Dogs change their coat in the transition from the cold to the hot season and vice versa. Here’s how to best deal with the invasion of hair.
Enjoying the presence of a dog in our life offers us a great number of benefits. In the period of hair loss, however, we may encounter some inconvenience, such as spending the whole day with a broom in hand. The shedding of the hair in dogs can be very destabilizing, especially for people who are particularly concerned about cleaning the house.
Today we will talk about this process, so frequent and normal among all dogs: the moult. We will explain how long it lasts and offer you some tips to speed it up, as far as possible.
The shedding of the hair in dogs
First, it needs to be made clear that shedding in dogs is a completely natural and necessary process . The hair represents, in a certain sense, the clothes of the dogs.
Just as we don’t wear the same clothes all year round, dogs don’t behave that way either. In this sense, we could say that the moulting of the hair is their way of carrying out the wardrobe change.
The changes of season (especially with the arrival of cold in the autumn period and the appearance of heat in the spring months) are the periods during which dogs complete their hair change.
In this way they are able to adapt to the temperatures that are about to arrive, just like we take the scarf or the bathing suit, according to the time of year in which we find ourselves.
Fundamental aspects and shedding periods in dogs
As we have anticipated, the most important hair changes occur mainly during the months of spring and autumn . Nevertheless, taking into account the fact that most dogs live in apartments and are not exposed to inclement weather, this process can undergo some variations.
It is necessary to understand that the change of fur responds to different stimuli, of which temperature and daylight are the most important.
Dogs that lead their lives indoors are generally exposed to outside temperatures for only a small part of the day. This situation causes their biological clock to undergo some alterations.
To understand better, with the arrival of autumn the dog’s biological thermometer identifies a drop in temperatures , thus starting to replace the thin hair of summer with the thicker one of winter.
Nevertheless, the lowering of temperatures is detected by the dog at times during walks , since, while the animal is at home, it is not possible to identify a significant reduction, in terms of climate. This fact causes the moult to be completed less efficiently.
Duration of the suit
With the premise set out in the previous lines, we do not intend to suggest that you let your dogs sleep on the street during the spring and autumn, in order to speed up the shedding process. Even if domestic life tends to lengthen the times of the hair change a little, we are talking, in general, of a duration of between two and five weeks .
Furthermore, this time interval is always variable and depends on a variety of factors. Among the most frequent, we find the following:
- Type of breed : there are breeds more predisposed to hair loss, while others develop almost imperceptible moults.
- Climate : the moulting process does not have the same duration in a temperate climate in places close to the sea, compared to inland environments characterized by much more extreme temperatures.
- Nutrition : adequate nutrition always favors a correct change of fur.
Tips to speed up or improve the moulting process
We have already said that it is a natural process, which cannot be stopped and which is inevitably completed. Nonetheless, the following tips can be helpful in speeding it up :
- Brushing your pet frequently helps to speed up this process and prevent it from shedding hair throughout the house.
- Take baths more often, as the water is perfect for removing dead hair.
- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid supplements are very useful and help keep skin and coat healthy and shiny, as well as speed up the moulting process.
As you have read, the change of hair and the moulting process represent a phenomenon that is as natural in the dog as it is to eat; therefore, it should not be treated as a problem . The only possible solution for the tutor is to arm himself with patience, broom and brush.
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