Shedding everywhere

You cannot stop a dog shedding. You can decide whether the hair comes out onto a brush or onto the sofa, and that is entirely a question of how often you brush and whether the tool suits the coat.

A slicker brush is the everyday tool for most coats: fine bent pins that pass through the top layer and lift out what has already come loose. A deshedding tool with a blade edge is for a double coat that is blowing, and it is the one tool here that does damage if you keep going after the loose undercoat is out. A rubber or silicone glove takes surface hair off a short smooth coat and is the gentlest thing on this page.

Never clip a double-coated breed to reduce shedding. The undercoat is insulation in both directions and it does not always grow back the same. Dog Grooming at Home matches coat type to tool properly.