How to Prevent a Pet From Shedding

Pets shed old and damaged hair regularly throughout their lives and this fur can get all over clothing, furniture, carpeting and other surfaces in your home. While you cannot completely stop your pet from shedding, you can greatly reduce the amount of fur it produces with regular grooming to remove the dead hair follicles on your pet's coat. Frequent grooming, bathing and a healthy diet will improve the quality of your pet's coat and help keep your home hair-free.

Things You'll Need

  • Slicker brush
  • Mat removing brush
  • Electric clippers
  • Natural bristle baby brush
  • Spray leave-in conditioner
  • Pet shampoo
  • Pet conditioner
  • Pet conditioning wipes
  • Washcloth or paper towels
  • Fatty acid pet supplement
  • Olive oil
  • Canned pet food
  • Pet pheromone diffuser
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Brush your pet with a slicker brush to remove hair from the undercoat. For fur that contains mats, use a mat-eliminating brush to break up the mats and remove them. Cut out serious mats with electric clippers. To make the fur easier to brush, rub spray conditioner to the coat while grooming. Finish off with a natural bristle baby brush to distribute your pet's natural oils on its coat and eliminate any remaining loose hairs. Continue to brush your pet daily.

    • 2

      Bathe your pet weekly to eliminate loose hair and dirt on the coat. Use a shampoo specific for your type of pet because human shampoo can dry pet skin, increase shedding and contain ingredients toxic to your pet. Place your pet in a bathtub and use a hand-held shower head to wet its coat with warm water. Lather your pet with the shampoo and rinse it well. Follow this with a pet conditioner to soften the coat and moisturize its skin, which will reduce shedding, and rinse again. Dry the coat with a towel and brush it out with a baby brush to remove any remaining loose fur. Apply a spray leave-in conditioner to the coat while brushing to further moisturize it.

    • 3

      Wipe your pet down with conditioning pet-wipes between baths daily, or every other day, to remove dead hair and dirt. These wipes also moisturize your pet's skin and coat, preventing dry skin and reducing the amount of fur it sheds. Alternately, you can dampen a washcloth or paper towel and spritz it with a leave-in pet conditioner to use as a homemade pet wipe.

    • 4

      Give your pet a fatty-acid pet supplement daily by adding it to the pet's canned food meals. Supplements rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids moisturize your pet's coat and skin, reducing shedding. Give the recommended dose to your pet based on its size and type. You can also give your pet a small amount of olive oil in its food, 1/2 tsp. for cats and 1 tsp. for dogs.

    • 5

      Provide wet canned foods rich in protein, fat and fiber for your pet and reduce or eliminate dry food in its diet. Canned foods contain less carbohydrates than dry foods and help to increase your pet's water intake. This will moisten your pet's skin and coat, reducing shedding.

    • 6

      Place a pet pheromone diffuser in the area your pet likes to sleep and spend time in. Stress can increase shedding in pets and the pheromone diffuser will help calm your pet and relieve its anxiety.