Using the right dog brush at home between trips to the groomer keeps a dog's coat healthy and reduces shedding throughout the home. Owners looking to keep the shedding of fur to a minimum should invest in the right type of brush and make sure that it is unlikely to cause discomfort to the dog.
Know the Dog Breed
There isn't necessarily one best dog brush for all breeds. Some dogs have thicker, longer coats and larger bodies while others have extremely fine coats and need a more delicate approach. For example, the brushes with thin wire bristles may injure a small dog with fine hair. However, such a brush may prove useful in grabbing the hair on larger breeds with long, wiry fur coats.
For dogs with thin coats, rubber-coated small pin bristles help reduce the chance of skin irritation. Large pin and small pin brushes without rubber coating may be used for larger dogs with long hair. Dogs with wiry coats need large pin brushes in which the bristles are spaced closely to help prevent matting. Dogs with thin hair should not be wet before using the brush.
Find Brushes that Remove the Undercoat
The undercoat (the thinner, shorter layer of fur beneath the longer strands) can keep a dog warmer in cold months but is also responsible for excess shedding. Removing the undercoat in warmer months can even benefit a dog by helping to keep her cool. A simple dog brush designed to grab the loose undercoat hairs that are already ready to shed can help a dog owner remove literally piles of fur from her dog during home sessions of grooming. All of the hair proactively removed with an undercoat tool, such as the undercoat rake, is fur that won't be shed around the home or car.
Keep a Bristle Brush on Hand
Most dogs can safely be brushed with a bristle brush between more in-depth grooming sessions. Owners should avoid removing the undercoat too frequently, as it's possible to thin out fur in often-brushed areas if used daily. Between undercoat-removal sessions, then, owners should select a basic bristle brush. Using a bristle brush daily won't be as effective as other brushes at removing fur and stopping shedding, but they're necessary when brushing daily to remove dead hair without resulting in bald patches.
Brush Vacuum Attachments
Dogs that can be trained to stand the noise and the sensation can benefit from dog brush vacuum attachments. The light suction movement works through the brush's bristles in order to suck away loose, dead hair as the bristles help to loosen the excess hair. The vacuum attachment with the brush can help pull away hair that a brush alone can't easily loosen.
Regular grooming sessions every few weeks can further decrease the amount of shedding, although using an effective dog brush at home can help with shedding problems. Short of shearing the dog, however, there is no way to completely eliminate shedding.