How to Control Excessive Shedding by a Dog
Except for a few hairless breeds, all dogs shed. There is simply no way around this. If you want to minimize the amount of dog hair in your house and on your clothes, you are going to have to learn to comb and brush your dog. Any hair that you remove by combing and brushing is hair that will not land on your sofa. Regular grooming is the only way to control excessive shedding by your dog.
The key is that you want to train your dog to enjoy grooming by proper training and positive reinforcement. Here’s what you do. Have some treats
If your dog has short hair, your will want to use a soft bristle brush. Start at the top of his ears, and brush down around his ears, shoulders, and down his back. Always praise your dog as you are brushing. If your dog has medium or long coat, the hair can tangle very easily. For this kind of hair you will need to use a metal comb or a de-matter. A de-matter has 3 to 5 blades which are sharp on one side. It can rake through thick, tangled hair, cutting tangles and dragging out the dead coat. There are no set rules for the type of brush you should use on your dog. In general, though, longer coats require long teeth that can reach through it. Shorter coats can be used with shorter teeth. It is not a bad idea to take your dog to a professional groomer at least once, so you can observe how they do it. You can then use this experience to groom your own dog, if you wish.
The bottom line, however, remains the same. If you wish to control excessive shedding by your dog, you must brush him regularly. I hope this helps!
Grover
PS - The Botanical Dog sells several differenet kinds of dog shampoos, as well as various combs. To go to their website, click here or on the logo to the right.
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handy that you know your dog likes.