The important thing to keep in mind here is that dog shedding is natural.You shouldn’t panic seeing your canine friend’s hair all over your furniture, although obviously, you do not want to vacuum your couch every day. A dog’s shedding is considered a natural process.You should be prepared for this factor before you get a dog. It is time we bust a myth! You might have heard that some dogs don’t shed, or after a few tricks, dogs stop shedding; this is absolutely false. Every dog sheds. The rate and the quantity depends upon a number of factors such as the breed, the climate the dog lives in, the dog’s nutrition, and the quality of your dog’s skin and fur. Before you get a dog, keep in mind the shedding factor. Some dogs shed throughout the year, whereas, some shed specifically in spring. Grooming needs, maintenance costs and allergies are some other factors you can keep in mind before getting a dog.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about how to make a dog to throw up and how to get rid of skunk smell from a dog here on Kidadl?How do you stop dog shedding?For starters, you cannot stop your dog from shedding completely, but you can reduce the shedding. Before we delve into techniques used for reducing shedding, you must know the difference between normal shedding and abnormal shedding. If your dog’s coat is shedding abnormally, there might be a medical issue, and you must contact a vet. Below are some of the best tips to control shedding and to avoid using the vacuum cleaner daily due to your dog.Brushing your dog: The best and the most basic practice to adopt is to keep brushing your dog. Make a routine and brush your dog every day. When to brush is not a hard and fast rule. It is completely up to you, but if you want to reduce the shedding you have to keep brushing your dog, a lot! Keep multiple brushes handy and make sure your dog has a slicker brush as a veterinarian greatly recommends its use.Bathe your dog and brush it: Keeping your dog clean is really important to tackle this situation and there is no better way than to give your dog a bath. It is advisable to fix a schedule and stick to it, as a dog is an animal which enjoys a disciplined schedule. Now, the most essential thing to do after your dog has taken a bath is to brush it. Brushing your dog after bathing it is arguably the best time to brush your dog as the combination is a proven way of reducing shedding. However, brush your dog only after you have completely dried it using a designated drier for your pet. Bathing and then drying removes a lot of hair off your dog’s skin which would have eventually been shed and spread all over the house.Supplements: Providing supplements to your canine friend to reduce shedding is a pretty good method to adopt. However, it is advisable to contact a veterinarian before choosing a supplement type as a vet might be able to suggest the best one depending upon your dog’s breed and other factors. Omega 3 fatty acids present in certain supplements can help reduce shedding. Along with supplements, you can give your dog good quality food filled with nutrition to keep its body healthy and keep shedding low. Adding olive oil to your dog’s diet is another way of providing Omega 3 in its diet and it makes your dog’s diet healthier. Using olive oil is a good substitute for a supplement. Check for allergies before giving your dog any food or it might lead to serious medical issues.Grooming: If you live in a country where the climate is excessively hot, you can take your dog for a grooming session in order to get rid of some of the extra fur. Your dog will enjoy the change as it will not only make it feel lighter but also be relief from rising summer temperatures. You can also keep a set of grooming tools if your dog is shedding a lot, and a veterinarian can recommend some good tools.Why is my dog shedding?Now that you know how to deal with the shedding issue, let’s get to the root cause of it. What is actually causing your dogs to shed all this hair? Apart from all the below mentioned reasons, stress is also a key factor. Whenever your pet undergoes some stress, it sheds a lot of hair. Contact a vet to rule out any medical issues which might be affecting your pet. There are a number of reasons why dogs shed excessively and a number of factors which affect their shedding rate and pattern. The most notable reasons have been provided below.The new comes when the old goes. Dogs need to shed their damaged hair in order to grow new hair. The hair of dogs is continuously growing. Dead and damaged strands of hair are automatically shed to make way for new and healthy fur. These fresh strands of hair keep your dog in a healthy condition and make it look well maintained.Some breeds shed at a higher rate and quantity. If you have multiple dogs and notice that one of them is shedding more than the other, it is not unusual. Some dog breeds shed more than other ones, especially heavy coated ones such as huskies. On the other hand, if your pet is a poodle, you might notice a relatively lower rate of shedding owing to the breed of the dog.Seasonal change is one of the reasons dogs shed. Spring is the primary season for dogs to shed loads of fur; the rate might be higher than usual but it is absolutely normal. As the winter season goes and the temperatures rise, dogs tend to shed some of their hair as it is natural in a dog’s lifecycle.Can puppies shed?If you have a puppy as a pet, do not think that it doesn’t shed. The rate and quantity might be less than an adult dog, but a puppy sheds too. Puppies have a very soft coat of fur when they are born, unlike adult dogs who have thicker coats. However, with time, puppies too get the thicker coat, and the time it takes and the type of coat largely depend upon the breed of your pet.Whether a puppy will have a single coat or a double coat directly depends upon your dog’s breed. The pattern on the coat over your pet’s skin might get change completely when it turns from a puppy to an adult dog. For example, if you have a Dalmatian puppy as your pet, you will notice no spots on its coat but as it grows and sheds its coat to get the thicker adult coat, you will see spots all over its furry skin. Such changes are expected in some breeds. The time taken by your pup to shed its soft coat and get the thicker one, once again, depends upon the breed of your pet. On an average, puppies tend to shed their soft skin at around four to six months of age, but in some cases it is as early as three months. Do not worry when your puppy goes through this transition, as your dog might look untidy and might shed a lot of hair, but it is all part of the natural process.Which breeds shed the most hair?Shedding in dogs is a natural activity. You might notice that some dogs undergo excessive shedding but that is only due to their breed. What might seem to be excessive shedding or hair loss for a dog is normal for some haired dogs. Keeping all fondness apart, a shedding dog is really a difficult job to handle. You might want to think twice before selecting an outfit if you have the following kinds of dogs.Which breed sheds how much hair? The Akita, a Japanese dog, is known to shed a lot of dead hair. The next dog up on the list is an Alaskan Malamute as it produces a lot of loose hair and this dog’s coat is also famous for its design. The classic American Eskimo is infamous for its excessive hair loss. Next up is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi as it sheds throughout the year, and interestingly, this dog’s coat is multi layered. The Chinese dog the Chow Chow is known for its dead hair; the amount of hair even a pup of this breed can lose is enormous. These are the top five breeds known for their excessive shedding. If you are a dog parent of any of these breeds, bathe your dog regularly, provide it proper dog food as part of a balanced diet, and keep your dog’s shedding tools nearby as you will need them.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how to stop dog shedding, then take a look at how to make a dog stop pooping on the floor or Rottweiler facts.
The important thing to keep in mind here is that dog shedding is natural.
