If you’ve had to shave your German Shepherd, whether for surgery or another reason, you’re probably wondering how long it will take for their beautiful coat to grow back. The truth is that hair regrowth in dogs depends on many things, such as their age, breed, and health status. So, while there are estimates of how long it might take for your dog’s hair to grow back, you should consult with your veterinarian to get the most accurate estimate for your specific dog. However, keep in mind that your veterinarian still can’t absolutely guarantee any estimates that they provide you with.
Generally, you can expect that it will take anywhere from about 30 days to 1 year for your dog’s hair to grow back in.
Understanding a Dog’s Hair Growth Stages
Dogs go through multiple hair growth stages that play a part in dictating how long their hair takes to grow out after it has been lost or shaved. Here is a breakdown of those stages:
- The Anagen Stage: This is when your dog’s hair most actively grows. The hair keeps growing until the length that has been predetermined by breed has been reached. This process can take anywhere from a minuscule 30 days to a whopping full year!
- The Catagen Stage: This is when your dog’s hair stops growing and simply maintains its length. You won’t see any extra growth, and you shouldn’t see much shedding at this point.
- The Telogen Stage: This is when your dog’s hair is in a resting stage, which means that no activity is happening at all. This paves the way for the shedding phase and can make your dog’s coat more vulnerable than during any other stage.
- The Exogen Stage: This is when your dog’s hair starts to shed. This readies the coat for starting the anagen stage again and ensures that there is not already too much old hair still present when the new hair starts to grow in again.
These stages are important to understand because they are what ultimately determine how long it will take for your dog’s hair to grow back. Not all hair follicles will be in the same stage at the same time, and so for a full thick coat to grow back, all of the follicles will need to have had the opportunity to cycle and enter anagen.
Factors Affecting Hair Regrowth
Several factors can influence how quickly a German Shepherd’s hair grows back after being shaved:
- Age and Health: A young, healthy dog’s coat should grow back fine without much help. The biggest factor, though, is how healthy your dog is overall.
- Breed: According to the National Library of Medicine, after being shaved, the average Labrador Retriever grows back their hair to its normal length after 13.6—15.4 weeks. This is just one breed, though, so the time frame could be different for your dog.
- Grooming: Gently brushing the shaved area with a boar bristle brush at first and then as the coat starts to sprout a slicker to stimulate the area and remove the dead clipped coat can help.
Tips to Promote Hair Regrowth
Here are some tips to help your German Shepherd’s hair grow back quickly and healthily:
- Consult Your Veterinarian: If you’re concerned about how long it is taking your dog to regrow their hair, make sure to check with your vet.
- Balanced Diet: Switched it to a salmon based kibble and it grew back completely within a month and a half.
- Regular Grooming: The reason it grows back funny is the upper guard hairs aren’t made to grow through the undercoat and can get stuck so using a deshed brush and keeping the undercoat minimal while it’s growing helps.
- Skin Protection: Healthy skin is also key so be sure to use a dog safe sunscreen while there’s no hair there to protect the skin and use high quality shampoos and conditioners.
Final Thoughts
The amount of time that it takes your dog’s hair to grow back depends on factors such as their breed, their age, and the reason for their lost hair in the first place. Most dogs’ hair will have started growing back within 4 to 6 weeks.