Stop Dog Shedding

Dog’s hair looks good only on the dog itself. Nobody wants to see it on their sofa, carpet, or anywhere else in their home. Unfortunately though, dog shedding is a natural part of almost every dog’s life and it’s happens during the spring and summer season. If you own a dog, it is vital to know how to stop dog shedding, before it turns into a bigger problem for your household.

Even if you can’t stop dog shedding completely, there are several shedding dog solutions that may help you to decrease the amount of hair your dog sheds. Dog shedding occurs through out the year at dogs living inside, but most of the shedding comes in the spring months, when your dog is dropping his coat. Dog shedding also happens because of broken or damaged hair. Different kinds of allergies are another reason why some dogs are excessively shedding.

A simple but effective solution that helps you to stop dog shedding is to brush your dog once in a few days, or if he’s shedding excessively, you should brush him every day. Also, don’t forget to comb, in order to eliminate the dead hair. A head to tail brushing in each direction will make a big difference.

Special grooming gloves can be found at most pet stores. These shedding gloves are surfaced with plastic or rubber teeth, designed to eliminate the loose hair. Another good idea is to get your canine a nice haircut. It will not stop the shedding, but the lost hair will be shorter and less in quantity. Depending on the haircut, it could be unnoticeable.

Clean your pooch regularly and make him take a bath from time to time, especially in summer times. Keeping your dog clean and healthy means a better coat for him, hence that will stop dog shedding.

Solving The Dog Shedding Problem

Hair loss is a common issue

We have once busted the myths of the non shedding dogs and are therefore to expect truckloads of problems. Knowing that all dog breeds are exposed to hair loss will trigger several problems. Solving these is the main concern of these lines, so feel free to get enlightened on how to solve small problems or avoid them from the very beginning.

How to avoid

Firstly you should avoid having a breed which is off the non shedding dogs list. We all admit that this is a restrictive approach, but as long as you and your family get an additional comfort and health ratio, it should be a priority concern. If you are fed up with continuous sneezing and watery eyes, you should search for non shedding dogs as many of them are hypoallergenic. There is golden rule: you shouldn’t interpret non shedding dogs literally. Parallel to this, don’t expect a dog to be 100% allergy free. You should abide by the rules and avoid problems right from the start.

Stop dog shedding

If you are familiar with dog hair on the coach, on the carpet, on the pavement, in the car, on your clothes and all over the place it means that you have either skipped the previous subheading or you just love dogs. Not having low shedding dogs doesn’t mean you can’t lower the shedding! Here are some tips that can help you lower the amount of hair loss.

Good dog training is indispensable; teaching your dog to have its hair brushed on a daily basis could reduce shedding. Don’t forget to brush in the direction the hair is growing.

A well balanced diet will make miracles. Don’t confuse your plate with its bowl, whatever you do, do not feed your dog from the table!

Tips to Control Dog Shedding

Dog shedding is one of the most common problems faced by dog owners. It causes health problems and cleanliness issues, and is generally one of the more unpleasant aspects of owning a dog. However, with proper care, it is possible to control excessive shedding of dogs. Here are some tips to help you do so:

• Brushing: This is a perhaps the most important aspect of controlling excessive shedding. Brush your dog regularly, so that all the hair that the dog sheds can be easily collected. Hair that is loose but still attached will also get pulled out and this will reduce the day long shedding. If your dog has a very heavy coat and sheds excessively, brush him two, maybe even three times a day to prevent him from shedding all over the house.

• Food: One of the factors that causes shedding in dogs is consumption of the wrong kinds of foods. This disturbs their chemical balance in their bodies and leads to shedding. Consult your vet to find out the best food options to prevent excessive shedding.

• Supplements: There are essential oils present on the skin of the dog that help keeps it moist. When dogs undergo excessive shedding, they lose these essential oils rapidly, which leads to dry skin, which in turn leads to excessive shedding. Give your dog a fatty acid supplement to help maintain the required balance of essential oils in his body.

• Control Ticks and Fleas: Ticks or fleas on the bodies of the dogs can cause a lot of discomfort to the dogs because of the constant bites all over the bodies. Their bites are relatively itchy and dogs tend to scratch themselves a lot when they have ticks and fleas on them. This excessive scratching leads to a lot of hair loss as hair keeps getting pulled out as the dog scratches, and this leads to shedding wherever the dog may be. To reduce such shedding, ensure that your dog is completely free of ticks and fleas. Consult your vet for effective treatment, if your dog is infected by them.

• Bathing: Different breeds of dogs have different bathing requirements. While dogs like Newfoundlanders should not be bathed more than once every few months, almost every breed of dog that has a light to moderate coat of fur should be bathed regularly. Especially in the summer, depending on the breed of the dog, bathing your dog on a weekly basis will help control excessive shedding to a large extent. This is because moistening the skin helps prevent shedding caused by dry skin.

• Use the right brushes: There are different kinds of brushes available for different purposes. For instance, you can use a slicker brushes, shedding blades, matbreakers, love gloves and stripping blades effectively to control excessive shedding. Consult your vet to find out the right kind of brushes that can be used for your breed of dog and learn about their individual functions.

• Regular Check ups: Sometimes excessive shedding can be a symptom of a disease and regular check ups will ensure that your dog is in perfect health and that his shedding is natural.

Coping with Shedding Dogs

We all love our dogs, but there is no denying that we are often presented with aspects of dog keeping that are very problematic in nature. One such dog problem that is impossible to escape is that of dog shedding. Almost every breed of dogs shed hair. Some shed more than the others, but non-shedding dogs are a myth. This is because shedding is the only way dogs can get rid of their dead skin cells. When they lose one coat, they also lose all the dead skin cells on their fur. Since some breeds of dogs do not have too much hair to begin with, their shedding is so negligible that they are referred to as non-shedding dogs.

Most dogs that shed heavily are those that have a very heavy coat of fur. Dogs need thick coats if they live in regions that have very cold climatic conditions. The fur is their protection against the coldness of the weather. But, as summer arrives, this thick coat is no longer required and dogs tend to shed. There are some breeds of dogs that do have a relatively thick coat of fur, but they are so delicate that they need the protection of the fur all year long. Dogs like poodles and labradoodles do not shed heavily despite having thick coats and are also clubbed with the group of non-shedding dogs.

In many cases, having dog fur all over the house is an unpleasant aspect of owning dogs. Some breeds of dog continue to shed hair despite regular grooming, which includes bathing and brushing. Such breeds of dogs can cause a number of problems to dog owners. The first issue is that of hygiene. Dogs have been all over the place and their fur comes in contact with the grass, ground, mud, dust, etc. All these particles cling to their fur, and when the dog sheds they get deposited on articles around the house along with the hair. Additionally, dogs that lick themselves also leave deposits of saliva on their fur which also gets deposited along with the shed fur all over the house.

This is not very hygienic, especially if there are infants and small children in the house who are prone to putting things in their mouths. On the other hand, if this shed food gets into the food or water supply, it can create serious health issues to people who may ingest that food. People are also known to suffer from allergic reactions to the hair that is shed by dogs.

Having a lot of dog hair around the house requires a lot of cleaning, and multiple uses of the vacuum cleaner. One problem caused by dog hair is that of vacuum cleaner breakage. Their hair gets stuck in the suction mechanism of the cleaner and causes it to break down. Also, having a shedding dog also requires owners to take extra care of their upholstery and even cover it up, as dog hair stuck in the upholstery can be very difficult to remove.

Grooming Requirements for Shedding Dogs

The fact of the matter is that no matter what breed of dog you own, they are likely to shed some hair periodically. While there are breeds of dogs that have so little hair and their shedding is so minimal, they are called non-shedding dogs and they require minimal grooming. However, dogs with moderate or heavy coats of fur can present a huge problem to their owners when they shed. Proper grooming techniques can be very useful in reducing the problems caused by shedding dogs. Here are some tips to help you cope with the problem:

• Breed of dogs with thick, long fur require regular grooming to prevent excessive shedding. Dogs like Newfoundlands and Akitas have very long thick coats and require daily brushing all year round. When these breeds of dogs begin to shed, they often require two, even three rounds of brushing with a firm bristle brush on a daily basis. It is also recommended that these dogs are not bathed very often, even when they are shedding, as it depletes the levels of essential oils on their skin and coat. They do not require to be bathed once every few months unless they get very dirty.

• Some breeds of dogs have a relatively thick coat of fur, but are not very prone to shedding. For instance, breeds like Poodles and Bedlington Terriers. In such cases, it is advisable to run your fingers through their fur on a regular basis and pull out loose clumps of hair instead of using a brush on their coats. These breeds of dogs can also be bathed on a regular basis, like once in two months, and can be bathed more often when they are shedding. This will help keep their skin moist and reduce shedding.

• Breeds of dogs that have long and silky hair need even more regular grooming, to prevent excessive shedding. Dogs like Lhasa Apso, Setters, Afghan Hound, Spaniels and Maltese fall under the category of such dogs. They are required to be bathed on a weekly basis. After every bath, their coats need to be brushed with a pin brush. Every two months or so, their fur needs to receive a trim to prevent it from growing excessively long. The hair that is being shed by them needs to be removed by plucking it from their fur or by ‘stripping’ it.

• Some breeds of dogs like most terriers, including the West Highland white terrier, Schnauzers and Dachshunds have a wiry coat. These dogs need to be brushed at least thrice weekly. The shed fur on their bodies needs to be ‘stripped’ or ‘plucked’ by finger brushing. While they should normally be bathed once every three months, they can be bathed more often when they are shedding.

• Some breeds of dogs have a very smooth coat. Dogs like Labradors, Boxers and Whippets need very little grooming whether they are shedding or not. Especially when they are shedding, it is useful to run a stripping knife over their coats once everyday to remove all excess shed hair.