Dog Food To Prevent A German Shepherd From Losing Hair
Do not use dog food whose first ingredient says meat by-product.
- Look for dog food that lists meat as the main ingredient, as meats are easier to digest and absorb.
- Quality ingredients reduce shedding and help with dry skin as the nutrients are more readily available.
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Learn About German Shepherd Scratching From A Canine Veterinarian
In this YouTube video, you can watch a canine veterinarian examining a German Shepherd dog patient who is struggling with ongoing itching and scratching issues.
As you will notice, the veterinarian takes a look at the dogs skin and paws and talks with the owner about possible issues with pests, fleas, saliva allergies, seasonal allergies, and also signs of other skin issues like mange.
If you have tried to identify what might be causing your dogs itching and scratching and you cant see any visible triggers, it is definitely time to call in the pros to help diagnose your dogs issues and get the right treatment.
Switch To Food That Targets The Skin And Coat
You may have already put in a lot of thought when picking food for your German Shepherd, but did you know that the type of food that youre feeding him plays a huge role in his shedding habits?
Cheap dog food is largely made of ingredients that some dogs have difficulty digesting, such as corn and grain, not to mention all the added chemicals, preservatives, and colorings. You should instead look for a dog food that has a high-quality protein source as the main ingredient:
It is reported that 25 to 30 percent of daily protein intake is systemically used solely for skin and coat renewal requirements. Any protein deficit quickly results in obvious effects on the coat.
If your German Shepherd is not receiving proper nutrition, the protein hes receiving will maintain muscle mass, leaving the coat to suffer. I have a top article on the best diet for German Shepherds if you are looking for more information on the various types of diet for your dog, nutrition, and exactly what he can and cant eat.
Sure, it costs more, but it will help your German Shepherd in many ways, not only by reducing his daily shedding but for maintaining a long and healthy life.
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Can You Reduce Your German Shepherds Shedding
Heres some bad news. Theres nothing you can do to specifically reduce how much your German Shepherd sheds either. Aside from keeping them healthy, as a healthy GSD will shed less than one experiencing health concerns.
But if youre sensitive to dander and love German Shepherds, there is still some hope. In fact, there are a few effective ways of controlling how much your German Shepherds shedding impacts your life.
There is no way around a German Shepherd shedding, but you can face it head on and reduce its impact by:
- Keeping up a regular coat maintenance routine
- Purchasing a quality vacuum and regularly using it
- Keeping some locations in your home off-limits to your GSD
- Restrict play time to outdoors
- Keep your environment hygienic
Try implementing these and you can reduce the dominion that your German Shepherds fur will have over your life and lungs. You dont have to do everything at once, but you can slowly introduce these habits into you and your dogs life.
German Shepherd Shedding Season
The topcoat will shed all year long while the undercoat sheds twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.
The coat works to protect them against the harsh winter season so they dont get coldness. When winter approaches, your dog will begin to shed a lot of his summer hair, to give a room for this winter coat to grow thus you may notice a big increase in shedding for a few weeks during the winter season.
And during summer that old winter coat is no longer necessary. To keep their body temperature stay normal, they will start to get rid of their winter coat thus you may start to see a large chunk of shedding furballs all over your house when summer starts to roll around.
In every shedding season, you may expect the shedding period to last at a minimum of 10 days.
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Do German Shepherds Shed Constantly
Unfortunately yes German Shepherds shed constantly, year around. While their shedding is especially intense during the spring and fall, they can and will lose their undercoat during the remainder of the year as well.
Managing your dogs shedding will be an everyday task just like feeding and walking your dog. By making it a routine, it will be easy for you and your dog to keep up with it.
Supply Clean And Fresh Drinking Water At All Times
Dehydration can lead to dry skin, which can cause shedding and illness. Make sure your German Shepherd has access to fresh and clean water at all times.
If your German Shepherd is not drinking enough by himself, you can always choose to incorporate moist foods into its diet.
Wet dog food contains up to 78% moisture compared to 10% for dry food. Another way to do this is to add warm water or chicken broth into kibbles.
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Do German Shepherds Shed More About Shedding In This Breed
Do german shepherds shed?
There are plenty of reasons why the German Shepherd ranks as one of Americas most popular breeds.
Known for being loyal, courageous, and confident, this iconic dog possesses a noble bearing and a fearless stance.
Muscular and agile, the German Shepherd stands up to 26 inches, with an outline of smooth, graceful curves.
Since this highly intelligent dog can be trained to do just about anything, they lead the pack when it comes to service work.
Theyre ideally suited for many roles, including guide dog, police and military work, search and rescue, drug detection, and protection.
While their coats can be long or short, theyre almost always double-coated.
If youre thinking of bringing this beautiful dog into your life, you probably have a lot of questions.
At the top of the list might be, Do German Shepherds shed?
In this article, well focus on the answer to that question and give you plenty of information about why dogs shed, when they shed, and how to deal with all that fur.
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How To Handle The Blowing Of The Coat
First, you should know exactly when to expect Coat Blow. Typically, you will see this happen at the end of winter and just before winter begins.
Coat Blow actually involves not only shedding the topcoat, but also the undercoat of a dog. Owners with double-coated dogs claim this is the worst part of Coat Blow, as the undercoat often comes out in clumps.
In fact, they state that one might fill trash bags with the shed hair!
When you begin to notice clumps of hair coming out of the dogs coat, then you CAN take some steps to at least minimize the amount of hair that is freely shed.
You can purchase a slicker brush or a dog rake to help remove loose hair from both the top and undercoat of the German Shepherd Dog.
Keep in mind, dogs that are kept primarily indoors may have varying patterns of Coat Blow as the controlled climate of the indoors can lessen the phenomenon.
Dogs that have been spayed or neutered also have differences in the typical Coat Blow.
Remember, this wont completely eliminate the shedding from Coat Blow, it will help you to keep it more manageable.
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Why Do German Shepherd Shed So Much
If you have been a German Shepherd owner you will know for a fact that this breed of dogs is heavy shedders. These specific dogs come with a double coating this type of coating includes a soft and woolly undercoat with the outer coat made of thin long protective hairs, this is to protect the dog from easily getting injured.
Its good to keep your German shepherd dog well-groomed and well shaved up that will reduce the shedding from occurring on a faster paste.
One of the main reasons why German Shepherd dogs shed so much is because they grew new hair throughout the entire year. Most dogs are seasonal the hair on their skin only sheds when the new ones are pushing out but for your GMS dog s its different because the hair on them grows right through the year.
In summer and in fall these dogs will shed the most, your German Shepherd dog will go through a phase name the coat blow in which the shedding is at its highest level., this rapped shedding can last for weeks before reducing to the normal stage.
German Shepherd Hair Loss Thats Not Normal
Does your GSD show any of these signs?
Its important to remember that shedding is a normal and necessary function of your dogs life. Regular hair loss is designed to maintain your German Shepherds coat and skin in healthy condition.
But how and when this hair loss takes place depends on your German Shepherds overall health, genetics, and lifestyle. German Shepherds are heavy shedders and their coat requires regular maintenance to show optimum health.
Watch out for hair loss and skin disease that needs to be addressed and treated by your vet.
Ger your dog evaluated by a veterinarian when you see any unusual hair or skin problems.
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German Shepherd Shedding: Its Not As Difficult As You Think To Control Shedding
In this article, you will learn how to control German shepherd shedding, grooming tips, and Diet advice.
The German shepherd is one of the most popular dog breeds that are sought after by dog lovers.
The German shepherd is admired for its intelligence, highly adaptable nature and high energy level. Well, life can be celebrated with a German shepherd that cares for you a lot and protects you like a God.
But one thing thats quite peculiar with these breeds of dogs is its hair shedding routine. It can turn disastrous if you are not very careful about the dogs shedding whereabouts.
Why Do German Shepherds Shed So Much Hair
Here are some of the reasons why your German Shepherd might be shedding so much hair
- Double Coat: Like other breeds such as the huskies, German Shepherds have a double coat. This is a soft wooly undercoat, and thin long protective hairs. Also, the coat serves as a defense against disease, injury, and infection. So, if youre thinking of shaving your dog because you cant keep up, just dont do it.
- Regular shedding: There are two phases of shedding you need to be aware of as a German Shepherd owner. The first is called regular shedding. GSDs do this throughout most of the year, and they could shed a lot of hair. The new hair grows out to replace the old one. For a person, it may seem like the dog is shedding a lot, but it basically has the same amount of hair.
- Seasonal Shedding: The second, the seasonal shedding, is the one most people observe easily, but it doesnt last long. This happens when the dog molts his undercoat as it gets ready for the season change. This typically occurs in spring and fall for 2-4 weeks and is a massive shedding.
- Health issues: while shedding is a natural occurrence, factors like stress, dehydration, poor diet, irritation, or skin allergy affect the rate of shedding. If you notice or think your dog is shedding unnaturally, contact your vet as soon as possible.
Whichever kind of shedding your dog is experiencing, you are sure to notice loose fur all-around your home if you bring the dog inside.
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How Often Should You Brush Your German Shepherd
The only way to reduce the amount of shedding is to brush your dog regularly. Every German Shepherd shed at different rates and in varying amounts as well. You need to figure out what brushing schedule works best for your dog.
Start by brushing your dog once a week and determine how much they shed after that. If you think there is too much fur everywhere, try brushing them twice a week. Keep doing this until you find out how often your German Shepherd needs to be brushed to keep things under control.
To maximize brushing efficiency, use the undercoat rake at least once a week. Be thorough about it and get rid of any loose fur that may have accumulated under the top layer.
But Doesnt Scratching Mean Your German Shepherd Has Fleas
Greencross Vets explains that a flea infestation is only one possible reason why your German Shepherd might be scratching.
It is true that fleas can irritate the skin to the point where other opportunistic bacteria, fungi, or parasites can get in and cause further irritation and itching.
But often a dog that is itching doesnt have fleas at all. The itching is caused by something completely different.
However, if your dog does have even a minor issue with fleas and has an allergy to the bugs, this can cause more intense itching. When this happens, it is called flea allergy dermatitis.
Flea allergy dermatitis is a specific type of allergy to flea bites.
While getting bitten by fleas will cause itching for any pet , in affected dogs the itching becomes severe and is often concentrated around the tail area.
For dogs with severe flea allergy dermatitis, all it can take is a single flea bite to set off the itching.
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Try Out A German Shepherd Shedding Suit
Finally, if your German Shepherd can handle the potential embarrassment of wearing what amounts to long underwear, consider an .
They come in a variety of sizes and snazzy colors, so theres a onesie for every dog. Justtry not to laugh too hard when you put this thing on or your German Shepherds pride will be forever injured.
Jokes aside, the onesies are a good way to contain shedding for a short period of time, such as riding in the car or if someone with a pet allergy is visiting. The tight fit can also help alleviate anxiety, so its a double-whammy of benefits.
Still, its important to remember that the dog onesie should only be a temporary solution to short-term problems. The use of a onesie over a long period of time may be harmful as it could restrict healthy airflow to the skin and fur.
How Can You Get Your German Shepherd To Stop Shedding
You cannot make a German shepherd stop shedding completely.
It is a natural process which is best managed rather than stopped.
But, if you think your German shepherd is shedding excessively -before you try anything- you have to determine the reason why they are losing that much hair. If they suffer a disease, make sure you give them proper treatment.
If your dog is healthy, here are the most effective ways that will help you reduce shedding:
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Get A Tool Designed For German Shepherds
The best way to groom your German Shepherd is with a de-shedding tool designed specifically for German Shepherds. These tools take your German Shepherds thick undercoat into account and dig out any loose hairs that otherwise would find themselves scattered across the floor in your home.
You need to pick a comb or brush tool that will reach all the way through your German Shepherds fur and be able to latch onto any hair that might just be sitting there. They are ideal to use when your dog is blowing his coat.
I use the FURminator undercoat de-shedding tool from Amazon. It really does a good job by removing all the dead and loose hair as it reaches through your GSDs topcoat without cutting his skin or damaging the outer coat. You can get this tool from any good pet store, and there are a ton of 5-star reviews that you can read on Amazon if you prefer online shopping.
Check out this video below showing an elderly German Shepherd being de-shedded, also with the FURminator tool. This dog hadnt been de-shedded or brushed for around 6 months! Theres enough fur to make a woolly sweater!
German Shepherd Shedding Solution
Give your dog a hygienic environment
Well, a proper grooming up can help you a lot to handle the hair shedding activity of dog productively.
Everything starts with hygiene. You need to make sure that the dog isnt infected by any fleas, parasites or ticks.
You can go for flea shampoos or other pesticides that are readily available in pet stores.
In addition to it, make sure you properly clean up the beddings and blankets of the dog.
Once the dog is provided with a clean environment and a healthy diet, all the excessive hair shedding can be controlled.
Do realize that a dog with fleas cant be taken to a groomer in case you want to have him or her well-groomed and cute.
Groom up your dog
You need to brush the fur of the dog every day as a deep brushing helps in removing all the excess hair thats loose.
You can also nourish his skin coat with oils. On the other hand, you need to use all the de-shedding tools just before the spring arrives or else you have to spend all your time in cleaning your home.
Just before the winter coat falls in the spring, make sure you de-shed your German shepherd.
Maintain the nutrition balance of the food
You can add nutritious oil like olive or flax oils to the regular diet.
These oils contain omega-three fatty acids that help your dog to retain an inflamed skin, lowers the dandruff level and maintains the shiny coat texture of the dog.
Wrap up
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