How to Deshed a Dog? – When you are petting a dog, you should know that all dogs shed. Unwanted fur can sometimes create embarrassment if one moves out of your house covered in dog fur.
How to De-Shed Your Dog: A Guide for Fur-Free Living
Shedding is normal for dogs, but managing excessive fur can be a challenge. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to deshed your dog effectively:
Why De-Shed?
- Comfort: Reduces matting, irritation, and overheating, especially for double-coated breeds.
- Hygiene: Keeps your home and clothes cleaner.
- Health: Promotes skin health and helps identify potential issues.
Understanding Dog Coats
- Single Coat: Easier to manage, requiring less frequent de-shedding.
- Double Coat: Needs more attention, especially during seasonal shedding.
- Other Coat Types: Wire-coated, curly, etc., might need professional grooming.
Essential De-Shedding Tools
- Slicker Brush: Great for removing tangles and loose undercoat.
- Furminator: Specialized tool with teeth to pull out dead undercoat.
- Bristle Brush: Simple and gentle option.
- Rubber Brush: Works well for short-haired dogs.
- De-shedding Blades: Effective, but use with caution.
- Force Dryer: Professional tool that blasts away loose fur.
How to De-Shed Your Dog
- Regular Brushing: The most important step! Brush regularly to remove loose hair and prevent matting.
- Frequent Bathing: Helps loosen undercoat for easier removal.
- Specialized Shampoos: Use de-shedding shampoos and conditioners to further loosen fur.
- De-shedding Tools: Choose the right tool based on your dog’s coat type. Work in the direction of hair growth with gentle strokes.
- Dog Dryer: A high-velocity dryer helps significantly reduce loose fur.
Important Tips
- Be patient: De-shedding takes time, especially for long-haired or double-coated breeds.
- Positive Reinforcement: Make it an enjoyable experience for your dog with treats and praise.
- Frequency: De-shed more often during heavy shedding seasons.
- Seek Professional Help: For heavily matted dogs or specialized coat types.
Key Takeaways
- De-shedding is an essential part of dog grooming, improving your dog’s comfort and your home’s cleanliness.
- Choose the right tools and techniques based on your dog’s coat type.
- Regular de-shedding along with brushing and bathing is the key to managing fur.
Remember: With consistent care and the right approach, you can keep your dog happy, healthy, and your home fur-free!
Why Do Dogs have Shedding?
Shedding is the natural cycle in a dog’s life where the process of growing extra fur takes place in winter to insulate so that the dog feels warmth and heat from their fur, and this extra fur is shed during the summer season. Removal of your dog’s undercoat hair is called shedding.
The reasons for the Shedding of dogs include weather and climate changes, the breed of the dog, and the entire health of your dog.
The amount of Shedding depends upon the breed of the dog. For example, breeds like golden retrievers, labradors, and German shepherds tend to lose more hair than breeds like poodles.
Deshedding your dogs will benefit them by making them comfortable and free from irritation.
What are the Types of Dog Coating?
Shedding depends upon the genes, weather, and type of coat your dog has. Understanding your dog’s coat can help you use the right ways when doing the deshedding process.
Dogs have a single coat, a double coat, or many other types of textures.
In general, there are two main types of coat:
The Topcoat
It is mainly the guard hair of your dog that is rough, hard, long, and provides cover. It also protects the dog from sunlight, water, and other severe problems like cuts and bruises.
The Undercoat
It is the lower hair of your dog that is wavy and curly and works like a thermos. It works to keep your dog warm during winter and cools during Summers.
Finding Coat Match for Your Dog
Finding a coat match will help you determine the proper and appropriate deshedding tool.
Smooth Coat
The fur in the smooth coat is thin, shiny, and close to the body. Dogs with short hair like bulldogs and beagles have smooth coats. They require brushing regularly to reduce Shedding.
Double Coat
When your dog has both the topcoat and the lower coat, they are considered a double coat. Dogs like Labradors and Golden Retrievers are double-coated.
Wire Coat
Hair texture in wire-coated dogs is wiry and rough, and they don’t shed as much as other breeds. Breeds having wire coats are Scottish terrier and Brussels Griffon.
Curly Coat
Hair texture is wavy, and fur with tight curls is considered a curly coat. These dogs need special care for their grooming, and you need to take them to professionals for a better approach. Poodles and bichon fire are some examples of dogs having curly coats.
What Does Deshedding Mean?
Deshedding is removing a dog’s loose undercoat hair physically or manually. The main reason for this process is to remove the hair before it sheds off naturally, causing discomfort and problems to the dog owner and the dog itself.
Groomers use various tools to deshed a dog’s hair depending upon the type of coat and breed. Deshedding can also be done at home by following proper instructions and guidance.
Deshedding must be done regularly and frequently, and one should follow a routine for providing your dog with a regular and good grooming session.
What is the Different Between Deshedding and Brushing?
The main difference between the two is that brushing involves only managing the dog’s top coat, removing the dirt, dander, tangles, and debris strangled in the dog’s fur. In contrast, deshedding goes deep into the fur and removes the loosened undercoat hair, which eventually will lose.
You need to take your dog to the groomer for this process, or you can even do this at your home. To practice deshedding, you need brushes that are specifically designed for the purpose, unlike regular brushes.
Deshedding Tools for Dogs
Deshedding brushes, in contrast to regular brushes, are specially designed so that they can dig deep into the fur to remove extra fur. Some of the brushes that are used in deshedding are:
Slicker Dog Brush
It has fine mental bristles that are very helpful in removing tangles from the dog’s undercoat. This brush is usually used for dogs having long hair with a double or thick coat.
Furminator
It is a tool with shedding blades with narrow teeth that go into the dog’s furry, curly and fuzzy undercoat, leaving the overcoat undisturbed.
These shedding tools can remove a significant amount of hair, and you can need a vacuum to clean the mess.
Bristle Brush
These brushes are typically designed to shed dogs. You can use a bristle brush to deshed your dog at home.
Rubber Brush
These brushes are designed to deshed dogs having short hair. It removes hair and also stimulates blood circulation in dogs.
Deshedding Blades
These are a type of combs that are made up of metal that removes a lot of unwanted fur from your dog.
Force Dryer
These high-powered blow dryers for your pet break the clumps and tangles in the undercoat so that Shedding can be done easily.
How to Deshed a Dog?
Deshedding is something that your dog will appreciate because you have relaxed and comforted him by removing those extra bundles of hair that cause him itchiness and irritation.
Here are some ways that can keep you and your dog happy and free of unwanted fluff.
Brushing Regularly
This is the easiest and most effective way to prevent Shedding. Regular brushing will remove dead skin, dander, and debris from your dog’s hair.
As we discussed above, Shedding happens according to the breed and genes of the dog. Dogs shed small amounts of hair daily, or sometimes they can shed huge amounts of hair per the season.
You have to decide and identify which deshedding tool or brush you should use depending upon the breed of the dog.
When brushing your dog, you should ensure that you have to be very diligent as dogs will also feel pain while untangling hair as we do.
Bathing Regularly
Bathing must be practiced regularly as it will help the old, dead fur that might get stuck to the skin washout, and brushing will be easy. You have to be careful and should not over bathe your dog as it will dry out the skin.
Using Deshedding Specialized Shampoo and Conditioner
Bathing can be easy and practical by adding a special shampoo and conditioner set to your routine.
A good deshedding shampoo and conditioner will soften the coarse hair that will slip out of the undercoat and produce better results.
Brushing after Bathing
Dogs are not comfortable taking a bath every time you plan to brush them.
But the most effective way to prevent Shedding is to brush your dog just after the bath as it softens the shredded hair which is tangled in the undercoat—brushing after and before bathing can improve results.
Using a Dog Dryer
Using a dog dryer for deshedding is known as “high-velocity deshedding treatment.” Unlike regular blow dryers that you use, these dryers are high-powered and rely more on airspeed rather than heat to dry out the hair and fur.
Dog dryers and bristle brush can work effectively as it blows away all the shedding fur from the dog’s body, which brings the best results.
Tips for Deshedding Your Dog
Deshedding is a process that sometimes can be troublesome for the dog owners for the first time, but you can master it by following a proper routine and doing it religiously. You should follow these tips while performing the process to get the best results.
Go Slow
The process can take some time, especially when you are doing it for the first time and your dog is not used to it. Take your time so that both of you adjust in the process to bring out the best of the grooming session.
Deshed Regularly if Necessary
Many dogs shed during the whole year, so you need to take charge and do the process regularly and frequently, depending upon the amount of hair they shed. Puppies who don’t shed much as other dogs need deshedding once a month to prevent discomfort.
Take Care of Dog’s Health
Give your dog healthy and homemade food along with regular baths and brushing so that you would not have to take him to the vet or groomer.
Use the Appropriate Deshedding Tool
Different breeds have different coats, and they require various deshedding tools from one other.
To categorize which deshedding tool you must use to produce excellent results, you have to identify your dog’s hair’s coats, breeds, and texture.
Getting rid of displeasing fluffs and furs is a tiring and never-ending process, but since you want to keep your dog healthy and comfortable and keep your floors and beds fur-free, you have to take a stand and learn the procedure of how to deshed a dog.
