How to Reduce and Manage Your Dog's Shedding

Shedding often comes with the territory when you own a dog. But the amount and frequency of hair that is shed will vary from breed to breed. It can also depend on the time of the year as many dogs develop thick undercoats in the winter that are then shed in the spring. But the shedding of excess fur is a natural and important process for dogs as it allows them to rid their bodies of old, damaged, and excessive hair. Although it can be a nuisance for owners, good news it that there are some things that can be done to reduce how much your dog sheds.

Regular Brushing

Give your dog a thorough brushing every day using a soft brush or slicker brush like the Yours Droolly Shear Magic Slicker Brush. By spending 3–5 minutes brushing your pet daily, you’ll be cutting back on even more time spent sweeping and vacuuming up loose hair. You can also use shed control cloths like the FURminator Shed Control Cloths to collect and reduce surface shedding from your pets coat.

Use A Deshedding Tool

An excellent device for removing loose dog hair from your dog is a deshedding tool this should be used weekly to help remove any loose or dead hair..Typical sorts of deshedding tools are rake, brush, and blades. When selecting a tool keep in mind the size of your dog and length of their hair, in order to get the most effective tool.

Use Covers

A good way to manage your pets shedding in your home and car is to use removable covers. These are readily available for use on couches and car seats and are an easy way to preventing excessive build up of dog hair. As they collect dog hair and can be easy washed and cleaned - rather than having to clean your whole car!

Vacuum Your Home Frequently

No matter what steps you take to reduce shedding, one of the best things you can do to keep on top of it is to use your vacuum cleaner at least once or twice a week. When vacuuming multiple times per week, you can focus more on the areas where your pets spend a lot of time. Try to keep up a routine of regular vacuuming as newly-deposited dog hair is more easy to remove from furniture than hair that has got embedded deeply into the upholstery.

Bath Them Regularly

Regular baths especially during the summer months with a recommended dog shampoo will retain the glossiness of your dog’s coat and keep the skin free from irritation. Interestingly, the maximum amount of shedding occurs just after a bath, hence ensure that you give your dog a brisk brush immediately after a bath. There are even special shampoos designed to help reduce shedding such as the FURminator deShedding shampoo which addresses shedding at the core to enhance the effectiveness of deshedding brushes and tools.

Provide Plenty Of Fresh Water

Dehydration can lead to dry skin, which can cause excessive shedding. So it is vital that you make sure your dog always has access to as much clean, fresh water as it wants to drink. If your dog does not drink much water you can also up their water intake by adding a wet food to their diet. Wet dog food contains up to 78% moisture, compared to 10% for dry food, and can be a good way to make sure your dog stays well hydrated.

Quality Balanced Diet

One of the best ways to reduce excessive shedding in dogs is to start with a healthy diet. Cheap dog food is made mostly up of fillers such as corn and grains that dogs have difficulty digesting. Whereas better quality foods are rich in nutrients and have a high meat content. So they are more easily digested by your dog meaning they can absorb the nutrients they need. This means that quality foods promote better skin and coat health! But no matter what you feed them you cannot completely reduce shedding.

Dogs with food allergies or sensitivities are particularly prone to diet-related shedding. You may need to experiment with a few different foods before you find one that's right for your dog; consult your veterinarian for advice and recommendations.

Supplement Their Diet

There are a few supplements you can add to your dog's meals to help improve their skin and coat. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are highly beneficial to your pets coat. A common way to increase their intake of fatty acids is through adding a quality flaxseed oil supplement to your dog’s. Flaxseed is naturally high in omega 3 which helps to improve dry, flaky skin and creates a soft and smooth coat.

Keep Up With Flea Treatment

In order to control your dog's shedding you need to keep up with regular flea treatments. As dogs with fleas will scratch incessantly, which causes even more hair to fall out. By keeping your dog free of fleas you will prevent any skin irritation, dandruff and excessive fur shedding.

Keeping up with your dog’s grooming schedule, brushing on a regular basis, and removing the fur from your home can be very time consuming. If you are able to reduce the amount of shedding from your dog through a high-quality, healthy diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lean proteins, you may be spending less time cleaning dog’s fur off your furniture and your floors. Also, the more time you spend grooming your dog, the less time you will spend cleaning up their fur elsewhere.