A Spitz Groom seasonal field manual for fur, fluff, and the fine art of not becoming a walking tumbleweed.
Melbourne winter arrives like a moody poet: damp, unpredictable, and somehow still capable of surprising you with sunshine at 3pm. Your dog, however, is less poetic about it, and far more likely to respond with extra shedding, muddy legs, and a sudden commitment to rolling in everything damp and mysterious.
At Spitz Groom, we consider winter grooming less of a chore and more of a quiet seasonal ritual: part hygiene, part comfort, part ‘please don’t turn my couch into a fur glacier’.
Breeds That ‘Seasonally Explode’ (a.k.a. Shedding Champions)
When winter rolls into Melbourne, some dogs don’t just shed, they transition with theatrical flair, releasing enough fluff to knit a small community blanket. As temperatures drop, many double-coated dogs begin their coat transition cycle, loosening summer fur in favour of a thicker winter coat. Translation: you and your vacuum will form a much stronger relationship.
Heavy Shedders in Winter Transition
🐾 Labrador Retriever: sheds like it’s trying to knit you a second dog.
🐾 Golden Retriever: golden hour? more like golden everywhere.
🐾 Border Collie: intelligent, energetic, and suspiciously fluffy year-round.
🐾 German Shepherd: majestic coat, currently redecorating your home.
🐾 Huskies & Malamutes: winter-proof in theory, fur-forward in practice.
Even short-haired breeds like Staffies and Pugs can surprise owners with seasonal shedding ‘confetti’ that appears everywhere except the dog.
The Spitz Family & Snow-Cloud Specialists (our namesake honour roll)
Now for the stars of the show, dogs so fluffy they appear to have been assembled from cloud fragments and good intentions:
🐾 Samoyed: the original ‘smiling snowstorm’, currently upgrading your home insulation whether you asked or not.
🐾 German Spitz: compact, fox-like elegance with a surprisingly generous fur budget.
🐾 Japanese Spitz: pristine white fluff engineers with a talent for shedding in aesthetically pleasing drifts.
🐾 Pomeranian: tiny lion, massive personality, and an astonishing ability to create tumbleweeds in places you didn’t think were possible.
These breeds don’t just shed; they recalibrate the domestic atmosphere. One moment your home is tidy; the next, it’s lightly snowing indoors.
Winter Grooming: The Art of Gentle Maintenance
Winter grooming isn’t about stripping coats, it’s about supporting their natural insulation system while preventing matting, skin irritation, and that unmistakable ‘wet dog meets damp carpet’ aroma.
The Essentials
1. Brushing (your new winter meditation)
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2 - 4 times per week for double coats;
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Helps remove dead undercoat before it mats into a felted masterpiece;
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Reduces shedding indoors (and emotional stress outdoors).
2. Baths: less frequent, more intentional
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Use lukewarm water only;
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Always fully dry, moisture trapped in coats = winter skin issues;
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Think ‘clean and comfortable’, not ‘spring fresh shampoo commercial’.
3. Trim strategically, not dramatically
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Focus on paws, sanitary areas, and feathering;
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Avoid shaving double coats (they regulate temperature better than we do in scarves).
4. Skin & coat health matters more in winter
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Dry air + heaters = flaky skin potential;
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Hydrating grooming products help maintain coat integrity.
The Paw & Pad Situation (aka: Melbourne Mud Season)
If your dog has been outside for more than 12 seconds in winter, their paws will contain:
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40% dirt;
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30% leaf matter;
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20% existential questions;
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10% ‘I regret nothing’.
Care tips:
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Wipe paws after walks;
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Check between toes for debris (especially grass seeds);
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Keep nails trimmed to reduce slipping on wet surfaces.
Indoor Reality Check: The Fur Economy
Winter shedding doesn’t disappear; it simply relocates into your home’s ecosystem:
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Sofas become secondary coats;
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Black clothing becomes abstract art;
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Your robot vacuum develops emotional trauma.
Regular grooming is the only known diplomatic solution.
Spitz Groom Winter Philosophy
At Spitz Groom, we approach winter grooming the way nature intended:
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Calm, unhurried handling;
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Coat-preserving techniques;
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Fear-free, consent-based care;
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A quiet salon environment designed for comfort, not chaos.
Because grooming should never feel like survival training, or dogs or humans.
A Gentle Reminder (with love and slightly muddy pawprints)
If your dog is:
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shedding more than usual;
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looking a little tangled;
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or simply radiating ‘I have been rolling in winter’ energy.
Now might be time for a professional groom. Book your winter grooming appointment with Spitz Groom:
All existing customers - book your next grooming booking HERE
New customers - please complete the ‘Intake’ form HERE
Or if you're just in need of some fur-therapy or personalised winter grooming advice tailored to your dog’s coat, temperament, and general enthusiasm for mud please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Spitz Groom team.
We’ll help you get through winter with:
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less fur on your furniture;
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more comfort for your dog;
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and a household that doesn’t resemble a wool factory explosion.