The 5 Simple Ways to Reduce Shedding that Saved my Marriage

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5 Simple Ways to Reduce Shedding that Saved my Marriage

How often do you find clumps of dog hair all over the house, clinging to your table legs or even worse stuck all over your black dress pants? Even if you can’t avoid it altogether, you can reduce it and make your life simpler. Implementing these 5 strategies saved our marriage as my husband said I had to choose between him and the dog if we couldn’t get the shedding under control. It would have been a tough choice but you can always replace a husband (wink!).

You may not be able to avoid shedding altogether in breeds prone to shedding, but you can take simple steps to minimize it.

  1. Brush regularly

This is simple to do but just as easy to not do! This is the single easiest step to drastically reduce the amount of hair in the house is to make a habit of going out with your dog first thing in the morning when you let them out and brushing them outside. Release all those lose hairs in the yard rather than over your favorite rug.  Spending 3-5 minutes doing this daily can save you time later battling this same loose hair once it’s been released in your house.

  1. Bathe regularly

Washing your dog’s coat is another great way to loosen and remove fur so it doesn’t end up all over you and your stuff. Rubbing him dry with a towel will also release additional loose hair. Don’t use heat to dry your dog, as this will dry their skin and increase shedding. Try for a weekly bath with an all-natural dog shampoo. Commercial shampoos will dry out the skin and add to the problem.

  1. Food for Healthy Skin and Coat

Is your dog getting enough nutrients and moisture in his food? A balanced diet rich in vitamins and with a bit of a variation weekly will decrease your dog’s shedding. Try switching foods to one that has just a few simple ingredients that you recognize (avoid those with tons of additives, gluten or other hard to pronounce ingredients). You can also add a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil to your dog’s food daily. These contain the omega-3 fatty acids necessary to condition the skin and coat.

  1. Grooming

Shortening your dog’s fur can obviously reduce the amount of shedding. You can buy hand-held clippers and handle this at home or make a regular grooming appointment. Don’t shave them completely since their fur protects them from harsh sun or other elements.  Keeping the fur shorter will make shedding easier to manage.

  1. Try an all-natural Shedding Spray

I found a recipe online that has worked wonders for our huskie/rotwieller mix that was losing so much hair that each day when we swept it looked like we could clothe another dog!

AromaShed Essential Oil Spray (Simple ways to reduce shedding)

Add 10 drops each of the following quality essential oils to a 4 oz spray bottle

Clove, Rosemary, Oregano, Lavender, Cedar, Peppermint, Tea Tree (Melaleuca). Then add 20 drops of Vitamin E and 2 Tablespoons of Hemp Oil.  Fill the rest of the bottle with Fractionated Coconut oil. This one strategy worked like magic on our dog!

If you still have shedding, I have found an inexpensive rubber brush broom works to capture fur on a wood or laminate flooring. I also use a Norwex rubber brush to remove dog hair from the furniture or clothing and it works much better than the old fashioned lint brush.  It also works like a charm to quickly remove hair from carpeted stairs.

 Sandy J. Duncan is an author, health and wellness coach, freelance writer, Mompreneur of 5 teenagers and her blogs include AllNaturalHealthReviews.org and Got-Oils.com.

Related Blog: All-natural-remedies-for-your-dog

What do you do to minimize your dog’s shedding and what do you think of these simple ways to reduce shedding?

Resources:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/dogshedding

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Sandy J Duncan
Sandy Duncan is completing her Doctorate in Integrative Medicine, a health and wellness coach, Certified Neurofeedback specialist and author of AllNaturalHealthReviews.org. Read honest reviews on current health and wellness products as well as register for FREE giveaways.