How to Reduce Shedding in Great Danes?
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Shedding in Great Danes is a major concern for the Dane parents. Particularly at 12 months, the shedding in Great Danes is excessive as it is the time a Great Dane blows off its puppy coat. It becomes more of a mess due to the gigantic size of the dog. Seeing Dane hairs everywhere even after brushing and regular cleaning makes the situation worse. Genuinely, the dogs shed less than dog breeds having double coats. Although, Great Dane dogs hold a single short coat. Yet some great Danes would shed more than others.
Great Dane shedding can be reduced by adopting raw diet to the dog food. Addition of oils namely, coconut oil, fish oil, flex oil can help a lot. The inclusion of supplements like omega 3, and vitamin E also helps reduce Great Dane shedding. Raw egg and fish can also help reduce Great Dane shedding. Beside dietary solutions regular brushing, once a week bathing would also reduce shedding in Great Danes.
Shedding in Great Danes:
The amount of shedding in canines and hair loss differs with breeds. The Great Dane breed’s shedding is not extreme. The shedding to some extent is natural in Great Dane dogs. For instance, the puppies and dogs shed excessively while blowing off puppy coat and seasonal coats. The frequency and shedding within a breeds might also vary. Suggesting, some Great Dane dogs shed more than other dogs including Danes as well
As long as your Great Dane dog is healthy its shedding is a natural process. Do not be sceptical if your dog does not suffer from any kind of skin or coat problems. You can help reduce shedding in your Great Dane by including raw food diet, some oils, into its its feed. Besides, daily or frequent brushing and bathing might also assist in reducing the amount of shedding in Great Danes.
How much do Great Danes shed?
Intrinsically Great Danes do not shed a lot. Although, the shedding in Great Danes might appear excessive due to the large size of the breed. As, the dogs are giants holding the behemoth existence. In other words, the amount of hair loss for Great Danes is naturally more than a small breed dog.
Great Dane Size and Shedding
Size:
huge
Weight:
Range for male Great Dane:100-120 lbs (54-90 kg)
Range for female Great Dane:99-110 lbs (45-59 kg)
Height:
Range for male Great Dane:30-34 inches (76-86 cm)
Range for female Great Dane:28-32 inches (71-81 cm)
In reality, the Great Dane shedding is not more than other dog breeds out there. The Great Danes shed around the year fairly. The shedding would get worse in the dogs during fall and spring. The other span of Great Dane shedding is when the puppy blows its puppy coat.
Natural process
Hair on your Great Dane’s coat also possess a certain life. Each hair has a four stepped life cycle before it sheds.
Anagen Phase : A baby hair which is in the active stage of growth.
Catagen Phase : The last growing phase
Telogen Phase : Growth is over. Dormancy
Exogen Phase : Shedding
In this way shedding in Great Danes take place naturally
How much do Great Danes shed?
Intrinsically Great Danes do not shed a lot. Although, the shedding in Great Danes might appear excessive due to the large size of the breed. As, the dogs are giants holding the behemoth existence. In other words, the amount of hair loss for Great Danes is naturally more than a small breed dog.
Great Danes do not shed a lot. Great Danes only shed twice a year.
Predominantly Great Danes shed twice a year. This once in six months cycle could be seen as never ending in some Great Danes. Otherwise the shedding in Great Danes is not excessive. The amount of shedding also differs from dog to dog. Some Great Danes shed more than other Danes. Mainly it is due to the difference in nature of the coat the Danes are wearing.
The shedding in Great Danes would increments during winter and spring. It is the time when the Great Dane sheds its seasonal coat. Whilst when a Great Dane puppy is blowing puppy coat shedding increases. Shedding in Great Dane puppies aggravates during 18-24 months. This is the season when a Great Dane puppy sheds its puppy coat.
Shedding in Great Dane puppies, when blowing their puppy coats, induces change of colour in pups. For instance, black Great Dane puppies bear orange hue while shedding. The span of Great Dane shedding due to blowing off its puppy coat could last for a month. Moreover, in some Danes this shedding could last longer.
Single Coat vs Double Coat Shedding and Grooming
Great Dane dogs hold fine and short single coat. Which means the grooming is easier as compared to the canine breeds having two layered fur. Naturally single coat can be maintained with little effort.
While, sprucing up a double coated dog entails more grooming and maintenance. Famous double coat dog breeds are;
Akita
Alaskan Husky
Shiba Inu
Siberian Husky
Australian Shepherd
Tips to Reduce Shedding in Great Danes
Great Dane shedding as mentioned could be due to natural causes. If your Great Dane is shedding naturally here are some tips to help reduce shedding;
Brushing
Brushing the dog’s coat is the most basic tip to reduce shedding in Great Danes. It is suggested to brush your Great Dane at least twice a week. This would also keep the loose hairs off its coat, hence reduce shedding in dogs. In addition to keep it shiny and glossy.
Particularly if your Great Dane dog is shedding a lot, which you might have figured out by now. Brush your Dane with zoom groom or sleekez daily.
To reduce excessive shedding in Great Danes brush your dog’s coat regularly even thrice or four times a week to keep its shedding under control. Moreover, some Great Dane parents brush their Danes daily to reduce shedding in their dogs.
Tips on brushing
Brushing outside is better viz-a-viz indoors. The Great Dane brushing means you would get a lot of hair out of your dog. Even though you are inclined towards cleaning. Nonetheless dog’s hair are unhygienic. As it could instigate respiratory issue in humans.
Even if you do not hold any allergies you might find it industrious to brush inside the house then clean all the mess.
The frequent the brushing the less the amount of hair. Shedding can be reduced visibly if you commit to brushing your Great Dane coat regularly.
Do not go too hard on your Great Dane when brushing. Harsh brushing might irritate the dog’s skin leading to skin problems. Which can also alleviate shedding in Great Danes.
Hold brush near its head and start sweeping downward.
Shampoo and conditioner
Afterwards brush the dog’s coat again. This would help in reducing shedding in dogs.
If you do not want to use brush during bath you might use a conditioner and shampoo for the purpose. First apply conditioner into the Great Dane coat and massage through the dog’s coat. Then rinse it off.
Second step is application of dog shampoo. Make it into leather then wash the shampoo off your dog. Your shedding Great Dane would leave behind almost all loose hairs in the bathtub.
Bathing
Shedding can be reduced in Great Danes if you bathe your dog. In addition to removing dirt from your Dane’s coat, it would get rid of extra loose hair.
Use a best, mild dog shampoo to bathe your Great Dane. Strong shampoos can aggravate shedding instead of reducing it. Your Great Dane’ shedding might become worse as a result of dandruff or dry rough skin. Anyhow never apply your shampoo on your dog, it can disturb the Dane coat’s acid base balance rendering the shedding even worse.
Coconut oils application would also help in reducing Great Dane shedding. You can apply coconut oil into the dog’s coat right after a bath. It would not only keep its coat moist but also give your Dane a pleasant smell.
Bathing and brushing together
Try brushing your dog while it is getting bathed. This is the most technique to reduce Great Dane shedding.
Brush thoroughly your Danes coat before bath with a zoom groom.
Then, give the dog a nice warm bath. Use of zoom groom during bath can reduce shedding considerably.
Kibble
Best dog foods contain omega, flex oil, and other food supplements. Such ingredients are consequential to keep the Great Dane coat shiny and reduce shedding.
Foods to Reduce Shedding in Great Danes
Great Dane diet is important to maintain health and fitness of the dog. Coat and skin of a dog can barely look presentable if you are not feeding a high quality dog food.
Addition of oils to reduce shedding in Great Danes
Moisture and oil can decrease the amount of hair loss in dogs. You can add oils in the diet of the Great Dane to reduce shedding. Besides, application of oil into the Danes coat also help a shedding Great Dane.
The oils to reduce shedding in Great Danes are:
Coconut oil
Fish oil (salmon oil)
Flex oil
At least once a day oil consumption is needed to reduce shedding. Kick off with the small quantity and gradually move towards higher levels. For instance, if you are feeding coconut oil in the Great Dane food to reduce shedding initiate with 1 teaspoon. Slowly increase the quantity of oil intake till you notice improvement.
Raw diet
Raw food diet is a natural food source for canines. Inclusion of raw food diet ameliorates skin and coat of the Great Dane. Besides all inclusive health and wellness of the dog.
In case your Great Dane dog is shedding heavily while on kibble, switch to raw food diet right away. There might be a chance that your Dane is allergic to some ingredients in dry dog food. The raw food diet reduces shedding albeit gradually. At least three weeks to one month can be taken to produce visible effects.
Causes Behind Great Dane Shedding
In addition to the aforementioned predominant shedding spans the excessive shedding could be due to other causes. Shedding in Great Danes could become worse if your dog is going through some medical conditions as well. If you notice anything peculiar in your Great Dane’s appearance and in particular its increased shedding except natural phenomenon. Take your Dane to the vet and get it thoroughly examined.
Supplements
Addition of supplements like Omega 3 is also targeted to reduce shedding in Great Danes. Omega 3 is easily available in the form of oils pills. You can either squeeze the oil pill and sprinkle the constituents on Great Dane’s food. Or add a whole pill to the Dane’s food.
Vitamin E supplements can also be fed to reduce shedding in Great Danes in the same way.
Why do Great Danes shed?
If your shedding Great Dane’s coat appears healthy without any roughness, dryness, or in extreme cases bald patches, then do not be dubious. But if any of the above mentioned changes in coat are visible then the causes of Great Dane shedding could be;
Allergies
Great Dane shedding could be instigated owing to allergies. There might be some plant that causes allergies to your Great Dane’s. For instance, Great Danes could be allergic to weeds or grasses. Whenever your Dane would come into contact with grass or weed, its shedding would get worse.
Other than plants some Great Dane dogs might be allergic to chemicals present in detergents, cleaners, etc.
Moreover, Shedding in Great Danes could be due to food allergies as well. For such dogs raw diet is a major shedding reducing solution.
Medical Conditions
Great Dane could be shedding excessively if it is on some particular vaccines or medicines. Including anti tick or mite products.
Great Dane going through recent surgeries, would also shed afterwards. The major cause of post surgery shedding in Great Danes is use of anaesthesia during medical procedure.
Shedding in female Great Danes could be related to its hormones. Spaying such Danes might alleviate shedding in the dog.
Medical conditions arising from thyroid can also prompt shedding in Great Danes.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy also causes shedding in Great Danes.
Mange
Great Danes could be shedding or losing hair due to mange as well. In this disease the affected dog undergoes excessive shedding due to a parasitic mite. The shedding in Great Danes suffering from mange is worse. As a result of shedding the dog shows various bald patches on its coat.
Stress
Great Dane shedding might be an indication that your dog is stressed. Relaxed dogs do not shed excessively.
Environmental
As broached above Great Dane shedding is mainly seasonal. At the onset of changed weather the Danes shed their coat. This shedding is the natural way to prepare for the upcoming climate.
Besides, Great Danes might shed due to living inside for longer stretches of time. As the air is conditioned continuously indoors, or when indoor heating system maintains temperature on the inside the Dane might start shedding. Anyhow the Great Dane living indoors is not able to decide on the weather accurately, hence it sheds excessively as the dog commence blowing off their coat.
Tips on house cleaning to reduce Great Dane hair
Shedding in Great Danes is a major concern for Great Dane parents. Generally shedding Great Danes are brushed regularly which means the house requires cleaning frequently.
Even though the Shedding dog is brushed outdoors yet the house holds a generous amount of dog’s hairs.
Therefore, it is recommended to vacuum the entire place at least thrice a week. If shedding in your Great Dane gets worse you might need to do cleaning every other day or even everyday.
If you are tired to see Great Dane hair all over the sofa then you might need to resort to removable covers.
Even your shedding Great Dane dog’s couch would be easier to wash if it has a removable cover. Once a week change covers and wash them.
Flooring would be easier to clean if it is hard viz-a-viz soft carpets. Cleaning hair of wooden floors or tiles is not that much difficult.
Does one colour coat sheds more than others?
That is definitely a no all Great Danes shed. Although in some Danes the shedding is to a greater degree and more apparent due to the colour of the coat.
For instance, white hair are predominantly more visible viz-a-viz black hair. Therefore it seems that white Great Dane is shedding more than black Dane.
Same goes with fawn coat colour. Besides coat colour. Furniture combinations also make some hair more prominent than others.
What else
Dandruff could also be a reason behind your Great Dane shedding. As dandruff is caused due to dryness. And the major contributor of this dryness is frequent bathing. Sometimes low quality dog shampoos might cause dandruff as well. Nonetheless, you can efficaciously control dandruff by using coconut oil in the dog’s food.
Note
Stubborn Dandruff can also mark some underlying cause. Therefore, visit the vet with you Great Dane dog if nothing helps.
Great Dane shedding is a natural process like in all other dog breeds. If your Great Dane is shedding a lot use a good tool to brush into the Danes coat. Which could be a rubber brush or a Furminator.
Besides brushing, bathing also helps reducing Great Dane shedding. You might get your Dane bathed at a groomer as well.
Irrespective of your effort and implementation of shedding reducing techniques, shedding in Great Dane would not reduce overnight. Sometimes it takes about a month or longer to notice a difference i.e. reduction in Great Dane shedding.
