Most of the people who think of owning an Entlebucher Mountain Dog take this breed into consideration due to its excellent guarding skills.
Smallest of the four Swiss mountain breeds, Entlebucher is still surprisingly strong and extremely protective of its family.
In addition, they’re very active, playful, and trainable.
However, when planning to get a dog, there are other things to consider besides its personality traits.
As you’re going to be sharing living space with them, you should make sure that you’ll be able to take proper care of it.
Proper care will provide a happier and healthier life for both you and your dog.
Do Entlebucher Mountain Dogs shed, what type of coats they have, and are they hypoallergenic are all the questions you should have an answer to in order to become a responsible and caring owner.
Below, I’ll provide brief information on Entlebucher’s coat, shedding, and grooming.
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Do Entlebucher Mountain Dogs Shed?
Even though they have rather short hair, this doesn’t mean that Entles don’t shed.
However, they’re known as moderate shedders, especially compared to some other breeds with herding origins.
Nevertheless, they do shed throughout the year with the more intense shedding period during warm days in spring and summer.
This is still nothing to be alarmed about; with a little bit of work, you should be able to keep your household clean and mostly hair-free.
So, the good news is that Entlebucher Mountain Dog is relatively low maintenance.
They don’t require heavy grooming and light brushing once or twice a week should be more than enough.
If needed, you can brush them more frequently during the heavier shedding periods. This will help get rid of dead hair from the coat and keep it shiny and healthy.
Entlebucher’s are capable of keeping themselves pretty clean and baths are needed only occasionally.
What Kind Of Coat Does An Entlebucher Mountain Dog Have?
One of the most distinctive features of the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is its thick, dense, and multicolored double coat.
As I said, it’s rather short which helped the Entlebucher’s stay clean while on herding duties and prevented dirt, mud, or twigs from sticking to their coat.
It also means that you can do most of the grooming work yourself without the help of a professional groomer.
Similar to all breeds that were developed in mountain regions, Entle’s body is covered with a double coat.
As they were originally bred in Switzerland where the climate is mostly cold, the double coat was necessary to protect them from adverse weather.
The undercoat is very short, dense, and varies in color. The topcoat is also short but harsher and rather shiny.
Rarely, some individual dogs may have more soft or wavy hair. The coat is commonly more soft and fluffy on the dog’s chest.
Entlebucher Mountain Dog Coat Color
Purebred Entlebucher Mountain Dogs always feature a tricolor coloring pattern.
Any other color combination is likely a sign of crossbreeding somewhere along the bloodline.
The primary color is always black. The markings are tan (with shades from fawn to mahogany) and white.
These patches are commonly symmetrically positioned on the dog’s body.
Tan markings are usually found on cheeks, muzzle, above the eyes, on both sides of the chest, on all four legs, and under the tail.
When on legs, tan patches are positioned between black and white coloring.
White markings feature a small uninterrupted blaze going from the top of the head and over the nose, partially covering the muzzle.
There’s also an uninterrupted line of white from chin to chest. In case a dog has an undocked tail, the tip of the tail will, in most cases, be white.
How Do You De-Shed a Entlebucher Mountain Dog?
Entlebucher Mountain Dogs have a heavier shedding period which mostly occurs during spring or summer. In an effort to keep their house cleaner, many owners clip their dog’s hair.
However, after clipping, dogs will still shed and the only difference is that the lost hair will be shorter.
The best way to cut down your work of cleaning the loose hair is to de-shed your dog.
Although it won’t prevent shedding, as nothing can, de-shedding will keep it under control.
De-shedding is the process of removing a dog’s loose undercoat hair before it falls off. It’s done with an undercoat rake or a special de-shedding brush.
To de-shed your dog, you’ll need to arm yourself with patience and use gentle, steady strokes.
Even though this may take some time, speeding up the process and applying more pressure will likely do more damage than good and potentially hurt the dog.
Are Entlebucher Mountain Dogs Hypoallergenic?
Lately, hypoallergenic dogs are becoming increasingly popular. The demand for dogs who don’t trigger allergic reactions is at an all-time high.
Unfortunately te anser to the question above is;
No, Entlebucher Mountain Dogs are not hypoallergenic, even though their coat is relatively short and they shed only moderately.
They still do shed almost constantly with a heavier shedding cycle in the spring or summer.
This means that there will be dog hair around the house which also means that the main allergy trigger, dander, will be distributed in the household.
While they may not elicit allergies like some other breeds with more abundant fur and heavier shedding,
Entlebucher Mountain Dogs are still not the best choice for potential owners who are particularly allergic to dogs.
Conclusion
Entlebucher Mountain Dogs are a rather demanding breed and inexperienced owners should learn what they’re getting themselves into if planning to get this dog.
They require a lot of work and will occupy a fairly big chunk of your time.
However, Entlebucher’s shedding and grooming will likely be among the least of your worries.
This is a breed that doesn’t shed excessively and has only moderate grooming needs.
You should be more concerned in providing them with plenty of activity as these are the dogs that thrive only when being challenged and stimulated.
Of course, the doesn’t mean that you could neglect and stop caring for their coats, as it’s one of the keys to keeping your dog healthy and your house clean.
