News and advice from Wag & Wash

How often should you actually groom a double-coated dog?

It is the question we hear most from Labrador, Husky, Shepherd and Retriever owners, usually while brushing fur off their own jumper: how often does this dog actually need a groom, and is there anything that will make the shedding stop?

Here is the honest answer.

What a double coat is

A double-coated dog has two layers of hair. The outer layer is made of longer, coarser guard hairs that repel water and dirt and protect the skin from sun. Underneath is the undercoat — short, soft, dense fluff that traps air and insulates the dog against both cold and heat.

Breeds with a double coat include Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Corgis, Pomeranians, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Newfoundlands, among many others. If your dog leaves tufts of soft fluff on the couch rather than single straight hairs, you very likely have a double coat.

Why they shed the way they do

The undercoat sheds all year, but twice a year — typically as the seasons turn in spring and autumn — many double-coated dogs “blow” their coat, dropping a huge amount of undercoat in a few weeks. On the Sunshine Coast, where seasons are mild and dogs live mostly indoors under lights and air conditioning, that cycle is often less distinct and the shedding can feel more or less constant.

Nothing stops a double-coated dog shedding. Anyone who promises that is selling something. What good grooming does is get the loose undercoat out of the dog before it gets onto your floor.

How often to book a professional deshedding

For most double-coated dogs, a professional deshedding treatment every six to eight weeks keeps the coat in good order and the house noticeably less furry. Heavy shedders, or dogs going through a seasonal blow, benefit from coming in more often — every four to six weeks during the worst of it.

A deshedding treatment is different to a bath. The shampoos and conditioners are chosen to loosen dead undercoat, the dog is dried with a high-velocity dryer that blows the loosened hair out from the skin up, and then it is brushed through thoroughly. Owners are usually startled by how much comes out.

What to do at home between visits

Brushing at home is what makes the professional treatments last. Two or three sessions a week of five to ten minutes with a tool designed for undercoat — a grooming glove, an undercoat rake or a slicker brush, depending on what your dog tolerates — will keep the loose hair moving out rather than building up.

Brush in the direction of the coat, work in sections, and pay attention to the thickest areas: behind the ears, around the neck and chest, the back of the thighs and the tail. Never yank through a knot; work it out gently or leave it for the groomer.

Bathing at home is fine in moderation, but over-bathing dries the skin and can make shedding worse. Once every four to eight weeks is plenty for most dogs, and always dry them fully — a damp undercoat is where skin trouble starts.

Please do not shave them

It is tempting, especially in a Queensland summer. Please do not.

Shaving a double-coated dog removes the guard hairs that protect the skin from sun and the insulating layer that keeps them cool. The undercoat then often grows back first and thicker, without the guard hairs to lie under, leaving a patchy, woolly coat that sheds worse and mats faster than before. In some dogs the coat never returns to normal.

A double coat, properly maintained and free of dead undercoat, is a very good air-conditioning system. Deshedding keeps that system working. Shaving breaks it.

When to see a vet instead

Normal shedding is even, all over, and the skin underneath is healthy. If your dog is losing hair in patches, has bald spots, red or flaky skin, a strong smell, or is scratching constantly, that is not a grooming problem. Please see your vet before you book a groom — some skin and coat changes point to allergies, parasites or hormonal issues that a shampoo will not fix.

Bring the fur to us

If your double-coated dog is shedding through the house, a deshedding treatment at Wag & Wash starts from $35 depending on size and coat. In Marcus D.’s words, after his Labrador’s treatment: “my Labrador stopped shedding on the couch for weeks.”