Does Your Dog Shed?

Tips for a Hair-Free Holiday

If you share your home with a dog, you’ve likely encountered a common problem – pet hair. While it’s easy to overlook this issue most of the year, it can add an extra layer of stress to the holiday season. After all, the last thing you want is to offer your guests a lint roller during their visit.

Fortunately, there are ways to help tame the wild pet hair tumbleweeds that seem to appear out of nowhere, especially when a visitor arrives. With the right strategy in place, you can lessen your pup’s shedding for a stress-free holiday season. The best part? It can help all year long.

To start, no one knows better than we do that every dog is different. Some shed excessively and others seem to drop nary a hair. That means the trick to keeping unwanted pet hair at a minimum involves determining the unique grooming needs of your dog.

General Grooming Guidelines

There are three basic things that play a significant role in a dog’s shedding:

• Coat type
• Hydration
• Nutrients

Our Certified Canine Spa Stylists can offer personalized recommendations based on your dog. We can also provide guidance on how frequently to bathe your dog to avoid stripping their skin of too much oil.

However, these general guidelines are a great place to start with shedding control.

Short-Haired Dogs

It’s easy to assume a short-haired dog, like a Boxer or Chihuahua, doesn’t require much grooming. But these pups can still drop lots of hair during the year.

Our team suggests regularly brushing with a fine-toothed finishing comb designed specifically for grabbing short, fine hairs. They can also benefit from oils like jojoba or camellia. Either add a drop or two to their shampoo or rub it all over their body with your hands.

Long-Haired Dogs

Dogs with thick, long coats like Siberian Huskies and Labrador Retrievers often have an inner and an outer coat. These dogs typically go through two major shedding cycles each year (spring and fall), but they benefit from daily brushing with a slicker brush.

Every day brushing can significantly decrease a long-haired dog’s shed and reduce the pet dander in your home – an added benefit if you have asthma or allergies. And to keep their coats healthy, hydrated, and luxurious, add a collagen and keratin mask after shampooing, then rinse.

Medium-Haired Dogs

Does your dog fall somewhere in between short- and long-haired? It’s time to grab that slicker brush!

Most dogs with medium-haired coats also benefit from daily brushing. And to keep their fur in top shape, add some minerals to their shampoo or conditioner, like Vital Earth Minerals Pet Fulvic.

Getting Started

Contact the Canine Spa to schedule an appointment if you need help starting the paw-fect grooming plan for your dog. The sooner you can put the best plan in place, the quicker you can ensure you have a hair-free holiday in the weeks to come.