Whether you are a seasoned dog owner or you have recently adopted your four-legged companion, you may have noticed that as the spring thaw begins, your dog also begins to go through some seasonal changes as well. Specifically, you may notice a lot more dog hair around your house. For most dog breeds, spring is one of the main shedding seasons. While this can be frustrating for your cleaning routine, there are ways that you can deal with your dog's spring shedding and keep their coat healthy through the season as well as all year round.

Brush Your Dog Daily During Shedding Season

When your dog is shedding heavily, such as they do during the spring, you will want to brush them frequently in order to prevent that loosened fur from ending up all over your furniture, floors, and other surfaces of your home. Daily brushing will be best during the worst of the shedding season.

Use a soft brush so that you do not irritate your dog's skin and cause them discomfort. Focus on areas where their fur is the thickest such as around their front and back haunches (i.e. their chest, shoulders, and buttocks areas). These are the parts of their body that are likely to shed the most and have the highest concentration of loose fur.

Throughout the rest of the year, you will still want to brush your dog regularly to keep their coat healthy. However, daily brushing may be a bit much when they are not shedding their heaviest. Try to brush them at least once a week so that their coat remains untangled and shiny throughout the year.

Take Them for Regular Bathing and Grooming

In addition to brushing your dog daily during spring shedding season, it is also important to have them bathed and groomed regularly by a professional pet grooming service. Pet groomers will be able to use special moisturizing shampoos to keep your dog's coat and skin looking and feeling healthy and well-maintained in spite of all of the spring fur loss. Many veterinarian's offices also offer pet grooming services if you prefer to work with your veterinarian exclusively.

They also have a variety of brushes and tools to work through your dog's coat really loosening up that winter undercoat to get more of the fur that they are shedding out in one fell swoop. This bathing and grooming process should be done around once a month all year round to prevent skin issues, dander, and matted fur. However, during spring, you may want to increase the frequency to every few weeks.

Know When it's Regular Shedding or Something More

Regular shedding is a natural and normal process for your dog. However, if during the spring shedding seasons or any other time of year, your dog begins to lose chunks or patches of fur that leave bald spots on their coat, or they have sores or raised flaky patches of skin underneath the areas of their body that are losing fur, there may be more going on than just the average shedding.

Take your dog in for a pet check-up at the veterinarian's office as soon as possible when you notice any of these issues. Your dog may have a bacterial or fungal skin infection or have other serious health issues going on such as hypothyroidism. Your vet will be able to check your dog's skin, other vitals, and basic demeanor, and help you determine what is going on and how you should deal with your dog's hair loss and skin issues going forward.

Keeping these tips in mind, you can be sure that you are dealing with your dog's shedding both during the spring shedding season and the rest of the year in the best way possible.