Shedding 101

Fact #1:  All Dogs Shed

Dogs and their coats can be compared somewhat to trees and their leaves.  After winter’s cold, trees grow new foliage but dogs lose their winter coats as the weather warms.  A shorter, lighter summer coat replaces the protective cold-weather fur.

But when autumn comes, while trees lose their leaves and “hibernate” for winter, dogs shed the summer coat for heavier protective fur for winter.  One thing we can learn from this analogy is that this is perfectly natural for dogs.

Fact #2:  Some Dogs Shed Year Around and Others Shed Seasonally.

Here’s another comparison between dogs and trees. While some trees lose their leaves in the fall and grow new foliage in the spring (deciduous trees), but others do not (evergreen) trees.  But even the evergreen trees lose their leaves—a little all the time while new ones grow in—but because it is gradual, we don’t notice it (unless you look at the fallen leaves always under evergreen trees).

Dogs, too, are like this.  Some breeds shed all at once—seasonally—in the spring and fall (“deciduous” dogs, we might say) while others have hairs (rather than fur) that are always dropping off but in such small numbers we don’t really notice much (“evergreen” dogs).  We humans do the same thing.  We lose at least a hundred hairs a day!  But we are always growing new ones just like evergreen trees keep growing new leaves.  Therefore we don’t notice anything.

Dogs that seasonally shed certainly do not lose all their fur. Shedding is most obvious in “double-coated” breeds such as collies, Samoyeds, and malamutes.  These breeds carry a protective overcoat of long hair, and also an insulating undercoat that softer, almost down-like.  They lose masses of fur from both these coats in spring and fall.

So, Which Dogs Shed and Which “Do Not?”

There is no such thing as a non-shedding dog (unless it’s a completely hairless dog such as the American Hairless Terrier).  As we have noted, some breeds shed a little year around and others shed a lot seasonally.  The seasonal shedders also shed year around, too, but not as much as in the spring and in the fall.

The majority of breeds that are “evergreen” (in our analogy) or considered very light shedders are usually the shorthair breeds that need to be clipped because they have hair that grows longer (again, like humans).  Because their hair falls out in small amounts over time, if they are not regularly brushed their coat may easily become matted.

The other breeds that are “deciduous” or considered heavy seasonal shedders, are generally those with longer coats. Not all longhair dogs may shed seasonally at the same rate depending upon whether or not a particular dog spends enough time outside for its body to register the change of season.

We certainly are not saying that longhair dogs shed more than shorthair dogs; in general this is not true.  Longhair dogs may appear to shed more simply because the length of their hairs are more easily seen than those from a shorthair dog.

Controlling Shedding
 
Can you stop shedding? No, because it is natural for all dogs to shed. 
 
Can you reduce shedding?  No, because dogs will lose hairs at a certain rate depending upon its breed, the time of year, and other factors.
 
Since we cannot stop or reduce shedding, the only thing that can be done—if shedding bothers you—is to keep it under control.  The best way, of course, is to simply remove the dead hairs as they become loose.  This is done simply by removing hairs from you dog’s coat.  For a typical dog owner, the most practical way is to brush.  Frequent brushing (depending upon the rate that your dog sheds) will remove unwanted hair before it gets all over your clothes, carpet, and furniture.
 
De-Shedding Treatment

While regular brushing—even daily—will remove a great deal of dead hair, brushing is limited in effectiveness.  The best way to control shedding is to thoroughly remove all dead hairs on a regular basis. 
 
Many groomers agree that the best and most effective method of controlling shedding is a 
FURminator De-Shedding Treatment. The FURminator is apopular de-shedding tool that gets deep into the undercoat removing large amounts of dead hair. Because so much unwanted hair is removed, pet owners often notice up to 80-90% less shedding!
 
Of course, dead hairs continue to shed, but because it takes time to build up before they noticeably drop off on your furniture, clothing, etc., shedding is considerably less—especially if dead hairs are removed with regular FURminator Treatments.  Depending upon the breed and other factors, shedding can be considerably controlled with treatments every 4-6 weeks. Some dog owners have said that shedding has practically “disappeared” with monthly treatments.
 
Both long- and short-haired dogs look and feel better, and you will, too, with less pet hair building up on your floors, furniture, and in your car.  Allergy suffers may breathe easier with less dander and airborne elements that cause allergic reactions.
 
Learn more about our Shedding “FURminator” Treatment

Q&A

Q:  Are there breeds that are not good candidates for the FURminator?

A:  The tool will work on all shedding dogs and even on some traditionally "hair-cut-only" dogs, like Terriers and Spaniels to coarsen the coat and blend clipper tracks. A few breeds that are typically not good candidates for the FURminator Shed-less treatment are Poodles, Shih Tzus, Maltese, Bichons, Portuguese Water Dogs, and Irish Water Spaniels.


Q:  Does the FURminator shed-less treatment work on terriers?

A:  Yes, and in addition to removing the undercoat and loose hair, the treatment also offers some additional benefits for terriers. Terriers have a naturally coarse coat, and many of the show dogs are hand "stripped" to keep this texture in their topcoats. But using a clipper "softens" the coat, which is not desirable for show dogs but perfectly acceptable for home pets. Using the FURminator deshedding tool on a regular basis, however, will help retain that coarse terrier coat on dogs that have had their hair trimmed with clippers should this be desired.