Shedding: how to survive the coat change

Twice a year, spring and autumn, dogs with an undercoat change their coat. For two to four weeks the house is full of hair. Dogs that live with central heating and artificial light often shed a little, but all year round.

What actually helps

1. An undercoat rake, 10 minutes every day. Dead undercoat sits in the coat for days before it lands on the floor. What you remove with the rake is not on the sofa.
2. A bath at the start of shedding. Warm water and massage release a large part of the dead hair at once. Conditioner softens the undercoat and the rake passes more easily afterwards.
3. Drying fully with a dryer on cool. The airflow blows out dead undercoat the brush cannot reach. Do it on the balcony.
4. Omega-3 in the diet. It does not stop shedding, but the new coat comes in healthier and shinier.

What does not help

• Clipping a double coat. The undercoat sheds just as much, only shorter. And the top coat, which protects from sun and cold, often does not grow back properly.
• Bladed de-shedding tools every day. They remove a lot of hair, including the healthy hair. If you use one, once a week and lightly.
• Frequent bathing with a strong shampoo. Dries the skin and the hair falls more.

When it is not shedding

Hair loss in patches, symmetrical thinning on the body or tail, hair that comes out in clumps with a light tug, or shedding with itching and smell are not a seasonal coat change. That is a vet matter, often hormones, parasites or allergy.

General care information, not veterinary advice.