Pet groomers don’t need a calendar to tell us what season it is; we can tell the days are getting longer by how much the dogs on our tables are shedding. With the proper devices, there is no need to dread shedding season. Here are some tools and methods to help you get through these hairy times with less effort.
- Utilize the power of the bath. Clean, conditioned coats are easier to brush out than dirty ones. Plus, the action of water and shampoo moving through the fur starts off a good de-shedding treatment. If you have never tried them before, this is the time to add some deshedding shampoos and conditioners to your regime. (Best Shot Products, especially The Maxx) Many groomers will use a slicker brush on the wet pet while the conditioner is on the coat working its magic to begin pulling loose hair out.
- High-velocity dryers are a groomer’s best friend during shedding season. Hair ready to come out will fly away once it is clean, conditioned, and treated to the force of air blowing perpendicular to the skin. If you have never tried this method of deshedding, be aware that, in many cases, the magic does not begin to happen in earnest until the coat is nearly dry. Don’t lose heart, just keep drying, and soon you will see that the dead fur is lifting up and away from the live coat and filling the air with hair. (High-velocity dryer links) Some groomers dry shedding dogs in the bathtub to help contain some of the mess. Allowing the dryer to do the bulk of the work is gentler for the dog’s skin and easier on your body.
- Pairing a good slicker brush with coat spray is an excellent next step. The spray will help shedding hair glide out of the coat, and the slicker will work from the skin out to catch loose hair that stayed put during the bath and drying process.
- Choose the right comb for the pet’s hair type and length, and go over the pet from nose to toes to find any thick areas left after the above steps. In some cases, beginning with a wide-toothed comb and then moving on to one which has more narrowly spaced teeth is a good method. A comb is the lie detector of our grooming tools, discovering areas that need more work.
- In some coats, particularly longer double coats (I’m looking at you, Australian Shepherds, Samoyeds, Keeshond’s, and such), following with a rake or deshedding tool will catch even more fur. On more than one occasion, when I thought I had a dog perfectly combed, going over it again with a rake discovered dead hair all the other tools had missed.
- On shorter-haired shedders (think Labrador retrievers, Dobermans, Pugs, and such), rubber-type curries and brushes will quickly grab those short, loose hairs and pull them out.
You can get great results without working so hard when you choose the proper products and tools to help you maneuver through this shedding season.
