Does Your Dog Shed Hair?

I am a big dog fan, but one of the things I most hate is shedding. Ew. Dog hair just stays on your furniture, on your clothes, and anywhere else you could possibly think of. So, if you have a shedding dog, how can you mitigate the shedding? How can you deal with the excessive hair everywhere? Here are a few tips you can utilize to reduce the amount of shedding and to deal with the shedding you'll still undoubtedly have to handle.

Something you can try is to rub a dryer sheet over his fur each day. The dryer sheet will pick up stray hairs and keep them from landing on your clothes and couch. By picking up those most stray hairs, you can significantly reduce the hair that leaves the dog and lands on you and your things. Take a victory where you can.

Regular daily grooming will also reduce shedding. This works best for dogs with shorter and finer coats like greyhounds and Labradors. By simply brushing out your dog's coat everyday, you can significantly reduce the shedding of your dog and you can consequently save your furniture and clothes (and your sanity!). Another tip for you is to use a rubber glove (like one you'd wash the dishes with); put this on and, while outside, smooth your dog all over in short brisk strokes. This will bring up the loose hair and you can get rid of it outside. Also brush with a stiff bristle brush or slicker to exfoliate the skin.

Poor diet and stress can also increase shedding, so if that could be a problem, you'll want to fix that first and then tackle the shedding problem. You won't be very successful if you only treat the symptom and not the cause. If you're concerned your dog may have other issues contributing to its shedding, see your vet.

So, just because your dog sheds doesn't mean that it has to drive you insane. There are good ways for dealing with this and once these tips become routine, you'll be able to live with shedding in peace!