Dogs Shed

Shedding is a continuous process. This is a normal event in the life of a dog and it is largely influenced by daylight.

There is a word for this phenomenon: photoperiod. The number of hours a dog is exposed to sunlight in a day (photoperiod) triggers the shedding process.

It is more noticeable in outdoor dogs in the spring and fall. Indoor dogs shed more consistently but in lesser amounts because of the artificial light inside the house.

Dogs tend to have heavier coats in the winter months than they do in the summer.

Stress and illness can cause excessive shedding. A chronically ill dog that is shedding may also suffer skin lesions, as well as scaling and thin and abnormally wrinkled skin.

What can you do about shedding? Providing your dog is just a normal shedding dog, here are some tips:

1. The first thing you can do to reduce the amount of hair in your home is to brush or comb your dog on a daily basis. This will help more than anything to reduce shedding. You are basically controlling the shedding.

2. Feed your dog a good quality dog food. Do not skimp. Stick with one of the premium brands.

3. Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. Healthy bodies promote a healthy haircoat.

4. Do not let your dog get fat. Keep your dog at an ideal weight. Obese dogs have difficulty grooming.

Dogs shed. Nothing will change that. But regular grooming will make the biggest difference.

The Best Dog Grooming Tool

For those of us with dogs that shed, you cannot be without this grooming tool.

I love the name......the FURminator.




At first I did not believe that this one brush could be better than others I have used. My son let me try his dog's FURminator on my dog, Ebony. I am a believer!Immediately, I went to the local pet store to purchase the FURminator.

The problem with shedding is simple: It is not the hair you see that causes the problem. It is the hair you do not see. Your pet's undercoat can become a dense mess of loose, dead hair - and the major source of shedding. But the patented design of the FURminator's unique stainless steel edge reaches down through your dog's topcoat into the undercoat where it grabs and removes loose hair quickly and easily, without cutting. It is totally safe and will not hurt your pet.

The FURminator removes more loose hair from your pet than any other grooming tool. Regular use promotes a healthy skin and coat, and reduces shedding by as much as 90 percent. And the more hair you remove from your pet, the less hair you will need to remove from your couch, your clothes, your floors, your carpet, your car and your home.

Dog Hair Similar to Magnets

Why is dog hair similar to magnets? Because it sticks to virtually everything!

As our dogs shed, it seems as if their loose hairs gently float off their bodies and magnetize to just about anything around them. It seems like our dog's hair sticks to even more objects than a magnet can!

Magnets do us some good when they bond, but dog hairs do not! They end up in the most inconvenient places - on your clothes, the carpet, the furniture... I've even had some magnetize to my dinner someway, somehow!

The truth is, just like our own hair, our dog's hair has a magnetic force. You know that old trick when you rub a balloon on your head and your hair pulls towards the balloon? Well your dog's hair reacts the same way with objects around your house.

Here's what happens:

Your dog's hair naturally has a positive magnetic charge. As dogs move around the house, they come into contact with a variety of objects that have a negative magnetic charge like wood, metals, polyester, saran wrap, scotch tape, vinyl and more. The instant your dog's positively charged loose hairs come into contact with these objects that have a negative charge ... PRESTO! Magnetism happens and the result is dog hair EVERYWHERE!