How often should I brush during shedding?

At seasonal peaks a short brush every day or every other day is ideal for animals with a dense undercoat, while outside the turnover periods once or twice a week is enough. Consistency matters more than length: short frequent sessions collect hair before it falls at home and keep the animal used to being handled.

Can I shave my dog so it suffers less heat and sheds less?

In double coated dogs shaving is not a good idea: the coat insulates from both cold and heat and protects the skin from the sun, and after shaving it may regrow unevenly. For heat, shade, water and less activity in the hot hours work better. If you are thinking of a trim for management reasons, discuss it with a groomer experienced in that breed.

My cat swallows a lot of hair while grooming: how do I help?

Regular brushing reduces the amount of hair the cat swallows while grooming, and therefore hairballs too. If the cat vomits hair often, struggles to bring it up or loses appetite, do not stop at the brush: talk to the vet, because frequent vomiting is never to be treated as normal just because hair comes out.

I am finding bald spots: is that heavy shedding?

No. Shedding is diffuse and leaves the skin covered, while sharp bald zones, with red or scabby skin, point to a skin, parasitic or hormonal problem that needs diagnosis. Do not keep brushing those areas, photograph them, note when they appeared and book a visit.

Do coat supplements really help?

It depends. In a healthy animal on a complete diet, the coat already draws what it needs from the food, and a supplement added for no reason is wasted money. It makes sense when the vet identifies a deficiency or a specific condition: ask them before buying products, so you choose based on a real need rather than on advertising.

Grooming and hygiene15 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 5, 2026

Managing your dog's or cat's seasonal shedding

How to handle shedding with the right brushing routine, how often to work the undercoat, and which skin signs are not shedding at all but a reason to see the vet.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Valid everywhere

What you need before you start

Uno strumento adatto al tipo di mantello: cardatore per il sottopelo, guanto in gomma o pettine a denti larghi, scelto in base al pelo dell'animale
Una spazzola morbida per la rifinitura e un contenitore per raccogliere il pelo staccato
Una superficie stabile e ben illuminata dove osservare la cute mentre lavori
Premi appetibili per associare la seduta a qualcosa di piacevole, soprattutto le prime volte

Shedding is the scheduled turnover of hair that the body runs mostly in spring and autumn, when day length changes and the coat adapts to the coming season. It is not a disease and it cannot be stopped: it is managed. The owner's job is to remove dead hair in a controlled way before it ends up on the sofa or, in long haired animals, mats close to the skin. The difference between a house full of hair and a tidy routine is not the number of baths, which in fact dry the skin out if there are too many, but the regularity of brushing and the choice of the right tool for that coat. There is also a second, less obvious task: while you brush your hands are on the animal's skin, and that is the best moment to notice bald patches, scabs or itching that have nothing to do with shedding.

What shedding is and what it is not

Hair grows, matures, rests and falls in cycles that in dogs and cats are largely driven by light. During the turnover months the share of hair falling at once rises, and in animals with a dense undercoat the amount is striking but normal. Shedding is diffuse and symmetrical: the animal loses hair more or less everywhere, not in patches, and the skin underneath stays healthy. When clear bald zones, redness, heavy dandruff appear, or the animal scratches and licks one spot, you are not looking at shedding but at a problem the brush does not solve.

Physiological shedding versus abnormal hair loss
Feature	Normal shedding	Show the vet
Distribution	Diffuse and symmetrical over the body	Sharp patches or localised bald zones
Skin underneath	Pink or pigmented, intact	Red, scabby or with small spots
Itch	Absent or minimal	Persistent scratching and licking
Course	Tied to the seasons, then settles	Year round or getting worse
Smell and look	Coat dull only because it is old	Strong smell, greasy hair or discharge

Choosing the tool for the coat

There is no universal brush: the wrong tool either does nothing or scrapes the skin. The rule is simple, whatever collects the dead undercoat without cutting the guard hair and without scoring the skin. A coat with a thick undercoat needs a tool that combs deep, a smooth short coat needs a glove that gathers by friction.

Double coat with dense undercoat: a rake or slicker that reaches the undercoat, used with a light hand and without dwelling on one spot.
Long coat prone to knots: the wide tooth comb first to open tangles, then the undercoat tool, never the other way round.
Short smooth coat: a rubber glove or a soft bristle brush, which lifts dead hair by friction without irritating.
Cat: a soft brush or a glove, in short frequent sessions, because many cats tolerate long sessions poorly.
In every case, avoid blades that cut hair: they thin the coat and disturb its insulating job instead of simply removing the dead hair.

The six step brushing routine

Pick the moment and set up the spot
Work when the animal is already a little low on energy, not right before a meal or play. Put down a cloth or sit in a place that is easy to clean, with the tool and treats within reach.
Run your hands over the whole body first
Before any tool, stroke and check with your fingers: you are looking for knots, scabs, sore spots or lumps. Finding them now saves you from running the brush over them and hurting the animal.
Open knots with the comb, without pulling
If there are knots, open them with your fingers and the wide tooth comb while holding the base of the hair, so you do not drag the skin. A tight knot near the skin is not torn out: it is carefully cut or left to the groomer.
Work the undercoat section by section
Pass the tool in the direction of the hair, one zone at a time, from the neck towards the tail. Make short light strokes and empty the tool often: you will know a section is done because it keeps picking up less.
Finish with the soft brush
End with a bristle brush that spreads the natural oils and leaves the coat glossy. It is also the step the animal enjoys most and the one that makes the end of the session pleasant.
Reward, observe and note
Give the treat, look at how much hair you collected and at the skin left exposed. If all is regular, stop here; if you found something abnormal, photograph it and record the date before you forget.

Bath, food and environment

A bath helps release the undercoat that is already primed to fall, but washing too often strips the protective film from the skin and dries it out. In most cases an occasional bath with a suitable product, followed by good drying and a brush, is more than enough. Coat quality also depends on what the animal eats and on general health, so a particularly poor shed or brittle hair should be read in nutritional and clinical terms too.

Brush before the bath to remove the bulk of dead hair, so it does not clog the drain and the wash works better.
Dry thoroughly down to the skin in animals with undercoat: trapped moisture near the skin encourages irritation.
Do not add baths to fight shedding: it backfires and dries the skin.
A complete balanced diet supports coat quality; talk to the vet before adding coat supplements, which are not always needed.
At home, frequent vacuuming and washing the fabrics collect fallen hair better than any product applied to the animal.

Common mistakes during shedding

Mistake, effect and what to do instead
Mistake	Effect	Alternative
Shaving a double coated dog to shed less	Insulation is disturbed and hair may regrow uneven	Brush the undercoat, do not shave
Frequent baths to remove hair	Dry, more fragile skin	Regular brushing and the occasional bath
Tearing knots out with the tool	Pain and distrust of the brush	Open knots by hand, cut the tight ones
Long forced sessions	The animal refuses grooming	Short, frequent, rewarded sessions
Blaming patches and itch on shedding	Delayed diagnosis of a skin problem	Note it and show the vet

Frequently asked questions

How often should I brush during shedding?: At seasonal peaks a short brush every day or every other day is ideal for animals with a dense undercoat, while outside the turnover periods once or twice a week is enough. Consistency matters more than length: short frequent sessions collect hair before it falls at home and keep the animal used to being handled.
Can I shave my dog so it suffers less heat and sheds less?: In double coated dogs shaving is not a good idea: the coat insulates from both cold and heat and protects the skin from the sun, and after shaving it may regrow unevenly. For heat, shade, water and less activity in the hot hours work better. If you are thinking of a trim for management reasons, discuss it with a groomer experienced in that breed.
My cat swallows a lot of hair while grooming: how do I help?: Regular brushing reduces the amount of hair the cat swallows while grooming, and therefore hairballs too. If the cat vomits hair often, struggles to bring it up or loses appetite, do not stop at the brush: talk to the vet, because frequent vomiting is never to be treated as normal just because hair comes out.
I am finding bald spots: is that heavy shedding?: No. Shedding is diffuse and leaves the skin covered, while sharp bald zones, with red or scabby skin, point to a skin, parasitic or hormonal problem that needs diagnosis. Do not keep brushing those areas, photograph them, note when they appeared and book a visit.
Do coat supplements really help?: It depends. In a healthy animal on a complete diet, the coat already draws what it needs from the food, and a supplement added for no reason is wasted money. It makes sense when the vet identifies a deficiency or a specific condition: ask them before buying products, so you choose based on a real need rather than on advertising.

What to do next

Support the shed with the right tool for the coat, in short frequent sessions and with good drying after a bath, without multiplying the washes that dry the skin. Use every brushing to check the skin: diffuse, symmetrical hair loss is normal, but patches, scabs or itching should be photographed, noted and shown to the vet.