Deshedding
Shedding is the biggest complaint of dog owners. Shorthaired breeds such as Labs or Dalmatians shed year-round, and owners find themselves constantly vacuuming hair off the furniture and floors to keep up with it.
First, be sure to feed your dog a high-quality dog food with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in it, or supplement your dog's food with fish oil. Healthy hair starts with healthy skin.
This is where a deshedding program can help. Some groomers offer a shed-less program to help you deal with the shedding hair. They use a thorough shampoo and conditioning treatment to start and then spend some time carding out the hair or stripping out dead or dying hairs so the dog's shed cycle is extended by a few weeks. This leaves your home cleaner, and you'll find you have to do a little less vacuuming. This also makes the dog's coat shine more and be in better overall condition.
From left: Mars Coat King® de-matting rake 20 blade, Mat King® de-matting rake 8 blade, coarse stripping knife, fine stripping knife, and Shed-Ender® carding tool.
Keeping Down the Hair Bunnies
You can do the same things at home by using a rubber curry brush in the bathtub while you bathe your shorthaired dog; this helps to work out the dead hairs. Be sure to shampoo the dog twice to remove oil from the skin that traps hairs, and afterwards use a good conditioner, rubbing it in with the rubber curry to remove any more dead hairs. Then dry your dog. A high velocity drying method works best, but brushing the coat while using a human blow dryer on low heat will also work.
A vacuum cleaner that works especially well on pet hair in the home is the Dyson®. Many groomers use Dyson® vacuums to keep up with the pet hair in their own homes. These vacuums are available at local retail stores or online. Go to www.dyson.com to read more about them.
After your dog is dry, you can begin by using tools to card out the dead and dying hairs, being careful not to use pressure and irritate your dog's skin. After a thorough carding session, use a bristle brush or hounds glove and brush your dog, to encourage the natural oils to spread. When you find your dog shedding again — it may be three or four weeks or longer — repeat the process. Make sure to brush your dog between carding sessions as well.
