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7 Dog Shedding Hacks To Keep Your Home Fur-Free

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Save Your Home With These Pet Hair Removal Tips

Pet Hair Remover
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Dog hair is everywhere! It’s part of sharing our homes with dogs, yet it drives most pet owners crazy. Stop dog shedding for good with these tried-and-true hacks that I’ve collected over the last 20 years as a dog trainer. Most are low cost, and some are even free!

1. Spray Carpet First

Dog hair loves to hide in carpet fibers, which becomes almost impossible to completely remove. About 20 years ago, an old-school dog show person told me about this trick. She shared her home with 10 Bouviers (100-lb. hairy dogs) and her home was immaculate. This is easily still one of my favorite dog shedding hacks because it works so well.

Dilute fabric softener with water, and then spray on carpet before vacuuming. Diluted fabric softener will loosen pet hair and prevent static cling to maximize the amount of dog hair your vacuum picks up. Plus, this diluted solution leaves carpet smelling fresh and feeling soft.

Mix 1 capful of fabric softener and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Lightly mist carpet and allow the carpet to dry before vacuuming. If you’re worried about spraying chemicals in your home, choose a chemical-free fabric softener, which you can find online or at most natural stores.

2. Use a Cover Sheet

When polled, most pet owners would love to share their beds with their dogs, but dislike having loose dog hair on their bedding. Give this old trick a try! Completely cover your comforter with a large, neural-colored flat bed sheet. Pull the sheet up to cover pillows, and ensure the flat sheet is large enough to cover your entire comforter for maximum protection. Some pet owners use neutral-colored fitted sheets when their dog wads up a flat sheet. Launder cover sheet weekly.

3. Vacuum Instead of Sweep

Sweeping will not remove all dog hair; it’s impossible. Instead, vacuum hard surfaces for maximum pet hair removal. Turn off your vacuum’s spinning brush to protect hardwood floors, and don’t forget to vacuum corners really well. Weekly vacuuming will prevent dog hair from floating around your home, and bi-weekly vacuuming will be needed during dog shedding season (spring and fall).

4. Remove Fur From Clothes

Super simple, environmentally friendly and free! Wet palms of your hand, then rub damp hands over hairy areas on your clothes. Just like using a lint brush, move hands in one direction, rinse off loose hair and continue until all hair is removed. Personally, I’ve used this trick after each private lesson client and when working as a vet tech. This dog shedding tip works wonderfully.

5. Change Your Air Filter Regularly

Everyone forgets to check their air filter until their AC repairman pulls out a fur-coated filter. Depending on your AC system’s needs, change monthly and choose HEPA filters if possible. Portable air filters keep dog dander and hair down to a minimum too.

6. Purchase a Car Seat Cover

Oh, cars can take a beating from dog hair. Cover your seats and flooring with car covers made for dogs. While it’s temping to cover car seats with old sheets, this type of thin fabric easily shifts when excited dogs pace around. Also, choose plastic floor covers to minimize vacuuming. They’re super easy to rinse after muddy car rides.

7. Brush Your Dog Daily

Hacks will keep dog hair off your furniture and car interior, but nothing stops dog shedding like brushing your dog daily. Throw loose hair away in your outdoor trash can to prevent hair from floating back into your home. Better yet, brush your dog in a shady part of your backyard. Birds use loose hair to build nests, and it prevents a hairy mess in your home. Choose the right deshedding tool for maximum hair removal.

How to Train Your Dog to Park It

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Train Your Dog to Stay

One dog training cue that I strongly encourage every dog owner to train his dog to know would be to “park.” In a nutshell, this behavior means to stay with me while I’m doing something else. You can use these behaviors when:

  • Talking to someone at the park
  • Having guests over
  • Dining outdoors
  • Paying at the pet store or vet’s office
  • Listening to instructions

VIDEO: Train Your Dog to Park

You can use the dog park behavior when your dog becomes overwhelmed by another barking dog or excited in a new situation. You are teaching him to bring his arousal level down. It’s like taking a yoga breath for your dog. Having him know the ability to remain poised and look to the dog owner for approval before chasing or barking is key to a safe and calm interaction with other dogs, people or animals.

When teaching hyperactive dogs to be calm, many folks ask them to sit still. This is tough, as they are learning how to manage their extra energy and excitement. I want to set you and your dog up for success and asking for a rock solid stay or wait is not fair so let’s ask for something easier, such as park.

Let’s look at it from a human perspective. Have you been with a friend who meets up with another friend and you are not part of the conversation? It’s awkward, but it happens. Now, what if your friend asked you to sit on a bench and wait until their conversation is over? You can not check your Facebook page or text messages, you just watch them. Wow, I could not do it! Same thing for your dog. Let him walk around and occupy his mind by sniffing around and looking around if he wants to (as long as he is not pulling on the leash). Voila! You’ve parked your dog!

Don’t get this behavior confused with wait, as you’re not asking your dog to sit or down in one spot. I think of wait as a pause button. You stay in that position until released. Stay means you are asking the dog to sit or lay down until you pick him up or call (releasing him from the cue) to come.

Why are there so many words in dog training for similar things?

We need to clear up any confusion for our dogs. If I asked you to turn, you will ask which way (left or right), in a circle, just my head or my entire body. Let’s make sure we communicate clearly to our pooches. I think they will appreciate it. 🙂

Just by teaching this simple behavior, you are teaching your dog:

  • Self control (teaching your hyper dog to relax)
  • Polite greetings to people (not to jump on people)
  • Polite leash manners (not pull on the leash)
  • How to ignore other dogs
  • To stay
  • Not to bark

How to train a dog to park:

  1. Step on your leash about halfway up to your dog. He should have 3-4 feet of extra leash.
  2. Click and treat your dog the instant the leash becomes loose. Example: Your dog is pulling to visit another dog. Wait until the leash becomes loose and click/treat!
  3. Bingo. You are rewarding calm and quiet behavior!

This is very easy to teach. Just make sure you practice this behavior 1-2 minutes per day. Also, this is the first behavior you practice in the park before a walk and when guests come over.

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Have a comment? Tell us how the “parking your dog” behavior can be useful for you in the section below!

More on parking your dog:
Learn How to Park Your Dog
How to Park Your Dog
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