The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not the hairiest of dogs, but nonetheless, it has at least a couple dozen of them. Today we’ll take a closer look at the main causes of shedding and how you can prevent an excess amount of hairs laying around your home.
Common causes for shedding are type of breed, health, environment & seasonality. Reach out to your vet if you have any concerns of excess hair loss or shedding. To prevent excess shedding, the key ways are: high quality dog food combined with plenty of water, exercising daily, brushing weekly and bathing monthly.
We’re not providing medical advice. These are simply facts on some of the more common reasons why staffies shed and whether it’s preventable – and to what degree.
Common causes for shedding
There are numerous reasons why dogs shed hair. Some of which are more preventable than others.
According to petmd.com, the main reasons are: health condition, type of breed, seasonality and environment.
So let’s take a closer look.
Health condition
An excess amount of shedding can be a sign of underlying health issues, which includes parasites, bacterial infections, fungal infections, allergies and more, according to pets.webmd.com. On their site you’ll get an in-depth look at some of the sicknesses that can result in excess hair loss.
Regardless of the source, don’t take everything you read on the internet as the absolute answer. I personally believe the website mentioned above is among the best sources of health-related information for pets on the internet, but take everything with a pinch of salt.
If you’re ever in doubt: reach out to your local veterinarian. Reaching out to professionals actually working in your area is your safest bet.
Type of breed
The breed of your dog is obviously quite relevant. But in this little community of ours we’re all about staffies! Staffies are short-haired, and therefore shed very little compared to other breeds.
But if you own more than one breed of dog, just know it’s quite common with differences in both amount and length of the shedding season. Which we’ll get to now.
Environment and seasonality
Most of the seasonal shedding usually happens in the spring. Your dog is getting ready for the warmer weather, and therefore prone to get rid of some of the excess hair it naturally has during the winter months.
Which brings us to the fall.
Your dog can also shed quite a bit during the fall. There is generally a change in the texture, or depth of your dog’s coat, and some shedding may occur.
In the spring, your dog’s coat gets ready for the warmer climate approaching.These changes are completely normal, and usually nothing to worry about.
If you experience a major difference, balding spots or any of the sort, then we’ll again advise you to reach out to your vet.
How to avoid an excess amount of shedding
Numerous things can be done to avoid – or prevent – an excess amount of shedding all around your home. Some of these are quite practical efforts, so let’s get ready to put in some lovely work!
Nutritious diet & plenty of water
Both malnourishment and overeating can result in hormonal imbalances and other issues, just like with us – the talking monkeys.
And there is unfortunately no absolute answer. Nutritional needs may differ, especially from breed to breed, but generally speaking the advice is to provide your staffie with high-quality dog food.
A few years back a friend of mine went to the refrigerator, cracked open an egg, and added it to his dog’s daily meal. To me it made a lot of sense, since eggs are filled to the brim with vitamins and minerals.
Writing this I had to double-check it for myself, and indeed it seems to be good for dogs as well. The American Kennel Club wrote a post about it some time ago, further reassuring the claim.
Probably needless to say: eggs shouldn’t be your staffie’s main source of food. Dog food is made for a reason. But as the occasional treat, or as my friend suggested, added to the meal once in a while, should be perfectly fine and probably good for the coat as well.
Cooked eggs are often safer than eating them raw, especially in some countries, so that would be the way to provide it generally.
Brushing & bathing your dog
Here comes the boom. Or does it? Instead of letting dogs run around the house shedding everywhere, it is much more convenient to brush and bathe him/her from time to time.
It’s a great way to gather most of the hair all in one place, and give your carpet a well deserved break.
Brushing every few days is a good routine, but at least weekly should be manageable even for the laziest of us. Then give your dog a well deserved bath at least once a month.
Physical activity
Exercise can never be understated. It won’t necessarily rid your dog of hairs, but it surely will contribute towards a healthy lifestyle. So to keep your dog in good health – make sure to keep up the daily exercise routine!
6 tips on how to clean up dog hairs effectively
Here comes a little treat for those of you who read this far. Thank you!
- Start off by manually picking up the biggest bunches of dog hair you can find. I’m not saying you should run around picking each and every little hair with your fingers, but the biggest lumps can easily be picked up this way.
- To clean your floors it’s usually a good idea to vacuum first, and wash after. At least from my own experience, I find dragging hairs along the floor to be a bit more tedious than it has to be. Buckets filled with water get dirty even faster… You know how it is.
- Slightly damp your carpet and use a rubber broom to roll it into a ball. Easy peasy!
- Use blankets and covers to protect heavily affected areas. Especially if you’re letting your dog roll around the couch. Also quite essential for car rides!
- Rolls of tape are great tools which might be a good idea to have accessible at home.
- Some random suggestions: dryer sheets, pumice stones, lint rollers and duct tape can all be used for the purpose. Test it out and see what works with your types of fabric!
