Dog fur: How to take care of it and what are the tips for shedding?
A dog’s coat is one of its greatest characteristics that requires great care. It does not matter whether your canine companion is a short-haired or long-haired dog. Attention is required by all of them. How to take care of dog fur and what to do during shedding periods?
Dog fur is not just eye candy
A dog’s coat is very important. It serves as a barrier against harmful environmental influences, cold, heat, water and captures dust. In addition, it is also an indicator of the dog’s health. All ailments and problems taking place in the dog’s body may manifest themselves on the appearance and condition of the coat.
Brushing is a must
The cornerstone of dog fur care is brushing. This process is necessary for all dogs and helps remove all dirt such as mud or trapped twigs from the walk. The coat itself is cleaned, and dead parts of the skin are removed. Regular combing and brushing may also help detect ticks, for example. By sticking to this ritual, we may prevent further problems.
A pleasant ritual
How often you should brush your pet’s coat depends on whether it is a long-haired or short-haired dog. For long-haired dogs, of course, care will be more demanding and will require a greater amount of time. However, brushing can be turned into a ritual that you and your pet will grow to enjoy in time.
Proper bathing products
The next step in the care of your dog’s coat is selecting the right bathing product. You should always use shampoos and conditioners designed solely for animals. Such products will include the right vitamins and minerals to sufficiently nourish your dog’s fur.
Balanced diet as a path to a shiny coat
Proper diet is also an important element. If your dog has a balanced diet full of all the necessary nutrients, it will certainly show on the quality of his fur. On the other hand, matted fur and excessively flaky skin may be a sign that your dog’s diet is not right. In such a case, you may focus on supplementing the right vitamins and proteins. At the same time, you should avoid dog food that includes large amounts of added raw materials and colorants, and give your pet food consisting of fish and supporting a healthy and shiny coat.
Shedding can be accelerated
Shedding is a wide topic. It is this change of fur, usually coming in spring and autumn, that is particularly more challenging in long-haired dogs. This process cannot be prevented, but it can be accelerated, meaning that you will spend less time trying to clean up the space your dog occupies. However, keep in mind that this physiological process is important for the dog’s health.
The steps to accelerate shedding are not difficult. A balanced diet, once again, plays a major role, and adding, for example, salmon oil is recommended. Salmon oil also has good effects on digestion. During the shedding period, it is recommended to bathe and brush your dog more often to accelerate the exchange of hair and skin. You can also complement your dog’s diet with vitamins and minerals that will support proper functioning of his organism.
Christmas is coming and it’s the time we are thinking of how we can please our loved ones. Besides family and friends, we should also not forget about our loyal companions that have stood by our side through our highs and lows during the whole year....
In this article, we’ll introduce you to another discipline of Disc Dog – our focus will be on Parallel Time Trial. The most important thing in it is the time within which a dog catches a flying disc. What does this discipline look like, in what...
Coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on the lives of most people. Our travelling has been limited, we started spending most of our time at home – with our furry friends in many cases. However, it has also been a change for them. They suddenly had...
Most of us dream about having a long and happy life, and ways to ensure it have been sought for centuries. Recent scientific studies, however, suggest that the answer has been right before us all along: Our cats, in addition to being nice companions,...
Defence Training is a process in which we try to encourage and develop the predatory instinct. We differentiate between practical and sports defence. In the case of sports defence, the dog is controllable and it isn’t headless stimulation of...
This animal is a wild predator that also likes to just relax on the couch. We are, of course, talking about the American shorthair cat, which can be considered similar to its European counterpart, just on the American continent. What makes this breed...
Wolves belong to the Carnivora order, and the thought of meeting them in the wild scares many of us. It is therefore quite surprising that wolves are very shy and wary animals that will try to avoid human contact at all costs. All the more if the...
Like humans, our pets may experience adverse reactions to some food or ingredients. Whether we give them dry food or raw meat, there is always a risk that the food will not suit our pets, perhaps simply because they cannot digest it. How to recognize...
On our blog, we have already written about dogfrisbee, a sport where dogs catch flying discs. Its advantage is that both the dog and the owner play sports together. Dogfrisbee is also a great sport for its diversity – it includes various disciplines...
Sport cynology is sometimes also called the royal discipline. It is mainly because of its difficulty – very versatile skills are needed for it both from the dog handler as well as the dog. What aspects are the most difficult and what is its...
The Vizsla comes from Hungary where it arrived with nomadic tribes. The written references about this breed can be traced back to 14th century, but it started to be more significant in 18th and 19th centuries, mainly in association with races just...
As well as people, dogs are unique living beings which differ in their nature and in what they like and don’t like. A significant part of it depends on upbringing of course, but owners need to accept some characteristic features of a dog and learn...