Fur on everything? Brush out the undercoat. Then pick the tool.

Normal shedding vs. a vet visit

Most heavy shedding is just a dog being a dog, especially a double-coated one in spring or fall. Your couch is now partly husky. That's annoying, not alarming.

Call your vet if the shedding comes with any of these:

• Bald patches or thin spots, rather than even shedding all over
• Red, flaky, scabby or smelly skin
• Constant scratching, licking or chewing at one spot
• A sudden jump in shedding with no season change or big life change to explain it
• A dull, brittle coat, or other changes like low energy, weight change or drinking more

Those are signs something underneath needs a look. Your vet can check for fleas, allergies, skin infections and hormone problems. A brush can't.

What normal shedding looks like

• It's even, all over the body, with healthy skin underneath when you part the fur.
• It follows a pattern you've seen before, often heavier in spring and fall.
• It matches the breed. A husky drops tumbleweeds; a poodle mostly doesn't.
• It spikes after a stressful event, like a move or a vet visit, then settles back.

Check your dog in two minutes

1. Part the fur in a few spots: back, belly, base of the tail. Look for redness, flakes or bumps.
2. Look for flea dirt: tiny black specks. Put a few on a damp white paper towel. If they smear reddish, it's flea dirt, and your vet will want to know.
3. Run your hand against the grain. Thin patches show up fast.
4. Write down when it started and anything that changed: food, home, routine. That note makes the vet visit faster.

Tame normal heavy shedding

Brush before it lands on the couch

Brushing catches loose hair at the source, which beats vacuuming it out of the rug later. For double-coated dogs, a deshedding tool like the FURminator reaches the loose undercoat a regular brush slides over.

For the hair already on the couch and floor, our pet hair removal picks cover rollers, gloves and vacuums.

The catch: it's for double coats only. Skip it on curly, wiry or single coats. Use light pressure, about once a week, and pick the size and hair-length version that fits your dog.

Not sure what your dog's coat needs? See brushes by coat type.

Fish oil: only if your vet says so

Some vets suggest an omega-3 supplement for a dry, dull coat. If yours does, Nordic Naturals makes soft gels, and BARK&SPARK makes a soft chew for dogs who refuse anything that isn't a treat. Follow the label for amounts, and don't start one to fix shedding on your own.

Also great

Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet Soft

Best for: Owners whose vet suggested fish oil

Check price at Amazon

Bathe, but not too often

A bath and a thorough brush-out afterward loosens a lot of dead coat at once. Use a dog shampoo, and ask your vet how often for your dog's skin.

Keeping the house livable meanwhile

• Brush outside when you can. The hair stays in the yard, and the birds get nesting material.
• Washable throws on the dog's favorite couch spot, washed weekly.
• A rubber glove or squeegee drags hair into clumps you can pick up; a lint roller finishes the job.

For the whole cleanup routine, see our pet hair guide.

FAQ

Bottom line

Choose a brush if the shedding is even and the skin underneath is healthy; call your vet if you see patches, sore skin or a sudden change.