06/24/2022
HOW TO GET DOG HAIR OFF CLOTHES
Dogs have hair… It’s one of the reasons we love them. What most people don’t love is balls of puppy fluff stuck to their work suit before a meeting or their skirt before a dinner date. Knowing how to get dog hair off clothes will make living with your dog much more pleasant, because the hair will be where it belongs (on the dog) and not on you!
Why do dogs shed?
All animals with hair (even us!) shed hair on a regular basis. Each hair grows, stops growing and is shed. The length of time between hairs growing to falling out varies between dogs.
Your dog’s hair grows in a four stage cycle:
The Anagen phase
During this phase your dog’s hair grows quickly until it reaches it desired genetic length. In short haired breeds the Anagen cycle is fairly brief whereas long haired breeds such as Yorkshire Terriers have a longer Anagen phase.
Breeds like Poodles (and others that need regular haircuts) have a predominantly Anagen hair cycle similar to humans. This is why they do not shed as much.
The Catogen phase
Once the hair has reached its desired genetic length, the growing process slows. The hair follicle contracts and detaches from the dermal papilla, which is where it gets nutrients from.
The Telogen phase
This is the resting phase where the hair does not receive nutrients. The hair however, is still anchored to the skin.
Dogs that don’t need regular haircuts have a telogen-predominant hair cycle where the hair remains in this phase until it is shed from their skin.
The Exogen phase
This is the shedding phase where the hair falls out and the follicle returns to the growing phase again. The hairs that you find on your clothes have been expelled during the exogen phase.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This cycle depicts the normal hair cycle of a dog where old hairs are replaced with new hairs after they have shed. If your dog is shedding rapidly and hair is not reforming they are suffering from hair loss (Alopecia). This can be due to a number of reasons including genetics, poor diet, illness, dermatitis or mites. If your dog’s hair is getting progressively thinner and you notice bald spots, you should take them to your vet to get checked out.
When do dogs shed?
They shed twice a year – once in Spring and once in Autumn, right? No! This is not necessarily true. Due to their lifestyle change in society,dogs now tend to shed all year round.
Once upon a time dogs shed in periodic cycles just like wolves. They had a natural rhythm influenced by the length of days and the rising and falling of the sun. In Spring they would shed their thick coats in time for the warmer weather and then in fall would get rid of their lighter undercoat in time to replace it with a thick coat for winter.
Blurred lines
The lines between these distinct shedding periods have blurred because of domestication and the fact that more dogs (and cats) than ever are classified as ‘indoor pets’ – 80% in 2010 vs 63% in 2000. That’s a lot of pet hair and no doubt in 2014 these number have increased again!
Distinct shedding phases occurred when the hair cycle and individual phases of hairs (mentioned above) occurred at the same time. Nearly all of the hairs went through the Anagen, Catogen, Telogen and Exogen phase at this same time.
The modern dog’s hair cycle, however, is all messed up. They lost their rhythm and different hairs are now shed at different times during the year: Most of them ending up on your floor, furniture and of course your clothes!
