Being a dog owner can be wonderful. There’s nothing like experiencing the love and loyalty of your four legged best friend. Unfortunately, along with all of the good comes the frustrating reality of dealing with excess shedding. Unless your dog is a very short haired breed, you have no doubt found dog hair everywhere in your home. As fur grows and coats are replaced to prepare for the change of seasons, the excess has nowhere else to go. While you can’t avoid shedding, there are some simple steps you can take to help to stay on top of it and keep your home clean and dog hair free.
Don’t be buried by dog hair: a little prevention goes a long way
The easiest way to avoid dealing with excess hair is actually to stay on top of the shedding process. Regular grooming can help to keep dog hair in check. Depending on your dog’s breed, you may need to brush them daily, weekly, or even take them to a professional groomer for a thorough trim. This can help to remove loose hair before it has a chance to accumulate on clothing, furniture and any other surface it can find. Regular bathing can also help to keep your dog’s coat healthy, which can in turn reduce the amount of shedding.
Another way to prevent dog hair from accumulating in your home is by using washable covers that can be quickly and easily removed and regularly cleaned. When you’re washing and vacuuming surfaces, don’t forget to include your dog’s bed. This is probably the one place where your dog spends the most time so it is easy for loose hair to pile up here. You might also want to consider keeping your dog off the furniture and limiting the areas within your home where they are allowed to be in order to prevent the spread of dog hair.
Of course, no matter how hard you try it is still likely that dog hair will show up in areas where you don’t want it, so you need to stay on top of it in order to keep your home clean. A vacuum cleaner specifically designed for picking up pet hair is probably the most effective method for removing excess hair. These models usually include special attachments that allow you to address various surfaces and have extra suction power to remove stubborn hair. Make sure you go over each surface thoroughly and move in all directions in order to pick up all loose hair.
A lint roller or sticky tape is another effective method, especially for clothing and other fabric surfaces that can’t be easily vacuumed. Make sure you press firmly as you move the roller or tape over the surface. You can get a better grip with the tape if you wind it around one hand, sticky side out, and press it against the surface.
When you own a dog there is simply no way of avoiding shedding but that doesn’t mean you have to be buried under an endless pile of dog hair. With a few simple steps you can easily stay on top of the situation and minimize shedding so that you and your dog will both be happier and your house can stay clean and neat.
