A snow storm of Hair!

'Oh my goodness, my dog is shedding like crazy!'. I hear this a lot in the spring and the fall from my grooming customers. There is a rational reason for all this hair loss.

As long as the hair loss is shedding and not caused by a medical condition, this is normal.

As the length of the day changes, this signals a change in your dogs' coat. When the days get shorter going into autumn, a new growth of winter hair starts pushing out the summer coat. When this happens you get crazy shedding. The reverse happens in the spring, the summer coats' growth pushes out the winter coat. You will see hair on the floor and furniture, your clothes, and well, you know it gets everywhere.

Sometimes you'll see 'tufts' of hair stuck in your dogs' coat. These tufts are really dead hair that has shedded out but became tangled in the coat. It is important to remove these by regular grooming so the coat can effectively protect your dog from cold and heat. When dead hair is stuck in the coat, air can't circulate. A well maintained coat will keep your pet insulated from winter and summer weather. Mats will inhibit this circulation as well and will make your pet more uncomfortable.

'If I shave my dog will he still shed?' I get this question a lot too. Yes, they will just shed shorter hairs. You can't eliminate shedding, but you can reduce it. Get a regular grooming, or get some mileage on your slicker brush and de-shedding tools.

Remember, this applies when there is no skin condition causing irregular hair loss. If you see spots of missing hair, scabs on the skin, or other conditions, see your veterinarian.

Keep in mind that shedding is a regular part of doggy nature so just brush with it!