Shedding, Undercoat Removal, and More Brushing

All dogs have some shedding. If someone tells you their dog doesn't shed, what they really mean is they have a low-shedding dog. When they shed their hair, it doesn’t fall out like most dogs, but stays in the fur. If they are not regularly brushed, the loose hair will mat up into large tangles. The hair will begin to pull and the dog will start chewing and scratching because of the irritation. This can cause a whole new mountain of skin problems if not taken care of. If your dog starts chewing the mats, he will cause the mats to tighten and “hot spots” or sores will appear on the dog’s skin. Scratching at mats is the dog’s attempt to brush himself. But all he can accomplish is a new skin irritation from excessive scratching. This scratching is sometimes misdiagnosed as fleas. If you check your dog for fleas and none are found, a good bath and brushing might be just what he needs.

Breeds such as Bichons, Poodles, Malteses, and Shih Tzu’s are low shedding dogs.

Double coated dogs will shed their undercoat in the spring and fall. This is sometimes referred to as “blow their coat”. But no matter what you call it, it looks awful. This is another instance where you definitely want to keep the loose hair out of your dog’s fur or else it will mat and become harder to remove. But never fear, a solution is near.

There are several ways to keep your double coated dogs looking good year round.

Brush Your Dog

The first and simplest solution is brush your dog.Sounds simple enough, but if you have a large dog such as a Shepard or Collie, your arm will get tired after hours of brushing, combing and picking the loose fur from your dog’s hind quarters.

Water is your Friend

When brushing gets too time consuming, I put the dog in the tub. Soak the fur real good and suds it up with dog shampoo. Grab your Collie Comb (or if you prefer to call it, Greyhound Comb), run a slow trickle of water over your dog’s coat and start combing. Gobs of fur will come out with this simple method and the water will keep the hair from flying all over the place and up your nose. Keep the hair cleared from the drain to allow the water to drain out.

The Blower is your Friend

If you do the “Water is your friend” method first, this will not be as messy as it could be. But if you prefer you can skip it and go straight to “The Blower is your friend” method.

Attach the power attachment to the hose to force the air in a fine stream. Starting from the base of the tail, blow the fur against the grain as close to the skin as possible. This will blow the remaining loose hair out of your dog’s coat. This is best done outside or in a room that you don’t mind getting hair everywhere.

More links you might find helpful:

Return to Dog Bathing Procedures

1. Brushing, Pre Cut, and De-Matting
2. Dog Washing
3. Dog Dryer
4. Shedding, Undercoat Removal, and More Brushing

For questions or comments, you can contact me @Animal Ark Grooming or in my NEW Facebook comment section below.