How to Reduce Dog Shedding This Summer (2026)

If your floors, couch, and black jeans are suddenly covered in dog hair, you’re not imagining it. Learning how to reduce dog shedding matters most right now, in the middle of summer, when most dogs are finishing their seasonal coat blow and shifting into a lighter warm-weather coat. The good news is that shedding is almost never something you can stop entirely, but it is something you can manage a lot better with the right routine.

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Why Dogs Shed More in Summer

Hair grows in cycles, and old hair has to fall out to make room for new growth. Many breeds, especially double-coated dogs like Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, and German Shepherds, shed their dense winter undercoat over a few intense weeks each spring and early summer. This is often called “blowing coat,” and it’s completely normal. Shedding can also increase because of diet, stress, allergies, or a coat that hasn’t been brushed regularly enough to keep loose hair from building up underneath the topcoat. Understanding this cycle is the first step in learning how to reduce dog shedding without fighting biology you can’t actually change.

Build a Real Brushing Routine

Brushing is the single most effective thing you can do, and consistency matters more than any one product. Most dogs benefit from being brushed three to four times a week during heavy shedding season, for five to ten minutes at a time. Skipping days lets loose undercoat build up, which means more hair ends up on your furniture instead of in the trash.

A tool like the FURminator deShedding Tool is built specifically to reach through the topcoat and pull out loose undercoat without cutting the guard hairs, which is why it tends to remove noticeably more hair per session than a standard brush. It works best on dogs with dense double coats and should be used two to three times a week, not daily, since overuse can irritate the skin.

For the days in between, a gentler option like the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is a good fit. Slicker brushes work well on most coat types, including curlier or wavier coats where a deshedding rake can be too aggressive, and the retractable bristles make cleanup fast so you’re actually more likely to use it consistently. Consistency, more than any single tool, is what actually reduces shedding over time.

Bathing the Right Way

Regular bathing loosens dead hair and rinses away the dander that often triggers itching, but overdoing it can dry out the skin and make shedding worse. Most dogs do well with a bath every four to six weeks in summer, or after especially muddy or sweaty days. Brush your dog before the bath to remove loose surface hair, then again once the coat is fully dry, since a lot of undercoat releases as the coat dries out. If you notice flaking or a dull coat between baths, that’s often a sign the skin is dry rather than a sign you need to bathe more often.

Diet and Omega-3s Matter More Than People Think

A dog’s coat is a direct reflection of what’s going on nutritionally. Diets low in quality fat or protein can lead to a dry, brittle coat that sheds more and looks duller. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular EPA and DHA, support the skin barrier and can noticeably reduce excess shedding and flaking over several weeks of consistent use. A daily supplement like Zesty Paws Salmon Oil Soft Chews is an easy way to add omega-3s without changing your dog’s whole diet. Give it time, though: coat supplements typically take four to six weeks before you notice a real difference, since you’re waiting for new, healthier hair to grow in rather than fixing hair that’s already there.

Don’t Forget the Environment

Shedding season also overlaps with peak heat, and a dog carrying a heavy, matted undercoat has a harder time regulating body temperature. Deshedding isn’t just about your floors, it’s also part of helping your dog stay comfortable outside. If you’re working on your summer routine more broadly, our guide on how to keep your dog cool in summer covers the other side of that equation, and our summer pet safety guide is worth a read if you haven’t already. A well-groomed, shed-out coat actually insulates better against heat than a matted one, and for dogs who nap in sunny spots or ride in the car a lot, pairing a good brushing routine with something like one of our best cooling mats for dogs picks can help on the hottest days.

When Shedding Isn’t Just Seasonal

Some hair loss is worth a vet visit rather than a new brush. Watch for bald patches, redness, sores, excessive scratching, or shedding that seems sudden and severe rather than gradual. These can point to allergies, parasites, hormonal issues like hypothyroidism, or a skin infection, none of which a deshedding tool will fix. If your dog’s shedding pattern changes abruptly or is paired with any of those symptoms, it’s worth a checkup before assuming it’s just the season.

The Bottom Line

There’s no single trick that stops shedding completely, and anyone promising that is overselling it. What actually works is boring but effective: brush consistently, bathe at a reasonable interval, support the coat with good nutrition, and keep an eye out for anything that looks abnormal. Put those pieces together and most owners see a real, noticeable drop in loose hair around the house within a few weeks.