Home / Traits / Heaviest Shedding Dog Breeds
Just 11 breeds earn the top shedding score of 5 out of 5, the highest mark used in the records. Working and guardian breeds account for 5 of them. The Pug is the lightest member at 14 to 18 pounds, while the Akita is the heaviest at 70 to 130 pounds. For lifespan, the Shiba Inu leads this small set with a recorded range of 13 to 16 years.
Shedding is scored in the records on a scale from 1 to 5, and this page holds only breeds given the exact top score of 5. A score of 5 means the record rates shedding at its heaviest level within that scale, while breeds scored 4 or lower sit on their own pages and are not mixed in here. In plain terms, owners can expect loose hair to be a regular part of life, with frequent brushing, hair on clothes and furniture, and more vacuuming than a low scoring breed would usually need. The score describes coat loss as recorded, not coat length, grooming style, or how much work any single coat will take each week.
Nobody here was chosen for looks. The picks are the lightest and heaviest members by mid range weight, the longest lived by mid range lifespan, the shortest at the shoulder, and one dog from the set's most numerous family. The Pug is the lightest of the set, 14 to 18 lb in the records. The Akita tops the weight table, 70 to 130 lb in the records. The Shiba Inu outlasts the rest on paper, recorded at 13 to 16 years. Shortest by rule: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, whose recorded height is 10 to 12 inches. No family appears more often in this set than the working and guardian breeds, with 5 members; the Akita is one of them.
Read the set in the table, lightest first. Each breed links to its own profile and to its similar breeds page, and the figures beside it are the recorded ones: the set spans 10 to 28 inches in height, 14 to 130 lb in weight and 7 to 16 years in lifespan.
Size wise the set is mostly large, 5 of 11; at the other end the medium class accounts for 2.
| Breed | Size | Height | Weight | Lifespan | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pug similar breeds | Small | 10 to 13 in | 14 to 18 lb | 12 to 15 yrs | Companion and toy breeds |
| Shiba Inu similar breeds | Small | 13.5 to 16.5 in | 17 to 23 lb | 13 to 16 yrs | Working and guardian breeds |
| Pomsky similar breeds | Small | 10 to 15 in | 15 to 30 lb | 12 to 15 yrs | Designer crosses |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi similar breeds | Small | 10 to 12 in | 24 to 28 lb | 12 to 15 yrs | Working and guardian breeds |
| Siberian Husky similar breeds | Medium | 20 to 23.5 in | 35 to 60 lb | 12 to 14 yrs | Companion and toy breeds |
| Samoyed similar breeds | Medium | 19 to 23.5 in | 35 to 65 lb | 12 to 14 yrs | Companion and toy breeds |
| Golden Retriever similar breeds | Large | 21.5 to 24 in | 55 to 75 lb | 10 to 12 yrs | Sporting and gundogs |
| Labrador Retriever similar breeds | Large | 21.5 to 24.5 in | 55 to 80 lb | 11 to 13 yrs | Sporting and gundogs |
| German Shepherd similar breeds | Large | 22 to 26 in | 50 to 90 lb | 7 to 10 yrs | Working and guardian breeds |
| Bernese Mountain Dog similar breeds | Large | 23 to 27.5 in | 70 to 115 lb | 7 to 10 yrs | Working and guardian breeds |
| Akita similar breeds | Large | 24 to 28 in | 70 to 130 lb | 10 to 14 yrs | Working and guardian breeds |
The same trait, other values: the records split shedding score into the pages linked under this section.
The traits hub: every trait list on the site, grouped by kind.
The breeds index: every breed profile on the site, A to Z.
Put any two breeds side by side and read the differences trait by trait.
There are 11 breeds here, drawn from the 469 breeds whose records state a value for this trait at all.
Weights run from the Pug at 14 to 18 lb up to the Akita at 70 to 130 lb, which is the full spread of the set.
The Shiba Inu tops the lifespan figures at 13 to 16 years, in a set whose recorded lifespans run 7 to 16 years.