Breeds that need frequent hair cuts tend to shed less.
The most popular of these breeds are Poodles, Schnauzers, Shih -Tzus, Scotties, Bichons and Airedales, as well as Yorkshire, Carin, Maltese, Silky, Wheaton, Fox, Beldington and West Highland Terriers.
Greyhounds are generally low shedders also. Long haired dogs may appear to shed more, but this is really just an illusion because their long hair strands are easier to notice.
The color of your dog's hair also influences how noticeable hair is around the house.
If you adopt a mixed breed dog and shedding is important to you.
Adopt one with a curly or long hair coat or one that you know is a cross with one of the low shed breeds.
The trade off that dogs with this type of hair coat need more grooming and suffer more in hot weather.
At a distant time in the past, dogs entered their shed in the spring in response to increasing daylight hours.
Just as wolves and other wild animals do. But as they slowly evolved into living with us and lost more than their wild nature, they also lost their normal periodic cycles. These cycles are called cercadian rhythms.
How they work is poorly understood, but they control all sorts of annual changes from reproduction , mood and hair growth.
Nordic breeds as the Huskys and Spitz, etc., have retained this wild shed pattern best.
They generally do their shedding on one or two short spurts during the year in the spring and fall.
Hair loss is different from shedding. When a dog sheds, a new hair is growing it the hair follicle to replace it.
When a dog suffers from hair loss due to some form of sickness, no new hair grows or it grows very slowly.
In another form of hair loss caused by a sluggish thyroid gland, hair is replaced to infrequently and individual hairs stay on the pet so long, that they literally wear out.
This is why black coats in dogs with this problem sometimes appear reddish brown.
Dogs that have hair loss on areas that rub allot like their sides, hind legs and tail have this or a similar problem.
It appears that the more natural light your pet experiences, the more likely it is to shed on one or two discrete period.
This may not be the case in your pet, but it is worth a try. Seasonal changes in all animals are due to change in the length of the day, not to changes in the weather.
A good diet minimizes shedding. Be sure the pet food you feed contains adequate levels of protein, fats vitamins and minerals. Most nationally marketed brand do.
If your pet receives a large portion of diet in table scraps, try cutting those down.
Pets in good general health shed less than those that are not. Anything that makes your pet scratch will increase the amount of hair you find around the house.
The most common causes are fleas and allergies.
Brushing your pet frequently with the proper comb will remove the problem of hair around the house.
This is the low tech solution.
A good slicker brush along with a good greyhound comb.
There is a proper size for each pet.
