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First of all, let’s make this clear. Pugs DO shed… a lot. That’s the question I get asked the most when people see that I own a pug. The short hair on a pug can fool you. There are certain times of the year that pugs shed more than others, but they shed constantly. Fawn pugs have two layers of fur, black pugs only have one layer, but black pugs shed too… almost as much as the fawn pugs.
So… what can you do to control the shedding?
Here are a few suggestions:
** Brush your pug daily. Pugs love to be brushed and they need it… to remove the loose hair from their coat. I use a furminator brush that I bought from Petco. It works great. It doesn’t pull my pug’s hair and it removes the loose hair. After using the furminator, I always brush her with a regular dog brush. Don’t hurry this process. When I brush my pug, I usually spend about 15 minutes. Molly enjoys the brushing and it thins out her coat. I would recommend doing it outside though or on a towel or a rug.
**A weekly bath helps with shedding. This is a controversial issue because some vets recommend bathing a dog only once a month. I talked this over with Molly’s vet and she said it would not hurt to bathe her weekly… so that’s what I do. I use a oatmeal shampoo, which is really mild. I worry about her skin getting too dry so after bathing her, I spray a dog aloe vera spray on her coat, then I brush it in good. The weekly bath does help dramatically with shedding.
** Another little secret I do with my pug is: I dry my pug with a blow dryer when I am done bathing him/her. Blow drying seems to help get rid of the loose hairs that are in your pug’s coat. I blow dry for a few minutes, then brush, and repeat this process until the pug’s coat is dry.
** Another important point to help reduce shedding is to make sure you feed your pug a high-quality diet. Look for a dog food who lists meat as the primary ingredient. Dog foods that are made primarily with meat are more easily digested so they promote good overall health and help with shedding and dry skin.
**Add olive oil or flaxseed to your dog’s food (1 tsp. for 10 pounds of body weight) or feed them small amounts of salmon or tuna. These foods contain omega 3-fatty acids that will help with improve the overall coat texture of your dog. Improving the overall health of your pug’s coat will help reduce shedding a little.
** Try feeding your pug apple or banana slices every few days. My vet recommended this and said that these fruits are both moisture rich foods that help with hydration. The fruits have healthy nutrients in them that will help with overall health of your pug’s coat too. I started feeding Molly a few apple slices daily and it has seemed to help- she doesn’t shed near as much as she used too.
**My last suggestion is to buy a good quality vacuum cleaner… and use it daily. It doesn’t take long to run a vacuum over your floor if you do it once a day. I don’t hardly notice the dog hair as long as I vacuum often. Also, keep a brush handy with the sticky paper on it to brush your clothes off before wearing them. I love black sweaters and have a lot of them and they seem to show the dog hair more than any other color. The sticky brushes are not expensive and it’s an easy fix.
Until next time,
Candy
