It’s one in the morning. You awaken in the middle of the evening to the gentle lulls of your snoring pup. Something’s in your eye. You try to rub it out and it just won’t go anywhere. You stumble to the bathroom to utilize the mirror. Leaning in, you find a single hair across your pupil. You. Can’t. Get. It. You back away frustrated. On your black cotton pajamas, you find similarly thin and insurmountable hairs coating you. Down on the rug, HAIR. Peep in the shower, HAIR. All trailing back to your dog whose snores now taunt you.
Thank goodness, you woke up from your nightmare into this webpage. Our fur friends tend to be covered in, well, fur. And it does have a habit of getting in places that may not be optimal. Certainly, this can be an even bigger obstacle with our double coated breeds with lots of hair to give us. We can’t get them to simply stop shedding, however, we can get a better hold of it! Whether it be aggressive elimination or peaceful coexisting, let’s get you resting a little easier.
Detangling Your Living Room
The ‘fur’ in furniture is not meant to insinuate that that is where all the fur goes, who knew? Yet it seems that’s where it ends up. Wherever your dog lays their fluffiness, hair will follow.
If you’re in the market for new seating arrangements, you can make proactive choices! With a pup in your present and/or future, you can choose pet-friendly material! Denim, leather (or pleather!), microfiber or anything with a nice and tight weave. Removing hair from these types of material is a little easier.
Not interested in buying a whole new living room set? Slipcovers are a quick and more affordable route to keeping your dog and couch fibers separate!
As far as getting to the nitty gritty itself, there are a few ways to go about it! Snap on a pair of rubber gloves and get them a little wet. Then run those damp gloves over the surface! When you’re wrist deep in fur, clean off your hands and repeat.
Another way to tackle your furniture is to fill a spray bottle and mix water up with fabric softener. Spray it on the fabric and wipe it down with a cloth to gather all the loose hair! If it is a bit more persistent, trying using a stiff scrub brush!
Coffee tables, end tables or any hard flat surfaces from a follicle invasion. Try using furniture polish or anti-static spray and wiping down the area with a cloth!
Clean Floor Sweep
From body rolls to butt scoots, your dog has inventive ways to cross the floor. While doing that, fur will sprinkle its way to your floors. If you’re not so interested in having a dog shag rug, we’ll help you manage it!
While house hunting or apartment shopping, keep special consideration of places with hardwood floors, tile, anything that is solid and easy to sweep with a broom. It also comes in handy when accidents happen!
If installing new floors isn’t feasible and you’re living somewhere with carpet, no need to be in despair! It is still manageable. Pumice stones aren’t just good for smoothing down your feet, glide it across your carpet to catch the more stubborn hair embedded into your carpet!
Getting a vacuum that can tackle anything is the first tool for battle again hairy tumbleweeds. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 has a formidable suction and has various tools to get to those extra tricky spots. You can double down your vacuuming technique by running through the area twice in different directions! That will help get every little bit that might have gotten missed on way get picked up the second time around!
Rakes aren’t just for make leave piles! There are carpet rakes has fine bristles to get into the carpets. It’s nice when you want to get a quick clean up done but don’t have the time or patience for a full vacuum sweep!
Another Type Of Fur Coat
You know how the saying goes; “If you love your dog, wear them everywhere”. Between the pets before you leave the house and the naps that were taken on fresh laundry, you may have a hair or fifty hanging out on your clothes. There are times where your pooches’ coat doesn’t match yours. And wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you showed up to the same place in the same outfit?
Lint rollers are your first line of defense from wearing your dog out on the town. Keep one near the front door to swipe yourself down before you leave the house. Another one in the car is good for when you inevitably miss a spot. And another in your purse or bookbag for good measure. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it (and you certainly will).
If you find yourself with an abundance of hairy clothes and low on roller sheets, throw it in a dryer with a sheer or dryer ball! Set it for about ten minutes. And during your next wash, add liquid fabric softener to clothes to make it easier for hair to be removed!
The best way to prevent getting hair on the clothes you’re not wearing is to put them away quickly. No matter how much easier it is to plunk them down in on your bed, it is a magnet for your dog to start a cuddle puddle. Getting the folded hung and put away will change its fate from being under your dog’s stomach.
The Hair Root of it All
We come to the root of it all; your marvelous mutt’s mane. Our dogs are full of love to give but we can’t forget their hair. We can’t stop them from shedding entirely, all healthy pups do. What we can do, absolutely, get a better grasp of it all.
Having the right grooming tools to manage the fur is a good foot to start on! Furminator Brushes are great ways to get out tangles, knots and excess fur!
Brushing once or twice a week for about fifteen minutes each session in beginnings to a smooth coat with less shedding. Now let’s talk bath time. Utilizing deshedding shampoo and conditioner promotes a fur coat that stays a bit more intact.
Nutrition also has an impact on your pup’s coat! Start from what you feed your dog and evaluate the food you buy for your pup. Get a brand packed high in protein to promote less shedding. A healthy diet is reflected in the coat.
Coexisting Hair to Hair
It is virtually impossible to get every single hair in your home picked up. Your dog is shedding right now, perhaps right by your feet. It’s not their fault that they’re furry beings, they’re just born that way. And the distinct lack of thumbs makes it hard to pick up everytime they shed. Learning to live side by side with the hair you can’t get rid of is a way to avoid insanity.
Clothes and furniture that match your dog’s fur help camouflage fur. With a black Labrador retriever, optimize the use of black cardigans. A brown mastiff opens up the opportunity for a lovely brown sectional.
Also, make sure you give props to your vents that catch hair that you can’t. Treat them well by changing the air filter regularly. If you have more than one dog, you should be changing your filter every 20 to 45 days! Hair gathers in vents pretty quickly so you want to make sure you have a breath easy environment.
Dealing with your dog’s shedding doesn’t have to be an awful nightmare. Before you know it, you’ll have a better grip on it than you could have imagined. Before you know it, you’ll both be trading beauty secrets.
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