Does Brushing A Dog Reduce Shedding?

Shedding hair is a fact of canine life. But there are ways in which this can be reduced. Brushing your dog can play a part in that, but the important issue is to know when, how often and what type of brush is best suited to your furry friend.

Like humans, all dogs will shed hair. It is a natural process and helps to maintain healthy hair and skin. However, you don’t want to be dealing with lots of loose dog hair, and still less having it all over your carpet and furniture. That is why you need to minimise shedding.

The first consideration when thinking about what you can do to reduce how much your dog sheds is to note that while every dog sheds hair, some breeds do so a great deal more than others.

Which Dogs Shed The Least (Or Most) Hair?

Breeds that don’t shed much hair include:

• Poodles
• Bedlington terriers
• Shih tzu
• Afghan hounds
• Portuguese water dogs

By contrast, dogs that shed an unusually large amount of hair include:

• German shepherds
• Labrador retrievers
• Dalmatians
• Pekinese
• Chihuahuas

Other dog breeds lie along a spectrum between these two extremes. But it is a good starting point to be aware that shedding levels vary a lot and, therefore, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all-dogs approach.

Nonetheless, the simplest answer to the question of whether brushing can reduce dog shedding is: yes.

How Does Brushing Your Dog’s Hair Reduce Shedding?

Regular brushing has a couple of very clear benefits. Firstly, it means you can pick up any hairs that are coming loose and have them stuck to the brush (which means you can control their disposal) instead of them being left to fall out naturally and end up on your floor.

Secondly, brushing has the benefit of spreading natural oils that help to keep your dog’s coat healthy. Both of these benefits will help to keep the coat looking good, as well as ensuring that less hair ends up spread around your home.

However, this does raise some important questions, such as:

• How often should you brush your dog’s coat?
• Should you brush it more at particular times of the year?
• Are certain types of brush more suited to some dogs than others?
• Do you need to use different techniques to brush different breeds?
• Are there other steps you can take alongside brushing to reduce shedding?

Let us consider each of these questions in turn.

How Often Should You Brush Your Dog’s Coat?

The frequency with which you should brush the coat will depend on a range of factors. For example, you will need to do so several times a week, or even daily, for the breeds of dog that shed most heavily.

Many of these have thicker coats that will produce more hair, which is another reason to groom more. Longer hair can benefit from regular grooming because it avoids becoming unkempt and tangled.

Nonetheless, all dogs will need to be groomed regularly to keep their coats healthy, as well as to reduce shedding. Therefore, frequency is a matter of degree. You will soon know if you aren’t grooming and brushing your dog enough: your carpet and furniture will show this.

Should You Brush Your Dog’s Coat More At Certain Times Of The Year?

Seasonal factors will undoubtedly be an issue, especially with dogs that have longer coats and shed more. These have been bred for outdoor conditions in cold weather and will need to moult a lot in summer.

This does not apply to all dogs with winter coats, such as huskies, which are adapted to cold climates in places that don’t get hot summers, but for a dog like a German Shepherd or Labrador, this will be the case.

In these instances, you will need to do a lot more grooming as the seasons change and they grow their summer or winter coats.

In other cases, more ‘indoor’ dogs will shed hair at a more constant rate through the course of the year, although they can still shed a bit more hair at certain times of the year.

What Kind Of Brush Does My Dog Need?

With so many variations in hair length, size of dog and hair types that range from straight to very curly, it should come as no surprise to learn that different kinds of dogs require different brushes. Picking the right dog grooming brush can help bring the best results for your pet.

• A wire-pin slicker brush with wire pins is ideal for dogs with long hair or very curly coats.
• A rubber curry comb is best for dogs with short hair, as it helps to remove dead hair and massages them too.
• Bristle brushes are suitable for most breeds, but very stiff bristles may be needed for dogs with coarser coats.
• Undercoat rakes are very useful for double-coated dogs

Do You Need To Brush Different Dog Coats In Different Ways?

The brushing techniques you will need to use will vary according to the breed and, on occasion, other factors such as the time of year.

For example, if you have a short-haired dog, you should start by brushing against the direction that the hair is growing in. This can loosen any dead hair. After this, brushing in the opposite direction will remove the hair.

Repeating this several times can also help with the aforementioned benefit of spreading healthy skin oils.

When using slicker brushes on dogs with longer coats, you will need to start by using a comb to untangle any knots. You should also work with the direction of growth and, most importantly, take your time to prevent discomfort.

Learning to groom a longer - or curly-coated dog differently from a short-haired dog is important if you own both types or have had a short-haired dog in the past before getting a longer-haired breed now. In particular, the process will take longer for dogs with long hair.

Apart From Brushing, What Else Reduces Dog Hair Shedding?

Having the right brush and knowing how to use it is essential to maintaining your dog’s coat and limiting shedding, but they are not the only pieces of equipment you need to combat shedding.

A shedding tool can be used to get rid of dead hair in the undercoat while leaving the top coat untouched. Like brushes, there will be different tools you can use, with the ideal one depending on the sort of hair your dog has.

There can sometimes be other factors involved that also cause extra shedding, but that also means you can take steps to combat them.

These can include:

• Parasites, which can cause your dog to scratch more, leading to extra hair loss. Taking steps to stop these, such as flea treatment, can consequently reduce shedding.
• Regular bathing can help to reduce shedding by removing dead hair and skin, with shampoos containing Omega 3, Omega 6 and even oatmeal (which can exfoliate the skin) being useful for this.
• A good diet can help improve the health of your dog’s coat, which reduces shedding and also makes it look better.
• Dehydration can lead to dry skin and more hair loss, so make sure your dog drinks enough, especially on hot summer days.
• On occasion, excess shedding can be a sign of illness, such as when it leaves bald patches. This is when you should see a vet.
• Regular check-ups at the vet can also help to spot any problems early to prevent them from taking root.

This list highlights the fact that reducing the amount of hair your dog sheds is not just about brushing and grooming them. However, good brushing does play a central role in keeping shedding to a minimum and ensuring that your furry friend has a healthy, attractive coat.

By investing in the right brush and perfecting your technique for using it, you can ensure a happy dog and far less work around the home to vacuum up loose dog hair.