish pointers in the 18th century.

4) Portuguese Pointers

The picture above is a Visla dog which is very closely related (and similar in appearance) to the Portuguese Pointers.

The Portuguese pointers have very short coats that are tight and rough. Therefore they require a minimum of grooming and they will also shed very little.

You should expect very little shedding from the Portuguese pointers dogs. They are at the very low end of the scale when it comes to shedding throughout the year.

They do, however, enjoy a good rough with the curry brush once in a while. This is always recommended at least once per week in order to remove the dead hair. All dogs will eventually lose dead hair even though they don’t shed much.

Because of the hard and smooth coat, they are good at keeping the coat clean without too much showering.

Are Pointers Great Indoor Dogs?

Ponders are not meant to be kept indoors most of the time.  They need at least an hour of active outdoor time per day. They are very active dogs and they shouldn’t be kept in a small apartment or a small house.

This is when you look at how active the dog is.

When you look at the amount of shedding to expect you have the perfect dog for indoor activities. As we looked at above, the printer breeds have a dense and tight coat that doesn’t shed much.

So, Pointers can easily be kept indoors as long as you remember to give it lots of time out in the open.

Depending on which of the specific pointer breed you choose you might need a special vacuum cleaner for the dog hair in the shedding season. During the early spring and late fall, the pointers will change their coat because it is double-layered.

Therefore you will have more shedding going on in this period.

When we are talking about the small hairs from the short-haired pointers they can be VERY hard to get out of a carpet. Here you will need a special vacuum cleaner designed for pet hair. This is because normal vacuum cleaners will have the pet hair tangled up in the brush role within minutes.

You need a vacuum cleaner with this type of brush roll:

Here you can see our recommendations for vacuum cleaners for dog hair.

It means the world of the difference to have the right tool when you have to deal with dog hair in your carpet or on your furniture.

We have also listed a recommendation for a handheld vacuum cleaner for the car and hard-to-reach spots.

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