How To Manage Your Dog’s Shedding Season In A Small Home
25/02/2021
Shedding season for pet owners is dreadful – and what makes it worse is a small house with fur all over! If your furball is approaching that time of the year, it’s best to have your guard up from a maintenance perspective. Here are some easy hacks that can help you reduce your cleaning load during shedding season and keep your small home tidy.
Choose Furniture Wisely
There’s only so much you can do to control the shedding. It’s a natural process for your four legged friend and it’s bound to come around every year. Rather than stressing yourself out with endless cleaning and vacuuming, it’s wise to choose flooring options and furniture that make the process easier.
Go with a leather couch that makes wiping down much easier than an Upholstered fabric couch that is a magnet to pet hair. Do away with rugs or carpets, especially during shedding season so you save yourself the trouble of washing them often. Close off rooms or sections of your home you don’t use often. Although you may live in a small house, too many corners, furniture angles and crevices mean more cleaning. Rather, set up your furniture at convenient angles that makes it easy for you to clean without having to manoeuvre through a lot of stuff.
Use Your Outdoor Space
This one is a no brainer! A great way to reducing pet hair in your home is by taking you dog out as often as you can. It could be a walk to the grocery store, driving to and from school everyday or even spending more time in your garden or backyard. Let’s admit it’s a whole lot easier to vacuum a car than your entire home, so you’re better off with your doggo driving around with you on errands.
If it’s a large outdoor dog you have, a great way to avoid messing your house up during shedding season is by investing in a kennel for big dogs. Not only will this save you the trouble of cleaning you home, but it also gives your dog a little place he can call home. Choose a kennel with a removable roof so accessing the interiors is easy for you, making cleaning it a total breeze.
Watch His Diet
A poor diet for your furry friend does not spell trouble for his tummy alone. Dogs need good amount of protein, fats and fatty acids to grow rich and healthy fur. A diet lacking in these will lead to poor mane and hence higher shedding. If you want to tone down your dog’s shedding, focus on improving the quality of his food. Molasses and olive oil are foods that help reduce shedding, but it’s best to consult a professional before introducing your dog to new foods. Talk to your vet about the optimal diet for your dog’s breed and make gradual changes towards improving his food and water intake.
Vacuum With A Twist
Let’s face it, as much as you may try to restrict dog fur all over, there are going to be droppings all over your house during peak shedding season. That means, your vacuum cleaner is going to work overtime to maintain order. Invest in a good vacuum cleaner that can do the job for you swiftly. A great hack that helps your vacuum cleaner along the way is applying fabric softener on your upholstery, door mats, couch and other dust collecting spots. The fabric softener reduces the traction of fabric and hair and helps pull out fur easily with a fairly regular vacuuming routine.
There are also specialized animal centric vacuum cleaners such as the Dyson DC 31 Animal that does a fine job for particularly stubborn shedding. You could also invest in a pet hair tape roller that can cover minor patches of hair as a touch up every now and then, for areas that are too small to be vacuumed.
Invest in A Good Air Purifier
Pet fur can cause a menace not only on your floor space but also to the air you breathe. Hence, it’s important you focus not only on cleaning your flooring and furniture but also purifying the air, particularly if anybody in the family is prone to allergies. A Purifier reduces dust and removes allergens from the air you breathe. It’s imperative to invest in one of you dog spends a lot of time indoors with you or sleeps in the same room as you. Clean the filters regularly to make sure the air Purifier is working at best capacity.
Bathe Your Dog Regularly
In shedding season, give you dog a bath at least every week to ensure good hygiene. Some fur will shed during every bath, making your work easier in the week to come. Make sure to use appropriate Pet-Friendly shampoo for your furry friend that suits his breed type and skin. The pH balance for dogs is different from that of humans, hence using your mild shampoo for his bath is a strict no-no. You also need to make sure your dog has dried properly, as damp fur can lead to skin problems. The best way to have him dried up is either by using a hair dryer or having him stand in the sun for 10-15 minutes.
Groom and Groom More
Nothing works like grooming your dog well and regularly in controlling the tufts of hair during shedding season. Invest in a good set of grooming tools for your furry friend based on his breed and the nature of his fur. From slicker brushes to hand mitts and metal combs, there are various different dog grooming tools out there that can tame the mane. Brush you dog everyday or at least once in two days to control shedding to a great extent. Brushing also ensures that the natural skin oil reaches all over his fur to the very tips, reducing shedding and matting. If you’re confused about how to use these tools, don’t try something that may do more harm than good. Rather invest in a couple of sessions with a professional dog groomer who can teach you the ropes of effective pet grooming.
