Why your dog sheds more in spring and fall
It isn't the food or the shampoo. It's the coat changing for the season.
Many dogs grow a thick undercoat for winter and let it go when the days get longer. In autumn they grow it back. Groomers call the spring drop blowing coat, and it comes out in clumps, not single hairs.
Double-coated dogs shed the most this way: huskies, shepherds, labradors, golden retrievers, corgis. Single-coated dogs shed more evenly through the year. Pets that live indoors, with steady heat and light, often shed a little all year round.
What helps
- Brush outside during the heavy weeks, so the loose coat goes into the wind instead of onto the couch.
- Brush often and briefly rather than once a month for an hour.
- Start with the glove: most dogs read it as petting and stay still for it.
When it isn't shedding
Bald patches, sores or scabs, constant licking, tiredness, or heavy shedding outside the usual seasons are not normal shedding. That is a vet visit, not a brush.
Don't shave a double coat
It can damage the hair follicles, and the coat may not grow back the same. Brush the undercoat out instead.
Sources: Trupanion, Merck Veterinary Manual, Petful, The Farmer's Dog