Yes, Dutch Shepherds shed. The AKC's Dutch Shepherd breed page scores Shedding Level 3 of 5, on a scale from "No Shedding" to "Hair Everywhere." How much brushing that means depends on the coat, and the AKC and FCI standards describe three: short, long and rough (the FCI calls it wire). Here is what each standard asks of each coat, what the AKC says each one takes, and the routine basics the AKC lists.

Dabo, Alpha Kennels' brindle Dutch Shepherd, standing in profile on ground covered in dry leaves, head turned up and to the right, dark stripes across a gold-brown body, a metal chain collar at his neck and a green lead, with a red farm implement, a trailer and a yellow machine behind him
Dabo, outdoors.

At a glance

The scores are the AKC breed page's own, with the end labels of each scale as the AKC shows them. They cover the whole breed. The page's grooming text splits its advice by coat.

Three coats, as the standards describe them

The AKC standard says "The breed is presented in three coat types, short-, long- and rough-haired." The FCI standard's wording is "short-, long- and wire haired." Our coat guide covers color and what each coat looks like, and our guide to what a Dutch Shepherd looks like covers the rest of the standard. For care, three points matter.

The AKC standard also says the dog "is shown in natural coat without excessive grooming." Neither standard says anything about shedding. The AKC breed page's trait list shows the breed's coat type as "Double" and its coat length as "Short," one entry for the breed even though its grooming section describes three coat types.

Shedding and brushing, coat by coat

Short coat. The AKC's grooming section says the short-hair types "will only need occasional brushing" and to "switch to daily brushing during the seasonal shedding periods in the Spring and Fall." An AKC article on managing shedding, which is not about Dutch Shepherds in particular, says that for dogs that shed seasonally, "the heaviest shedding usually occurs in spring and fall," and that during those periods "you may need to groom your dog more often on a temporary basis." The same article says "dogs with thick double coats, such as Golden Retrievers, are more likely to shed year-round." It does not name the Dutch Shepherd. Our read is that spring and fall are the peaks, not the only time hair comes out. For short-coated dogs it calls natural-bristle brushes and grooming gloves good options.

Long coat. The AKC says the long-haired dogs "will need to be groomed about once per week, or more often than that if their work level and environment requires it." The AKC's home-grooming article speaks of dogs in general: most dogs "only need a few brushing sessions a week, though long-coated breeds often do best with daily brushing." In its section for longer or double coats, the shedding article says slicker brushes "work well for removing dead hair from dense coats." Our read is that the breed page and the home-grooming article both point to weekly grooming or more for a long coat.

Rough coat. The AKC says the rough-hair types "require a combing once per month and the coat is hand-stripped twice per year." The two standards say the rough coat "should be hand-plucked on average twice a year." The breed page's grooming section and the standards' coat sections do not say who does the stripping or how long it takes. The AKC's home-grooming article, which speaks of dogs in general, lists "stripping knives" among the tools "for certain coat types" and says professional groomers, dog handlers and some veterinary technicians "are trained to provide breed-specific grooming services." Our read is that if you are leaning toward a rough coat, it is worth learning what hand-stripping involves before you commit.

Bathing a Dutch Shepherd

The AKC breed page says "Bathing can be done as-needed." An AKC article on bathing says the answer depends on a lot of factors. Beth Cristiano, owner of Pretty Paws LLC, is quoted there saying "How frequently a pet needs a bath greatly varies based upon their breed, lifestyle, length of coat, and how much homework a pet owner is willing to do." Jorge Bendersky, a celebrity dog groomer quoted there, offers this advice: "We should wash our dogs when they are no longer huggable."

Nails, ears and teeth

The AKC says "All breeds require regular nail trimming." For the Dutch Shepherd, its breed page says nails "can be trimmed, if necessary, with a nail clipper or grinder to avoid overgrowth, splitting and cracking."

The honest answer

A Dutch Shepherd sheds. The AKC breed page scores Shedding Level 3 of 5 and Coat Grooming Frequency 2 of 5, and its grooming section says the short-hair types "will only need occasional brushing" with daily brushing in the spring and fall shedding periods, the long-haired dogs will need grooming about once per week, or more often if their work level and environment requires it, and the rough-hair types require a combing once per month with hand-stripping twice per year. The same section adds bathing as needed, nails trimmed if necessary, ears checked regularly and teeth brushed. The AKC's home-grooming article says "A responsible breeder often has valuable knowledge about coat care, recommended tools, and grooming techniques specific to the breed." Our read is that you should ask about the coat of the dog in front of you before you commit.

The short version: the AKC breed page scores Shedding Level 3 of 5 and Coat Grooming Frequency 2 of 5. Its grooming text says short-hair types "will only need occasional brushing" but should "switch to daily brushing during the seasonal shedding periods in the Spring and Fall," long-haired dogs need grooming about once a week or more often than that if their work level and environment requires it, and rough-hair types require a combing once per month and hand-stripping twice per year. The same section adds bathing "as-needed," nails trimmed "if necessary," ears checked regularly and teeth brushed.

Still deciding on the breed itself? Start with our ten honest questions.

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