How To Manage Dog Shedding

When the season comes for dogs to ‘blow their coats,’ there is nothing that a dog owner can do but to vacuum his house several times a day. This is tiring, indeed. But you can manage dog shedding with some tried and tested tips below.

Poodles don’t shed much even during hot season. A simple trim and brushing will do. However, short haired dogs with ‘double coats’ need extras during regular bathing and grooming. A mitt, a bristle brush and a horse’s soft brush can do the trick.

While conditioning your dog, use the mitt to work out on tangles and mats, rubbing the mitt on all directions. When you rinse your dog, you’ll see a lot of dog shedding going down the drain. This is just the shedding on the outer coat. To go to the inner coat, the bristle brush will be of great help. Bristle brush removes loosened hair from the inner coat and helps remove excess hair to avoid further shedding. As a finishing touch, dust your dog off with horse’s soft brush for last traces of dog shedding. During hot days, do this grooming trick every two weeks.

You can also vacuum your dog after bathing and blow drying him. Vacuuming is your easiest and fastest solution to hours of grooming a dog during his shedding months. Some dogs are afraid of vacuums and may not allow you to vacuum his shedding. Pet him, stroke his fur and encourage him to be calm during his first vacuuming session. After a session or two, he’ll get used to the strange sound of the vacuum.

Dog shedding is normal. However, if your dog sheds more than his usual or smells differently, you may need to bring him to the vet. His shedding may be caused by a food that he ate or some underlying disease.