Akbash Grooming And Shedding: A White Double Coat In Practice

An Akbash sheds all year and drops most of its undercoat in a seasonal blow. The coat never needs trimming or professional styling, and it rarely needs a bath. It needs brushing, more of it than most owners expect, and the breed is not hypoallergenic in any sense of the word.

What the coat is

The United Kennel Club standard describes a double coat: coarse outer guard hairs over a dense undercoat. It comes in two lengths, and both are correct. Medium coats are short to medium and lie fairly sleek. Long coats are distinctly longer and often slightly wavy, with more feathering to tangle and more hair to shed.

If you have a choice and you live somewhere hot, the medium coat is less work and easier on the dog. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that the Great Pyrenees’ long coat is a significant problem in Texas heat, and a long-coated Akbash faces the same summers.

The routine

Brush thoroughly once or twice a week for most of the year. Use an undercoat rake, which reaches through the guard hairs to the dense layer where the loose fur sits. A slicker brush or a pin brush tidies the surface and leaves the undercoat packed in place.

Mats form where the coat rubs: behind the ears, in the ruff around the neck, in the armpits, behind the elbows, and in the feathering on the back legs. Check those spots every session, because a mat that sits for a month tightens against the skin and has to be cut out.

During the coat blow, brush every day, outdoors if you can. The undercoat comes out in clumps for a few weeks, and daily raking gets it over with faster and keeps it off your floors. A high-velocity dryer, the kind groomers use, blows loose undercoat out in minutes and is worth buying for a dog this size.

Bathing a white dog

The coat is more self-cleaning than its color suggests. Guard hairs shed dirt as they dry, and a muddy Akbash left alone for a day usually brushes out close to white. Working dogs on pasture go months without a bath and look fine.

Bathe when the dog is genuinely dirty or smells, and rinse for longer than seems necessary, since shampoo residue in a dense undercoat irritates skin. Frequent bathing strips the oils that make the coat weather-resistant and dries the skin out.

Yellowing on the legs, rust-colored staining around the mouth, and tear stains under the eyes are cosmetic. Whitening shampoos are optional.

Do not shave the coat

The undercoat insulates against heat as well as cold, and the guard hairs protect white-coated skin from sunburn. A shaved double coat often grows back patchy or with a changed texture, and the dog is no cooler for it.

Shade, constant water, airflow, and a thoroughly raked-out undercoat do more than clippers. Removing the dead undercoat lets air reach the skin, which is what the dog needs in July.

Nails, ears, and teeth

Trim nails every few weeks, or grind them. A heavy dog with long nails changes the way it stands, and on a giant breed that still has growing joints the effect adds up. If the dog has dewclaws (the standard allows none, single, or double), they never touch the ground and need trimming every time.

Look in the ears weekly. Redness, a bad smell, dark discharge, or a dog that keeps shaking its head means a vet visit.

Brush teeth as often as the dog will allow, and start in puppyhood. An adult Akbash that has never had its mouth handled will not start cooperating at 120 pounds.

A health check while you brush

The brushing session is also your health check. The Akbash Dog Association of America tracks demodectic mange among the breed’s health concerns, and a thick white coat hides the early bald, scaly patches until they are large. Part the coat and look at the skin as you work.

The parent club also tracks entropion, an inward-rolling eyelid. Heavy tear staining, squinting, or a dog that rubs its face on the ground can be the first sign, so have a vet check the eyes instead of reaching for a stain remover. Both conditions are covered in health.

Working dogs on pasture

A guardian that lives with stock will not be brushed twice a week, and it manages. It still needs hands on it regularly. Run your hands over the whole dog to find burrs, ticks, grass seeds working into the skin between the toes, and cuts hidden under the coat. Feel along the ribs and spine, because a heavy coat hides weight loss for months.

Guardians are stoic about pain and will not come and show you an injury. The dogs that accept this handling calmly as adults are the ones that got it from puppyhood, and the puppies page explains how to build the habit.