Spring Shedding: What To Do When Your Dog Loses Their Winter Coat

Spring Shedding: What to Do When Your Dog Loses Their Winter Coat

Spring is in full bloom, and as the temperature continues to increase, so will the amount of hair that your dog sheds around the house. Shedding their winter coat is a normal process in dogs, but that doesn’t make the extra hair on your carpet, clothes, and home any less annoying. Here’s what you need to know about your dog’s spring shedding and what you can do about it.

Why Does Your Dog Shed?

Although temperature changes play a large part in your dog’s shedding, a lot of their shedding is dependent upon their circadian rhythms, which tell their body when it’s time to shed their thicker winter coat for a thinner spring coat. The amount of daylight in the spring season is usually what triggers the transition, so you may notice differences in their fur increasing around daylight savings time in the spring. Their coat may look patchy or uneven at first, but over time it will smooth itself out, so try not to panic-call your groomer at the beginning of spring.

Is My Dog Shedding Too Much?

Hair loss can be alarming, especially when it occurs at a higher rate than normal. If you’re worried about your dog shedding, you should compare their hair loss to previous years. If it seems like they’re losing more hair than the year before, other factors may be at play other than just seasonal changes. Bald patches, open sores, or skin irritation are all signs that your dog is losing too much fur. Excess hair loss can be the result of poor diet, allergies, sunburn, immune disease, reaction to medication, infections, or other internal issues. Make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible if you notice any of these changes in your furry friend.

Brushing is Key

You won’t be able to prevent your dog’s shedding, but brushing can help reduce the amount of hair floating around your home. Some dogs are double coated, meaning they have a coarse outer coat covering a denser coat underneath. The hair underneath can become matted and trap excess fur that your dog is trying to shed. This makes brushing even more important when your dog is shedding. That way, the hair that would be shedded onto your home’s surfaces goes into your dog’s brush instead. This will keep your home much cleaner, especially in the spring!

Choosing the Right Brush

The right brush can make all the difference in reducing your dog’s shedding. Long-haired dogs may benefit from a shedding rake, which can remove the undercoat without affecting the outer coat too much. Short-haired dogs can benefit from a stiff bristle brush followed by a slicker brush to get rid of their excess fur. You’ll notice a huge difference in your dog’s fur once you start using the right brush for them.

Spring shedding is perfectly normal, so try not to fret too much about their hair loss. Do your best to brush your pup regularly and minimize the hair that ends up around your home.