Shed hair is the biggest annoyance facing pet owners. It seems like no matter how hard you try, you just can't get rid of all of the hair around your home, in your vehicles and on your clothing. Learning how to stop dog shedding hair will help you get a handle on the amount of shed fur lingering around your house.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely prevent your dog from shedding. Shedding is a natural process that is necessary for skin and coat health. Old and/or damaged hair is shed to allow for new, healthier hair to grow in its place.
While you will never be able to remove every piece of shed hair from your dog's coat, there are a number of things that you can do to drastically reduce shedding by up to 90%. If the shedding issue is holding you back from adopting a new furry friend, you can check out our list of non-shedding dog breeds.
How To Stop Dog Shedding Hair
STEP 1: Preparation
When learning how to stop dog shedding hair, it's important to get the coat prepared properly. Did you know that deshedding tools work best on a recently washed coat?
Washing your dog releases a lot of the loose fur that is stuck in his coat. However, remember to NEVER brush your dog when his coat is still wet! Make sure his coat is completely dried before brushing him with a deshedding tool.
You'll also want to remove any mats or tangles from the coat before you begin the deshedding process. Give him a thorough brushing with a regular brush before using a deshedding tool. A pin and bristle brush is a great choice for removing mats and tangles.
If you brush a matted/tangled coat with a deshedding tool, it will pull your dog's fur and cause him a lot of pain. Have you ever brushed your own hair and caught a tangle that you didn't know was there? It hurts, and that's the type of pain you'll be inflicting on your dog if you don't remove mats and tangles from his coat before beginning the deshedding process.
The final preparation step is to inspect your dog's skin and coat. Run your hands through your dog's fur to check for any lumps, scratches, wounds or foreign objects that you may have missed. Not only is this helpful when learning how to stop dog shedding hair, it's a good practice to get into to ensure your dog's overall health and well-being.
MORE: 5 of My Favorite Dog Shedding Home Remedies
STEP 2: Deshedding
Now it's time to use a deshedding tool to remove all of the loose hair from your dog's coat. As you'll see in my video above, you're going to need to brush your dog in the same direction as his fur grows.
Basically, you want to brush your pup from head to tail with long strokes. Stop to remove the hair from the brush as needed when the teeth get full. Try to keep the same rhythm so that your pup gets used to the movement and enjoys the brushing process.
DO NOT press down on the brush. Unlike regular dog brushes, deshedding tools are equipped with a stainless steel head that has a row of sharp teeth. These teeth are great for collecting loose dog hair, but if you press them into Fido's skin they could cut him.
The amount of time that you spend brushing your dog will vary depending on his coat type. As I mention in my video, our chocolate Labrador requires a lot of brushing. I typically brush her for about 10-15 minutes every day, but in the spring when she is shedding excessively, it can take up to an hour to thoroughly brush through her coat.
You'll want to continue brushing until you're not getting any more fur in the brush. This is the only way to reduce shedding. Whatever loose fur you leave behind will eventually make it's way into your home and on to your clothes and furniture. Of course, any amount of brushing will help. After all, whatever fur you do manage to remove is that much less that you will have to clean up around your home.
In my video above I mention that I like to deshed my dogs outside as opposed to indoors. The reason is obvious: you don't have to clean up the pet hair mess afterwards. If you're able to groom your dog outside, I highly recommend it! If you do have to do it inside, try to do it on a hard floor that will be easy to clean.
READ NEXT: 9 Ways To Improve Your Dog's Skin and Coat Health
