Dog Moulting: Here's how to cope with your adorable dog shedding hair in the summer - including keeping your home fresh

As Scotland's warm summer continues, pet owners might be noticing more hair on carpets and couches.

Dog shedding hair? We have all the advice you need.

With the recent hot weather, you may have noticed more fur lying around your house as our cats and dogs start to seasonally shed, or “blow coat” as they naturally start to adapt to the change in temperature. 

Now is the perfect time to implement some new hacks into your pet-friendly home to help keep it feeling fresh and our furry best friends healthy as we head into the summer months.

Catrin George, Animal Wellbeing Specialist at Animal Friends Pet Insurance, has shared six top tips on pet-proofing and cleaning your home.

Keep fur at bay with regular grooming

Anyone that owns a cat or dog that moults will be all too familiar with the constant stream of fur that attaches itself to clothes, coats, carpets, and anything else fabric in the house! Although it seems like a contradiction to the idea of reducing the amount of fluff around the home, brushing your pet’s fur regularly can help keep those tumbleweeds of fur to a minimum. Regular grooming will also help to maintain a healthy coat, remove dead hairs or debris and help tackle those matted areas. Generally, your pets will love it too. As an extra tip for keeping the house clear of fur, if you have access to outdoor space, and it’s a clear day, you may also want to groom your pet outside to help save on some of the clean-up after you’re done. Don’t forget, the type of brush you need will depend on your dog or cat breed and length of fur. For example, bristle brushes are great for dogs with short, smooth coats or wiry coats that shed often. Alternatively, a pin brush is good for removing tangles or matted fur.

Wash your pet regularly

Knowing when to wash your dog in the winter is pretty easy – covered in mud? Bath time! Wet and soggy? Get the towel! But, when it comes to maintaining a clean home, how ofen should you give your dog a bath? The truth is that it really depends on your dog and their needs. Once a month is recommended for most dogs, but be sure to research your own dog’s breed to see what works best for their skin and hair type. However, if they suffer from skin irritation, it’s important you check with your vet about how often your dog can be washed without causing more issues. If you’re a cat owner, you’re in luck. Cats do a pretty good job at keeping their fur clean and mud-free so you may be able to skip this step and focus more on the brushing. No matter how often you bathe your pet, a common hack for most dog and cat owners is to keep a towel or two handy by the door or in the car to help remove some of the mud from any mucky paws before they traipse across the carpet again.

Invest in a pet hair vacuum cleaner

Whilst most vacuum cleaners will do the job just fine, pet-specific vacuums have been designed to pick up pet hair without getting tangled and clogged up, and often have special attachments for cleaning different surfaces. If you’re on the lookout for a new vacuum, definitely keep this in mind for the ultimate fur-free home! However, there are also several household items that can be used to pick up stubborn pet hair such as a lint roller. Rubber gloves can also do the trick - simply get them wet and rub your hand along the surfaces you need to de-hair – you’ll be amazed at how much fur comes away!  Finally, a window squeegee might not come to mind, but these can be the perfect tool for lifting hair off textiles, so get creative with it! With new automated vacuum cleaners now available too, you might want to invest in one of these nifty gadgets to help keep on top of the fur but, we’d advise that if you have a puppy or kitten, you wait until they are fully house trained before you buy one. You may have seen some of the videos on social media of how wrong this can go when the vacuum cleaner meets an unwanted parcel on the floor…

Make sure your cleaning products are pet-friendly

Cleaning products need to be used carefully, as they can be dangerous not only for humans but for our pets too! Some products in particular can be highly toxic for pets and cause serious health issues. Where possible, ensure that you opt for ‘pet friendly’ cleaning products and keep them out of sight and reach of pets. Take extra caution regarding any toxic solutions you may use. For example, after cleaning the toilet make sure the seat is down and all doors are closed so pets aren’t able to access any areas where bleach may have been used. To avoid any excess cleaning product harming your pets, wipe up any spillages as soon as they happen and always make sure all floors and surfaces are completely dry before allowing them to walk on them.

Create pet-free zones

Whilst some pet parents will want their pet to have access to the whole house (they are a part of the family after all) - if you want to keep a space super clean, perhaps in the run-up to having friends round, you could simply use baby gates or similar to ensure that your pets are only able to access certain areas in the home.

Keeping your home smelling fresh

Over winter, when it’s wet and cold outside, it’s more difficult to keep the home feeling and smelling fresh but with the warmer weather arriving keeping pet odours at bay becomes a lot easier. Regularly airing your home by leaving windows open and allowing fresh air to circulate, is a free and easy way to reduce any doggy or kitty smells. If getting enough air to circulate your home is a challenge though, keeping things clean will also help stop smells from lingering, especially when it comes to soft furnishings and upholstery.