Ava Williams
They are one of the less pleasant aspects of a dog owner’s everyday life: the hairy marks that our beloved four-legged friends leave everywhere in the home, on the furniture, on our favorite clothes, and in the car. There is no doubt that if you have a dog, you can expect daily vacuum cleaning and regular mopping and brushing if you don’t want to get lost in lots of tufts of fur. This requires useful, qualitative helpers. But regular grooming is also essential.
Hairy times
It is completely normal for dogs to lose some hair from time to time. The fur change takes place twice a year, in spring and autumn. During this time they lose a lot of hair. In the apartment, on clothing, and the car, tufts of dog hair are spreading everywhere. But how much a dog sheds also depends on the age and breed of the dog.
Older animals often shed more than young ones, and neutered dogs also shed more than non-neutered ones. They also often react to stress with increased hair loss. In addition, shedding is more violent in dogs with thick undercoats. Dogs with long or very fine hair without an undercoat, on the other hand, lose little or no fur. On the other hand, long-haired dogs usually require more care – they have to be brushed and combed regularly so that the fur does not become matted.
Coat care tips
Regular grooming is fundamentally very important to remove excess hair. Brushes with rounded tips should be used for this so that the dog’s skin is not injured and the animal is not pained. The comb or brush must always be selected to match the dog’s coat. Brushes with bristles are suitable for breeds with a short and smooth coats. A coarse-toothed comb should also be available, for example, to carefully loosen burrs or tangles. Wide-toothed dog combs are also ideal for dog breeds that have long coats and thick undercoats. A long-haired dog should be brushed at least once a week and daily during molting.
Dog hair on furniture, carpet, clothes
Many dogs like to sit on the sofa. However, they leave behind a lot of hair. Regular cleaning is advisable, as this reduces the total effort per cleaning. Leather or imitation leather sofas are usually quick and easy to clean. A damp cloth is often sufficient here. With fabric covers, the dog hair should be vacuumed off with an upholstery brush. A lint brush can also be used in between. From a hygienic point of view, it is of course more advisable if the four-legged friend is accustomed to his dog bed from an early age. Materials such as imitation leather or a wicker basket with a removable cover are suitable here.
The best weapon in the fight against dog hair on fabric furniture, parquet, or carpeting is of course the vacuum cleaner. However, there are also devices here that soon reach their limits with very dense tufts of fur. Vacuum cleaners that have been specially developed for removing animal hair, are therefore best suited for a dog household. These not only remove all animal hair from fabric furniture and carpets but are also very quiet.
The trick with the rubber glove also helps to remove small hairs from fabric covers or clothing: Simply put on a rubber glove, moisten it slightly, and then run it over the fabric. The hairs are attracted and get caught in the glove.
If you have a tumble dryer, you can also use it to remove dog hair from clothes. The garments can be placed in and the dryer is run for five minutes. The hair ends up in the fluff filter. A lint roller also helps. An inexpensive alternative to the lint roller is simple adhesive tape or masking tape.
Brush regularly and feed properly
The most effective way to limit the spread of dog hair throughout your home is regular brushing. Not only is the distribution of hair in the apartment reduced, but the massage effect of brushing also has a positive effect on the dog’s metabolism and generally strengthens the human-dog relationship.
During the change of coat, the dog can also be helped with food that contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids and protein. Protein, for example, is important for keratin production. This is the main component of hair. If there is a deficiency, it quickly becomes brittle.