How to Reduce the Shedding of my Rat Terriers?

Q: How to Reduce the Shedding of my Rat Terriers?
I have two rat terriers that shed horribly all year round. I love my dogs but hate all that hair. I know I can't get it to stop completely but does anybody have a suggestion that will help reduce the amount of shedding?

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Answers and Views:

Answer by tough_mutts
There are shed reducing shampoos out there, but beyond that, brushing with a terrier comb every day would do it.

Answer by golden_0182
Lots and lots of brushing. A "slicker" brush is great for this and will remove dead hair

Answer by albert c
You can't stop a dog from shedding, but you can reduce the amount of hair in your home by brushing your dog regularly. Your vet can recommend a specific type of brush that will work best for your dog’s hair.

Answer by booger4297
get some head and shoulders shampoo, or u could invest in some clippers and cut all their hair off, will not shed then, haha, just kidding, but they make a shampoo for to help prevent them shedding, tho head and shoulders would work

Answer by jussamagin2
Those ideas are excellent. I would also add some dietary considerations… like adding EFA supplements and vitamin E to their diet.. and anything else that keeps their skin from drying out, especially if they're indoors during winter with the heat on. EFA are in big soft gel capsules; you can hide them in lumps of cheese or something to get them down, or pierce them and squeeze the oil onto their food. Obviously fresh water all the time, on demand as well.

I use Allermyl shampoo on my dogs against shedding; vets sell it and the vet supply websites probably do, too. It's spendy but very gentle for dry skin. My vet says to bathe my dog weekly but he's just miserable from the post bath itching (just like me!), so I can't bear to bathe him that often.

Daily brushing your rat terriers will help a lot to reduce the shedding. I use a knee-hi nylon stocking over my slicker brush (poke the teeth through the nylon) and just turn it inside out and bag up the hair after a brushing. Might want to use a softer brush on your ratties, though; a slicker's metal teeth might not feel that great to them.

This Magic Pro Dog Deshedding Tool Reduces Shedding By 95%

Healthy skin sheds less than dry or otherwise unhealthy skin, so this could help. Good luck. I know a couple of Rat Terriers and they're very generous shedders. Good luck and kiss your dog babies on the head for me.

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