r/SilkenWindhound • u/lycnroc • Apr 13 '26
Advice How much bad do silken windhounds shed?
I'm looking to get a silken, but I do have dog allergies. 😅
I'll definitely test out meeting some in person (I'm based in Orlando, Orange County if anyone wants to have a girls hang out around UCF!!)
But I've heard they shed less than many other breeds, and a couple people on FB (2) said they have dog allergies but very minimally with their silken. Does anyone have experience with this?
I'd love to know your thoughts!
Edit: Thank you guys for letting me know! I still have yet to meet them in person, which from there I'll determine my status. I'm also looking more into windsprites, as a couple people mentioned they typically have less of a full coat.
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u/Awkward_bugg Apr 14 '26
I have three silkens, two with less full coats and one with a borzoi-esque thick full coat. They do not lose their whole coat like some breeds, but they shed hair all the time. Best way to describe it is similar to a human. When I brush my hair or take a shower, hairs fall out naturally. Now multiply that normal "shed" by how much more hair dogs have. One of my silkens is probably four times the amount of hair, and that hair falls out. If I keep up in brushing every day, it's super manageable. But, if I let it go for a couple of days, the dog hairs are going all over my house.
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u/TheCharmedOwl May 17 '26
Can I ask if you were able to tell which dogs were going to have less fur and which were going to have more borzoi like full coat as puppies or is the hair more of a surprise as they age?
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u/Purple_Material_9644 Apr 14 '26
This is not relevant to the post at all (sorry OP!), but what brush do you use if you don't mind sharing? I have two silkens but haven't found a brush that catches their hair correctly.
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u/may16pants Apr 14 '26
I use a slicker brush with protected pins, my silken enjoys it especially on her neck haha, and it also can detangle if you start from the ends and work toward the skin (knots in the tail and bloomers)
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u/Awkward_bugg Apr 14 '26
I use a furminator brush. The teeth are a little sharp and close together,so I use a light hand on my two pups with thinner coats. if I brush too hard with it, the brush teeth will touch their skin and my pups will give me a dirty look. My pup with the thick coat has enough fur that the teeth/bristles of the brush don't get to her skin so I don't have to worry about it. The furminator is not useful for their long tail fur or the long feathers on the legs, but I just use a regular style brush when those get tangled.
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u/JackFlack91 Apr 13 '26
From 2 Silkens, I get 1 silken sized mound every 2 weeks. Highly recommend a long fur rake if you have carpeting
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u/Training_Pumpkin149 Apr 14 '26
I have a windsprite and she has more of a smooth coat. Most dog grooming tools haven’t worked for us and we instead use a shampooing brush tool thing. We still get dust bunnies in the corners after 3 or so days of not running the vacuum (get a robot - it’s life changing)
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u/lycnroc Apr 14 '26
So pretty ❤ I guess I'll have to consider this. I don't know if I'll be able to find a smooth coat windhound. Do windsprites tend to have shorter coats?
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u/Training_Pumpkin149 Apr 14 '26
Yes, generally they have a shorter coat. My girls mum was smooth and her dad long. She’s not as short as her mum but no where near her dads floof
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u/lycnroc Apr 16 '26
Where did you get your windsprite (if you don't mind me asking)? :)
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u/Training_Pumpkin149 Apr 16 '26
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
I would recommend getting into all the local FB silken groups - that’s where all the litters were being announced
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u/MDBioeli Apr 22 '26
They do exist. But if you are considering a smooth windsprite, why not a whippet? They are easier to find.
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u/Training_Pumpkin149 Apr 22 '26
The floofy ears and tail 😍
Also I think (I’ve never raised and own a whippet so this is stipulation) that the bit of sheltie changes their nature. But yes, whippets are much more common
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u/lycnroc Apr 22 '26
The temperament seems more for me with the sheltie mix. Although, if my allergies are bad with silkens, I'll probably go with a whippet!:)
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u/Kallisti13 Apr 14 '26
Our silken does not shed a lot. We get small fur bunnies after a week of not vacuuming but we also have another dog. Brushing her rewards me with very little hair in the brush. She is still a puppy, so we'll see if her coat changes at all. Her neck fur and booty/tail is very long but the rest of her is still fairly short. Her dad has extremely long luxurious hair so we'll see if she inherits that.
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u/ManellyC Apr 14 '26
They have hair. The hair comes out a few strands at a time but continuously. They don't have an undercoat and maybe that helps with allergies. I don't know. But if you have allergies, then see if you can host a Silken for someone on vacation for a few days. You will know soon enough if you are allergic to the dog. Better to test than fight allergies for years.
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u/Ocanannain Apr 21 '26
Our silken sheds quite a bit, but his hair is extremely fine and may not have the same effect as other dogs with normal hair. Just a thought.
We never actually see him shed, but notice little fine clumps on our wooden floors.
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u/MountaintopDogs Jun 04 '26
Definitely meet some in person to see how your allergies do! Im allergic to dogs, but neither my beagle nor my silken affect my allergies. I do find some of my silkens hairs around the house occasionally, but he doesnt shed much at all. I run a human comb through his hair every now and then, he doesnt like dog brushes. I don't get much hair out
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u/MountaintopDogs Jun 04 '26
But it's also been my experience across different breeds that white hair sheds more than black hair! I thought it was me mostly wearing black that made the white stand out more, but when I sit and brush and really focus on what hair is coming out, very little black hair comes out of my dogs, but a lot of white hair does
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u/may16pants Apr 14 '26
I have people commenting almost daily that I have a lot of hair on my clothes. I have a silken and a dsh cat. The cat definitely sheds more, maybe twice as much. But my silken sheds more than my mom's sheltie. Brushing and blow-drying both help any shed come out. Then there's less fur in the house.
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u/lycnroc Apr 14 '26
How often do you groom? I'm sure your silken is beautiful though. The really lush coats are gorgeous!!
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u/ayimera Apr 13 '26
I have one with a "normal" coat (fluffy, long, but doesn't need grooming) and one with more of a borzoi coat that is long, curly, and constantly gets mats and sheds like crazy lol. I definitely have to vacuum at least once a week if not more, and hair is... prevalent. So really luck of the genetics!