Although your dog may shed their hair throughout the year, it's springtime when the frequency of lost hair increases as they start losing their winter coats. The amount of hair your dog sheds depends on several factors including their health, age and breed type.
As most of this shedding is going to occur inside the home, it is a good idea to tackle the problem early on by starting a grooming routine, which will minimise the amount that ends up knotted in the carpet and rolling like tumbleweed around the house!
Read on for our tips to help you deal with your dog's springtime moult.
Best Dog Brushes For Moulting
Brushing has many benefits but importantly, it helps to distribute the natural oils produced by the hair follicles through the coat so that it looks glossy and healthy. Not only will your pet look wonderful, regular grooming is the perfect opportunity to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
Long haired breeds such as Border Collies, German Shepherds and Spaniels will need more attention as they are naturally more prone to tangling. Our Essentials Pet Grooming Set is a perfect starter kit containing everything you need to start a grooming routine at home.
- Brush your dog with a slicker brush. Starting at their neck and chest, brush the entire coat including the shoulders, sides, back and chest in the direction of the hair. Dont forget the tummy too!
- Very carefully tease out any matts with a grooming comb. Don't forget tho groom the hair around their head, face, under the jaw and ears too.
- Larger matts may be carefully broken up to untangle the hair using a dematting comb or carefully clipped out of the coat using a trimmer or a close cutting 10F blade on your clipper. Chip away carefully at the mat, close to the skin but take care not to clip too much of the coat. If your dog is very matted, it best to seek help from a professional groomer.
- Coat rakes are very efficient at removing undercoats and dead hair – these are available in a range of different sizes to suit the type and density of hair.
Shorter coated and wiry breeds such as Terriers, Dachshunds and Pointers would benefit from a thorough combing with a slicker brush followed by a combination metal comb to remove the loosened hair.
A stripping knife can then be used to tidy up and remove any of the dead undercoat, remembering to carefully work out any matts first.
Coat Rakes For Dog Moutling
If your dog sheds a lot, a coat rake could be a game-changer for your grooming routine. Designed to tackle thick, shedding fur, coat rakes are specialised grooming tools with long, rounded teeth that reach deep into the coat. They work by gently removing loose hair and undercoat without damaging the topcoat, making them ideal for double-coated breeds like German Shepherds, Huskies, and Golden Retrievers.
Tips for choosing the right coat rake for your dog:
- The softer (finer) the coat – choose a rake with a higher the number of blades
- The denser (coarser) the coat – choose a rake with less blades
- The longer the coat - it is better to use a rake with more blades
- Very short coats - use a rake with blades fitted with the smallest gaps between blades
- Very long and or matted coats - start with low number of blades and finish with high blade numbers.
Dog Shedding: What is a Blowing Coat?
Those fortunate enough to have one of the very beautiful double coated breeds such as the Bernese mountain dog, Newfoundland, husky, Leonberger, chow chow and Japanese akita will appreciate that their luxurious coat which is a joy to behold for most of the year will require a period of intense grooming when the times comes for them to “blow” their coat, an intense time of heavy shedding in Spring in Autumn to adapt to changing temperatures. the hair comes out in clumps of tufts.
So, how do you deal with the undercoat explosion and monstrous amounts of hair? The only answer is to brush and don’t stop brushing until all the loose hair is removed. Brush the full coat once a day at least until the shedding is complete. You can even take your dog to the groomers to get a 'blow out' of their coat. This involves using a high powered blaster or drier to literally blow the loose hair out of the coat using high velocity hair to rapidly speed up the grooming process. This also separates the hair leaving them fluffy and reducing the chances of matting.
- Rakes are very useful for grooming these breeds as they successfully and gently remove the fluffy undercoat whilst leaving the outer, guard hairs intact and undamaged.
- Bathing also helps hasten the end of the shedding process, we recommend the organic, additive and paraben free shampoo’s from Wild Wash.
Grooming Non-Shedding Dogs
All dogs shed hair but this varies from breed to breed – there is no such thing as a completely non-shedding dog! The downside to a low shedding breed is that they are prone to matting unless the owner is very attentive and regularly grooms and clips the hair.
- Breeds such as Maltese, Shih Tzu, Bichon Frise, water dogs and poodles are easily maintained with a home grooming clipping set. But even these breeds need a certain amount of elbow grease to get the best results.
- Before clipping use a high quality shampoo, thoroughly rinse out and blow dry if possible.
- Make sure your clipper blades are sharp and your clipper is regularly serviced and working effectively. A dull blade will make the task a lot harder and will not give as good a finish. Between strokes with the clipper blade, back comb and fluff the coat up with a slicker brush to make sure the clip is even.
- Aim to take even strikes through the coat with the clippers – to remove bulk, achieve the desired length and gain a smart, even finish.
- Watch our home dog grooming video for grooming tips with professional groomer Emily Dog Grooming on our YouTube channel here.
Grooming Top Tips For Moulting Season
- Choose a brush or rake suitable to the size of the dog and their coat texture.
- Start at the shoulders and work down the length of the body, always brushing in the direction of the hair growth.
- Slicker brushes with ball pins are ideal for soft coats, sensitive skin and puppies. The rounded edges of the pins are more gentle on your dogs skin and the curved shape ensures the pins work deep into the coat.
- Pay particular attention to areas where the hair grows thickest over the hips and lower back.
- Whilst grooming keep an eye out for lumps and bumps, fleas and hair mats. Our flea comb and Wildwash flea spray are excellent for removing fleas and their larvae and keeping biting insects away.
- Brush your pet outdoors if possible and leave hair for any nesting birds.
