How To Stop Dog Shedding — Your Complete Guide

For dog lovers, it's the million-dollar question — and it isn’t surprising. Keeping on top of the chores when your pooch’s coat is falling out more often than Kanye West and Jay-Z, may seem never-ending. 

Unfortunately, the reality is it’s a common occurrence among most breeds. The amount of fur your dog loses depends on various factors such as breed, time of year, and coat density.

What Helps With Dog Shedding?

Are you at your wit’s end trying to figure out how to stop dog hair shedding all over your home? Here’s my top tips containing the best shedding dog solutions — to hopefully keep dogs from shedding any further.

Brush Your Dog

One of the best pieces of advice on how to reduce dog shedding is to brush their coat thoroughly. However, it’s important to choose the right brush for your dog to prevent any damage to their coat. Furthermore, you should be careful not to brush your dog too often, as this can cause excess shedding. 

Follow this handy guide to find out what brush will best suit your furry friend — and stop you screaming my dog’s shedding is out of control.

• Long coats — use a bristle brush. You may also want to consider stiffer bristles if they have coarse hair. 

• Medium to long curly and wooly coats — a wire pin brush will ensure no uncomfortable pulling or damage to their curly coat. If your dog tends to have more mats and tangles, a slick brush will remove the shedding hair easier. 

• Short hair — a comb is more suited. This helps massage your dog’s skin and remove the dead hairs that would otherwise shed and drive you crazy.

Dog Blow Dryer Use

Dog blow dryers are a tool used by most professional groomers. While it’s not an essential for most, if you require some extra dog shedding help, it may be a smart investment.

Most dogs shed to some extent, but some breeds are renowned for how much fur they lose — such as German Shepherds, Akitas, and Huskies. 

A dog hair blower works in the same way as your own blow dryer. However, they’re designed to safely blow out all the dead fur — right down to their undercoat.

This can be a great time saver for pet owners, especially when used after a bath. Plus, the more loose fur you can remove, the less random shedding you'll have around your home. 

Bathe Your Dog

Another vital component to stop dog hair shedding is bathtime. 

Not only will regular bathing keep your bow-wow’s coat clean and smell-free, but it will also help to remove any dead hair or skin. As a result, your pup’s coat is nice and soft, which is the best thing for shedding dogs. 

You must choose a shampoo geared for reducing dog shedding. This blend will contain the right amount of moisturizers to hydrate your dog’s skin and hair follicles — a combination central in how to stop dog shedding. By brushing and removing all the built-up hair first, the shampoo can get right down to your furry companion's skin — helping to reduce further shedding. 

You should bathe your dog around once a month (unless they become smelly or extremely dirty beforehand) — overwashing can lead to skin dryness and cause more issues with their coat. Dogs require a certain amount of oils to keep their coat and skin healthy, so don’t disrupt this balance with overly-frequent washing. 

Regular Flea and Allergy Treatments

Another crucial step in how to get a dog to stop shedding is to regularly treat them for the prevention of little pests such as fleas and ticks.

These tiny beasties will lead to persistent scratching and over-grooming. Over time, this can damage their skin, create bald patches, and even sore red scabs across their body. All of these problems can irritate your dog’s skin further, leading to more hair loss and generally leaving them feeling pretty miserable. 

Even though you’re here for help with dog shedding — we strongly suggest regular flea and bug treatments. This will eradicate any pests that may be overstaying their welcome and exacerbating issues.

Dog Shedding Onesie

A onesie may not be the first thing you think of using when you ask, what can I use to stop my dog from shedding? But it works — even if it does look a little bizarre.

What can be described as a spandex vest for pooches, a dog shedding onesie traps any loose hair within it. You should see less fur on your furniture, clothes, and floors while your dog is wearing one. 

But, it doesn’t really treat the problem. Your dog can’t be wearing a onesie for the rest of their lives. Yet, it may be a fun one to try out for those twice-yearly big sheds.

Fatty Acid Supplements

Fatty acids are found in food that’s rich in EPA and DHA like fish, fortified dog foods, and omega-3 supplements. These are key in how to stop shedding dog issues. 

This type of supplement offers anti-inflammatory benefits — it's good for their skin, coat, joints, and heals wounds. 

Hair loss and frequent shedding can be a sign of your dog having an omega-3 deficiency. Other signs to look out for are eye problems, obesity, and muscle weakness. If you have any concerns or feel your dog is losing an excessive amount of fur, always talk to your vet who can help discuss a reliable daily supplement for your dog’s individual needs.

Re-evaluate Your Dog’s Diet

Finally, if you’re still struggling with how to get my dog to stop shedding. Alongside taking supplements, it’s hugely important to make sure your dog’s meal plan is nutritionally balanced.

Their daily intake must include six basic dietary requirements — water, protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. These will help stop dog hair shedding.

Many health and skin issues can be linked back to the food they eat. Thus, consider your shedding dog’s solutions could lie somewhere within their diet. 

By making a few changes, you may see a huge improvement in their shedding. But bear in mind, don’t try anything too radical — it may cause your furry friend some gastrointestinal upset.

Start by slowly introducing new foods and over time you may begin to see improvements in their coat and therefore, less shedding. Always ensure your dog has access to fresh drinking water, this plays a massive part in keeping a healthy lifestyle, which ultimately links back to every aspect of their wellbeing.

Conclusion

If, when you started reading this, you didn’t have a clue what to do about dog shedding, hopefully, one or more of these steps will be a big help in reducing the amount of fur you find around the place. 

Try to remember, it’s virtually impossible to keep a dog from shedding completely — thus, consider this a how to decrease dog shedding 101. What’s more, if you think the issue may be linked to something more serious, consult your veterinarian.