- Why Do Dogs Shed?
- Why Do Dogs Shed In The Winter?
- Choose The Right Dog Grooming Brush
- Dog Shedding And Hidden Health Issues
- Best Grooming Tools To Control Dog Shedding
- How Does Nutrition Impacts Dog Shedding?
- What’s The Difference Between Dog Shedding And Fur Loss?
- Managing The Effect Of Shedding At Home
- Supplements That Can Reduce Dog Shedding
- Who’s Better? - Dog Owner vs. Professional Groomer
Dog Pregnancy Calculator And Timeline
In fact, there are sound reasons why dog shedding happens more in some breeds and not in other breeds. Of course, dogs do shed; they are good at it.
On the other hand, dog shedding can become a bone of contention since it may indicate something underlying. Don’t worry, there’s always a way to stop wearing your dog’s hair day in, day out.
Moreover, dog shedding can increase drastically in some seasons. In this article, let’s learn some simple but effective ways to manage or reduce dog shedding.
Why Do Dogs Shed?
Some dog breeds like Pekingese, Newfoundlands, and Labrador Retrievers are prone to massive shedding. On the contrary, Border Terriers, Poodles, and Dachshunds appear as shed-free dogs.
Generally speaking, different dog breeds continue to shed in varying amounts. Some shed year-round and while others shed seasonally.
Your dog’s coat determines the amount of shedding. For instance, a Golden Retriever contains a thick double coat, and this causes it to shed almost year-round.
Why Do Dogs Shed In The Winter?
Importantly, dog owners will notice that most shedding happens in the fall and spring. In the fall, your dog’s coat may undergo some changes and excessive shedding is not ruled out.
However, in the spring, your dog’s coat will turn light, in anticipation of the hot weather.
For those dogs that shed quite often, it’s very vital to brush them. For example, some dog owners will brush them daily, few days a week, or sometimes weekly once.
In case, even if your dog does not shed excessively, it’s paramount to groom and brush them regularly.
Choose The Right Dog Grooming Brush
The most important aspect in grooming lies in the art of selecting the right brush.
Dogs with Shorter-coats (Imagine Pugs or Beatles)
You can purchase a glove with bristles or a hound mitt or even try a bristle brush (natural) to loosen dead hair.
Now, you start brushing in the exact opposite way of hair growth and remove the dead hair. Later, you repeat this process.
If you are using a glove or mitt, firmly massage the coat and then rigorously brush in the right direction. Do not hesitate to repeat this process during periods of excessive shedding.
Dogs with longer coats (For example- Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Collies, and Pomeranians)
In this case, you definitely require an instrument that penetrates the outer coat. In other words, you need something that easily grabs the undercoat. Likewise, you can remove all the dead hairs.
Slicker brushes work efficiently. Also, do not stop until you witness less hair on your brush.
Additionally, when shedding turns excessive, you can switch over to a shedding tool. In general, these tools work quite differently but they all pull away from the excess hair.
For those using shedding instruments with blades, never press hard. Besides, if you encounter mats or tangles, then use a steel comb or a mat splitter for better results.
Dog Shedding And Hidden Health Issues
At times, excessive dog shedding can happen due to follicular dysplasia, congenital problems, and hypothyroidism. Furthermore, there is every possibility that allergies can also cause shedding and skin problems.
In reality, if you suspect any skin troubles, kindly contact your veterinarian. Otherwise, one of the easiest techniques to manage shedding is to reduce dead hair using pore and follicle shampoos and baths.
In certain cases, some dogs love vacuuming.
Is dog shedding really a medical problem?
We already know about poor nutrition, but other causes include-
- Lactating/Pregnant dogs -Lactating female dogs often shed a lot after This is not a bad occurrence and therefore there is no need to press the panic button.
- Stress – At times, shedding is an involuntary reaction to any stressful situation. So, you watch out for any signal of stress from your dog.
- Hormonal changes – Hormonal conditions like hypothyroidism or Cushing’s will cause sections of hair loss.
- Skin disorders – Especially, infections cause inflammation, which in turn generates itching in dogs.
The pathogens can cause hair follicle damage and hair loss problem.
- Allergies – Chronic problems caused by allergies lead to skin damage and itching. Therefore, you feed your dog with hypoallergenic dog treats and holistic food dogs.
- Parasites – Mites are known to cause mange that increases severe hair loss.
- Fleas and ticks – In general, external parasites are one of the main reasons for severe shedding in dogs. To enumerate, they promote itching other than severe skin damage.
In certain breeds, this causes a large allergic reaction. But, with oral or topical medications, fleas and ticks are easily brought under control.
Best Grooming Tools To Control Dog Shedding
Some of the tried and tested grooming tools useful in managing dog shedding include
- Grooming Table – Based on your brushing frequency, you can purchase a dog grooming desk. In short, the desk allows your dog to manage better, making grooming much more enjoyable.
- Glove Brushes – Not to mention, for short coat dog glove brushes are very useful. These glove brushes not only remove loose hair and also help improve circulation.
- Shedding Blades – Dog shedding blades contain a metal loop with serrated teeth patterns on one side.
- To sum up, the serrated teeth are rubbed against your pet’s coat, thereby removing dead hair with each swipe. These are suitable for dogs with longer coats.
- Slicker Brush – Slicker brushes perform well on dogs having undercoats and thicker coats. Overall, they aid collect loose hair and release locks or tangles.
- Dematting Comb – Dematting combs are suitable for dogs having coarse coats.
- ZoomGroom – The popular Kong ZoomGroom contains a curry comb brush that handles and reduces loose hairs.
- In addition, this ZoomGroom also doubles up as a massaging device.
- Furminator – The Furminator promise to reduce shedding by at least 90%.
How Does Nutrition Impacts Dog Shedding?
As a matter of fact, nutrition plays a major role in increasing or reducing dog shedding. In reality, an unbalanced diet will largely impact the health of the dog’s coat. And the common signs include-
- Dandruff
- Excessive shedding
- Dry/Dull coat
Well, these conditions will disappear with a superior nutrition rich diet. Not to mention, this diet switch should happen at a slow pace in order to avoid indigestion in your dog.
Dehydration is also a major cause of concern in dogs. This, in turn, can cause hair breakages. Therefore, kindly ensure that your dog has continuous unlimited access to clean drinking water.
At present, there are several automatic dog watering tanks available in the market.
What’s The Difference Between Dog Shedding And Fur Loss?
Another key point, fur loss caused by sickness does not mean shedding in general. They are just hair loss that happens due to certain hormonal changes. Are you aware that in Cushing’s disease, or in infections, you will notice patchy hair loss?
However, in dogs suffering from hypothyroid conditions, the hair loss will appear in symmetry.
Managing The Effect Of Shedding At Home
When we grow pets at home, we indirectly agree to bear all the troubles caused by them too. Some simple tips to manage fur at home include
- Never forget to brush your dog outside – This will enable any hair not contained to be whisked and not allow them to ruin your place.
- Use Vacuum on your dog – With positive reinforcements, you can easily train your dog to undergo vacuum cleaning.
- Most importantly, do this only after brushing your dog. Otherwise, you can add a dog vacuum allowing for mess-free grooming.
- Hammocks and car covers – Specially made hammocks and seat covers are available and they that act as a barrier stopping fur from damaging your car.
- Couch Covers – They are small pieces of fabrics that are ideally designed to control your upholstery from stains or pet hairs.In fact, these couch covers are machine friendly too.
- Pet Vacuums – You can buy a branded pet vacuum cleaner to clean pet hair.
Supplements That Can Reduce Dog Shedding
There are plenty of nutrition supplements available across the table that promises to improve coat quality.
The best of the lot include
- Omega 3 Foods – The well-known supplement that enhances coat condition, omega 3 foods are highly palatable. In fact, they are extracted from fish oils. Moreover, these supplements support the immune system, heart, and muscle joints.
- Omega 6 Foods – It is easily found in dog foods and their main function is to ensure healthy coat.
Note – All the supplements can take anywhere between 3 to 6 months to show positive results. And it’s necessary to meet your vet in order to decide the exact dosage of the supplement.
Who’s Better? - Dog Owner vs. Professional Groomer
Groomers are very effective if you can afford one. Specially trained for this purpose, groomers help control dog shedding. Some of the popular de-shedding methods adopted by expert groomers include
- Shave down – Never shave your dog’s coat completely without consulting your vet. Bear in mind, dogs need their coat for temperature regulation and insulation.
Besides, a complete shave down will give the dogs a hard time maintaining their temperature. Furthermore, it’s always recommended to avoid total shave downs. - The blowout – A professional groomer will remove loose hair and matter coats with a force dryer. A force dryer means an industrial dryer mostly used by experts to dry dogs much faster. In particular, these devices work handsomely well on long-haired dogs.
