Most dogs shed twice a year, leaving a lot of hair all over our homes. Depending on the breed, shedding will last for a longer or shorter period. Similarly, there are breeds that don't shed hair, like the Yorkshire Terrier or Maltese, and then there are others that tend to shed a lot of hair, like the Labrador Retriever or Pekingese.
However, often shedding can be caused by other factors rather than their natural need to do so such as poor diet or lack of brushing. If you want to know how to stop your dog from shedding so much hair read this OneHowto article and learn the basics.
The first thing to do is to properly check to see if your dog is suffering from excessive hair loss. If your dog is only losing hair on one side, in one spot, or if you find the hair loss is not normal, it may be because a skin disease such as scabies is behind this hair loss. If so, take them to the vet immediately.
One of the main reasons for shedding in dogs is a bad diet. Therefore, you should choose their food carefully in order to restore the shine and vitality to their fur. If your pet is getting all the nutrients and protein they need, their hair will grow strong and healthy and it won't fall out as often.
The most effective way to prevent your dog from shedding so much hair is to brush them twice a week with a special brush just for this purpose. The best way to gather all the dead hairs and prevent them from getting scattered throughout your home is to use a brush with metal bristles; however, depending on their type of hair you may need a specific type of brush.
If your dog has very long hair, you should use a fine-toothed comb or grooming rake. Fine-toothed combs are usually those with a single line of needle-shaped teeth evenly spaced, while grooming rakes can have more than one line of teeth. These brushes come in different types to best suit your dog.
You can start by brushing your dog's hair with a slicker brush whether your dog is shedding too much or not. If you don't think this is necessary, go straight to using the grooming rake to finish removing the accumulated dead hair and finally, use a natural bristle brush.
Slicker brushes are different from others because they have several lines of very fine, metal bristles, and the tip of the bristles are slightly curved. These are recommended for dogs with medium or long hair and can be used after brushing their coat with natural bristle comb. Do it gently to prevent hurting your dog.
However, if your dog has short hair, you should know that just using a natural bristle brush is sufficient as they won't take off as much hair as the others.
Another way to prevent your dog from shedding so much hair is by washing them with a special anti-hair loss shampoo or by using a conditioner. However, we recommend that you check with your veterinarian to make sure your dog can use this type of shampoo without having any bad side effects. Then dry their hair and brush it, following the steps given above.
In the same way that emotions can cause hair loss in humans, this also happens in dogs. Therefore, a pet with stress or anxiety will be more likely to suffer excessive hair loss. Ensure your dog gets as much exercise time as necessary to use up all their energy, releasing all their tensions and allowing them to feel calm. If you're not sure, take a look at our article on How much exercise does a dog need.
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