With the onset of warmer weather and more hours of daylight, you may notice an increase in the amount of hair your dog is shedding. This is the time to get serious about brushing your dog. The more you brush the dead hair from your dog, the less hair you will find on your clothing and in your home.

Many breeds have a mixed coat containing guard hairs (the outer coarser hairs on the top of the coat), and an undercoat (finer, fluffy hair underneath). Both types of hair serve a purpose. The guard hairs provide waterproofing, while the inner coat insulates and protects the dog from his environment.

The guard hairs tend to fall off all by themselves, while the undercoat tends to stay on the dog until you either brush it out, or it forms clumps that eventually fall out.

It’s normal for every dog to lose hair. Each individual hair (whether it’s a guard hair or “secondary” undercoat hair) has a lifespan. When the hair dies, it either falls out or sticks in the live coat.

Breed determines coat type. Dogs that have mostly guard hairs shed almost continuously and should be brushed frequently (once or twice a week) to collect all those loose hairs. Regular brushing also helps to moisturize the coat. This coat can be brushed with a curry pad and short-toothed slicker brush.

Dogs with a lot of undercoat can be brushed with an undercoat rake first, then a long-toothed slicker brush. Areas of coat on the haunches and back of the rear legs may need to be de-matted with a de-matting rake first. Rake through any clumps of matted fur, then brush.

A dog with heavy undercoat may need brushing only once every two weeks, except when he’s shedding his undercoat. When you start to see downy clumps of fur appearing in the coat, increase brushing to weekly until all the dead undercoat is gone.

Don’t worry about brushing out too much undercoat; the only coat that will come off is dead coat.

How you brush is just as important as using the right tools. Be sure to brush from the skin out. Be as systematic as possible and don’t allow your dog to move around while you’re brushing him. You don’t need to use a lot of force if you brush properly.

If an area is thickly matted, place the matted fur on the palm of your hand and brush as hard as you like. This way, you won’t hurt your dog’s skin.

If you’re going to bath your dog, make sure he is completely brushed first. This will considerably reduce drying time.

Laureen Osborne is a nationally certified Master Groomer and the author of three dog-grooming books. Send your grooming questions to Laureen through her web site: www.Larkspurpublications.com.

(Originally appeared in our March 2009 issue)