Shedding in dogs is a natural phenomenon in which the dog loses hair to be cooler in summer, and loses it again in autumn to renew it and be warm in winter. Therefore, in most breeds, shedding in dogs takes place a couple of times a year.
In farm and herding dogs, shedding has a lot to do with ambient temperature and photoperiod. That is, with the amount of sunlight of each season that the dog perceives. For this reason, these dogs are not problematic when it comes to shedding, while urban dogs that live in flats do not perceive both factors and, therefore, are constantly in a larval shedding. Read this article on our site and you will be able to acquire basic knowledge about shedding in dogs: its symptoms, season and duration
Why do dogs lose hair?
Hair loss in dogs due to shedding is a natural process in which our dog's hair regenerates annually to adjust to temperatures, that is, tobeing cool in summer and warm in winter On the other hand, shedding in dogs is closely related to two important factors: the type of hair and the location.
It has been shown that dogs living in cities and suburbs tend to have a fairly uninterrupted shedding throughout the year due to the fact that, living in flats where there are usually, for example, air conditioners and heaters, as well as climate change, the body of these animals detects that it is not necessary to make a complete change of hair, so it occurs throughout the year On the other hand, dogs that live in the countryside usually have the two annual moults quite marked.
Of course, there are other factors that interfere with hair loss in dogs and that are not directly related to shedding, such as the dogs' diet, he alth and genetic predisposition.
When do dogs shed?
As we mentioned, the shedding season for dogs is in spring and autumn More specifically, it usually occurs in the months of April and October approximately. However, with climate change, hair loss may occur a little earlier or later or may even last longer than usual.
In addition, the duration of a dog's shedding can vary depending on the breed, whether the dog spends long hours in inside the home or not, as well as brushing habits, so the "shedding season" could be lengthened.
How long does shedding last in dogs?
Surely more than once you have had doubts about the duration of your dog's shedding. It should be noted that, although most dogs finish shedding in one or two months, there are several factors that can lengthen or shorten the duration of the change of coat in dogs, such as:
- Type of hair: as we indicated, some dogs have a tendency to shed more hair than others. For example, short-haired dogs tend to shed more than long-haired or curly-haired dogs.
- Race: a bit related to the previous point is the breed of the dog, which some, due to genetics, tend to release more or less hair. As an example, we leave you this other article about Dogs that do not shed hair.
- Food: a good diet is essential to have he althy and strong hair, which would cause the dog to lose less hair. We encourage you to read The best balanced foods for dogs on our site so you can learn more about the subject.
- Brushing: brushing the dog's hair is one of the best ways to shorten the duration of the shedding of our dog's hair, in addition to preventing hair loss throughout the year.
Of course, he alth is another key factor in hair loss, because if our dog is shedding more hair than normal, or areas of alopecia are generated, we would no longer be facing a change of hair. natural hair, but when faced with a problem of veterinary consultation.
Symptoms of shedding in dogs
As we have just seen, depending on the type of hair it is not easy to know if our dog has already started shedding or not. Therefore, it is important to look at the following signs that indicate that the dog's shedding season has begun:
- Hairs around the house or on clothes: this is one of the most obvious signs of hair loss in dogs. However, some dogs tend to shed throughout the year. Therefore, to make sure that it is due to shedding, we should check if there is more hair than usual or if the hair is falling out more frequently.
- Balls or tufts of hair: following the previous point a bit, when hair loss is caused by the shedding season, normally we can see whole strands or hairballs on the ground or even shedding from our pet.
- The dog scratches: Another symptom of shedding in dogs is that the dog scratches frequently. This would occur because the loose hair still attached to its body would generate itching in our animal, for which it would need to scratch often. However, scratching a dog is not always a symptom of shedding. For this reason, we encourage you to read this other article on our site about Why does my dog scratch a lot?
- Different layers of hair: also, during the shedding season in dogs, we can appreciate a change in color or texture in the coat of our dog. This is due to the hair that falls out due to shedding and the "new" hair that appears underneath.
However, other causes can also cause hair loss in dogs. For this reason, we encourage you to read this other article on our site about Hair loss in dogs - Causes and treatment.
Types of dog hair
There are different types of canine hair depending on the breed of the dog. Finding out specifically the type of coat helps us to take better care of it during the shedding season, choosing the most suitable type of brush or shampoo, for example. Next, we expose the different types:
- Raso hair: it is characterized by being very short, strong and homogeneous throughout the body. The boxer, doberman and dalmatian among others are characterized by this type of hair. It is the typical hair that gets stuck in clothes.
- Double short hair: is made up of a dense and abundant undercoat or wool, protected by a short, soft and smooth barb or cover. The German Shepherd, Husky and Labrador have this type of coat. It is the hair that condenses into small clouds all over the floor of the apartment. Its length varies depending on the part of the body to which it belongs.
- Semi-long hair: this is a coat made up of short, dense wool, protected by a medium-length, soft cover, thick and shiny. The cocker spaniel is a good example.
- Long hair: this type of hair has a dense and soft wool, covered by a long, silky, shiny and long spike. uneven depending on the area of the body. The Afghan greyhound, border collie and Newfoundland have this type of coat.
- Curly Hair: This hair has virtually no undercoat. All of it is a mix of ever-growing shaggy ringlets or ringlets. The Bichon Frize and the Poodle are good examples of this type of hair.
- Rough hair: This is a spike or covering hair that is rough to the touch. There is hardly any undercoat. The fox terrier is a good example.
To have a nice and he althy coat, we advise you to read this other article on our site about Foods that are good for your dog's coat.
How to stop shedding in dogs?
Since it is a natural process, there is no way to stop or combat shedding in dogs, but there are several ways to reduce the amount of hair that our animals shed during the moulting season. Next, we will discuss some tips to control hair loss in dogs.
Frequent brushings
Whatever the type of hair that covers our dog, frequent brushing is a good way to keep it clean and comfortable. If brushing is daily, it will be an optimal way to take care of our dog and keep our floor almost free of hair.
Even so, during the shedding the dog loses a lot of hair so brushing should be daily if we really want to prevent our house is full of hair. Each type of coat requires specific combs, brushes and cards for its length and texture:
- The best brushes for dogs with short double hair and short hair are the brushes with short and elastic bristles (those with horsehair They are excellent). Mittens are also suitable. Some vigorous brushing against the grain and in favor of the hair will remove dead hair.
- Semi-long hair should be brushed with a metal carder or a medium bristle brush with ball ends. It should be brushed gently.
- Long hair is the most laborious and requires the most attention, as it is easy for knots to form in it. A metallic comb, a card are the ideal tools for the maintenance of said hair. Painful hair pulling should not be caused. A couple of times a year it is advisable to visit a professional hairdresser.
- In curly hair it is advisable to monitor the appearance of knots and remove them with scissors if they form. We must comb the dog with our fingers or with a brush with very soft bristles and separated so as not to undo the loops or curls.
- The hard hair is carefully teased, trying to eliminate possible knots.
Toilets
During both molding periods it is convenient to do coinciding with a bath But we must bear in mind that before bathing the dog it is necessary to brush it thoroughly, since during the bath the dead hair could form tangles and knots that are difficult to eliminate later. Even so, we must bear in mind that it is not very convenient to exceed the frequency of baths for our dog. In addition, specific shampoos should always be used to bathe our dogs, since the pH of their skin is much less acidic than that of the human epidermis. Human shampoos can be very irritating to dogs.
Deworming
After the dog's bath it is essential to prevent the appearance of parasites in the dog's fur, an essential hygienic measure for the dog and also for the human members that live with the pet.
Fleas, for example, live and eat on dogs; but sometimes they like to get off the dog and try new flavors. Our blood is an excellent dietary change for these pesky parasites that carry so many diseasesEspecially during the moult and after bathing, it is essential to deworm our dog with the use of pipettes.
If you want to know how to put a pipette on a dog? feel free to read this article on our site.
Feeding
Proper nutrition is essential for our dog's coat to look beautiful. During the moulting period it is advisable to consult the veterinarian the advisability, or not, of giving the dog a dietary supplement that favors the appearance of new, he althier hair.
However, there are foods or feeds with omega 3 and omega 6 that make hair look shinier. There are also other totally natural foods that favor the appearance of a new, more beautiful coat, for this check out our article about the tricks to make my dog's coat shine.
