Although there are some dog breeds that don’t shed, most do. Many coat types mean that dogs are going to lose hair through different seasons or weather conditions. However, some things can help if you feel overwhelmed by the amount of hair all over your home. Here’s what to know and how to control dog shedding:

What is Shedding?

When a dog sheds, it means the coat is getting rid of old hair, hair that has detached from their skin, or is damaged. Once this hair sheds, there’s room for healthy hair to grow. This is what keeps your dog’s coat looking full and keeps them warm.

This is a completely natural and normal process in dogs, but it can feel overwhelming when it feels like all you do is sweep or vacuum up piles of hair! Some dog breeds shed more than others.

This amount of shedding depends on a few different factors, including breed, a dog’s diet, any potential allergies, and weather conditions. There are different dog coat types so shedding will also depend on what type of coat your dog has.

9 Tips to Control Dog Shedding

It is possible to help manage shedding with frequent grooming and a good diet. However, you may find your dog still sheds a lot. Thankfully, there are a few tips to help control dog shedding. While following these tips for controlling dog shedding will not completely eliminate the problem, it should help mitigate some of the issues.

1. Groom Regularly

Brushing your dog regularly is one of the best things you can do to help control excess shedding. Brushing helps pull any dead fur from your dog’s coat, giving way for new hair to grow. Removing the excess bulk will not only make your dog feel lighter and cooler, but it will also lower the chance of your dog leaving random tufts of fur around the home.

What constitutes regular brushing will depend on your dog’s breed. Breeds like Newfoundlands tend to shed quite frequently. These breeds may require daily brushing to help control shedding. However, breeds like Poodles and Dachshunds tend to shed very little. Poodles need to be brushed every day to keep their curly coats free of tangles and to help prevent mats.

Regular brushing for other coat types may mean once every few days. Regular brushing is also a great way to spend some time with your dog. They will feel loved and cared for, which is a great way to build a better bond with your dog!

2. Use the Right Brush

Not all dog brushes are equal. There are some common types of dog grooming brushes available and each brush serves a different purpose. Remember, what works on one dog, may not work as well on another. Each type of brush works with a different type of fur.

A slicker brush with wire pins is great for dogs that have woolly or long-haired coats. This allows a brush to cut through all the fur to get down to the undercoat and remove dead hair. If your dog has a shorter coat, a rubber curry comb is the best bet for their fur type.

Bristle brushes are usually suitable for all types of dog coats. However, dogs that have longer hair may require stiffer bristles. Undercoat rakes are great for dogs like Labrador Retrievers who have a double coat.

3. Use Other Shedding Tools

Depending on how much your dog sheds, you may not be able to simply rely on brushes to get the job done. Using the right tools is a useful dog grooming tip and using shedding tools along with brushes is wise. Even if your dog only sheds seasonally, shedding tools are a great way to control excess shedding.

There are a few different options available for you to try. Shedding tools are designed to remove the dead fur from the undercoat but keep the top coat intact. If you’re not sure which shedding tool is right for your dog, talk to an experienced groomer or your vet. These experts will be able to point you in the right direction and offer tips on how to properly use these tools.

4. Bathe Your Dog Regularly

Most dogs are not a fan of taking baths. Unfortunately for your dog, bathing is a great way to cut down on shedding. While frequent baths aren’t required to help control shedding, a regular bath is helpful.

Talk to a groomer or vet to help you figure out how often your dog should be bathed, either at home or at a groomer. If taking your dog to the groomer feels like the easier option, ask friends or your vet for a groomer recommendation. This is a helpful tip for choosing the right dog groomer so you have a few options to research.

Bathing can help get rid of dead hair and help your dog’s skin feel healthy and conditioned. There are some shampoos specifically to help de-shed a dog which is another helpful way to control shedding. These baths will also help your dog smell fresh and clean!

If you don’t want to take your dog to a groomer frequently, there are some helpful dog bathing tips to make bathing easier at home. Making sure your dog is rewarded with treats is a great way to reinforce some positive feelings with the activity.

5. Feed Your Dog a Healthy Diet

Diet and nutrition can contribute a lot to the health of your dog’s fur and skin. If your dog is eating a well-balanced diet, they probably are getting the vitamins and nutrients that are needed to keep their hair healthy and strong. Fur that is healthy is less prone to breakage, which leads to extra shedding.

A diet high in protein and omega fatty acids can go a long way in preventing dry skin. Dry skin makes your dog’s fur more prone to breakage, so be sure your dog is getting enough of these vital nutrients.

If your dog’s diet includes enough of these vitamins and nutrients, but the shedding is still out of control, talk to your vet. They may recommend some supplements to try. They can also give you advice on other foods that can help and help you choose the best dog food for your dog’s needs.

6. Increase Their Water Intake

Staying hydrated is important for dogs. When a dog is dehydrated, they may experience hair loss, so it’s important to know how much your dog is drinking each day.

How Much Water Should Dogs Drink a Day?

If you’re unsure about how much your dog should be drinking, a general rule is that they should drink about an ounce of water per pound of their weight. So if your dog weighs roughly 30 pounds, they should be drinking about 3 1/2 to 4 cups or 30 ounces each day.

However, individual dogs will vary. A dog may need more or less water depending on various factors. For example, dogs in hotter climates need more water to stay cool. Dogs that are more active need more water to stay hydrated and cool down. Dogs that do not eat wet food or whose diet is mostly dry food will need to drink more water than dogs who get some water content from wet food.

Keep Water Bowls Clean and Water Fresh

If you don’t think your dog is drinking enough, take some time to figure out why. Dogs can sometimes avoid their water bowls if they get dirty, become slimy, or smell or taste weird. Make sure that their water bowl stays clean and that you are filling it with clean, cool water regularly to avoid it becoming too stagnant. This is particularly important if dogs drink out of shared water bowls as these can require more frequent cleaning.

Create Multiple Hydration Stations

You may also want to have multiple locations of water throughout your home. Dogs can be lazy sometimes, just like humans, and they might not feel like walking all the way to the kitchen just to get a drink. If they have multiple access points, they’re more likely to drink enough.

If you want to entice them to drink more, add a splash of low-sodium or sodium-free broth to their water. They’ll enjoy the flavor, making them more likely to drink more. If your dog struggles to drink enough, you can also mix a little water into some wet dog food.

Offer High Water Content Fruit and Veggie Treats

Another way for them to get more water into their diet is to offer them some of the best fruits and veggies for dogs that are high in water content. Vegetables and fruits with a high water count that are safe for dogs to eat include watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and cucumbers. Helping them stay hydrated by adding fruits and veggies to their diet is a helpful summer safety tip for dogs.

7. Visit Your Veterinarian

If you’ve tried nearly every method to reduce your dog’s shedding and you still find clumps of hair everywhere, it might be time to see your veterinarian. Some medical conditions cause excess shedding. Skin infections or other common skin problems in dogs, anxiety or stress, and parasites are some of the more common issues that can lead to hair loss.

Your dog may also have hormonal issues, like a thyroid imbalance, that can lead to brittle hair and inflamed skin. This may be the root cause of your dog’s excessive shedding. Skin problems are one of the signs you should get your dog’s thyroid checked.

Allergies are another common issue. If your dog is scratching their itchy skin a lot, fur will be pulled from their coat. Your veterinarian will do some skin allergy tests to determine the issue and will determine treatment based on the results.

8. Keep Up With Cleaning

Even if your dog’s shedding can be reduced a bit, you may still deal with some loose hair now and then. It’s an inevitable part of owning a dog, but there are ways to make it easier. There are a few home cleaning tips for dog owners that can help keep your home fresh and relatively fur-free.

Make sure any furniture that is used by your dog has a throw or a sheet over it. This makes cleaning and washing the area so much easier because you can just throw that cover in the washing machine. This will also keep furniture nice and help it last longer.

Vacuuming will be your best friend when it comes to controlling dog fur. A normal vacuum is perfectly fine, but some vacuums are designed to specifically deal with pet fur. You can also get a robot vacuum to run every night while everyone is asleep so you wake up to clean floors every day. If you need to do a quick pickup of dog fur from furniture or even your clothes, a lint roller is especially helpful.

9. Use Air Purifiers

Even if you’re not allergic to dogs, all that fur and dander in the air can still activate an allergic response. Even if you have an HVAC system, and regularly clean and change the filters, it may not be enough to filter out any dander or hair floating in the air.

This is where an air purifier can come in handy. These machines often come in a variety of sizes, so you should be able to pick one that fits your home’s needs. Using an air purifier in the rooms that your dog frequents can do a lot to help reduce excess dander or fur in the air. Make sure you change the filter frequently for the air purifier to do its job. If your dog is a particularly heavy shutter, you may want to even change filters more often than recommended.

This is an overview of how to control dog shedding. If you feel like you are overrun with your dog’s fur, try some of these tips. Hopefully, there’s a lot less fur floating around your home and your dog will feel lighter and have a healthy coat.