Sharing your home with a furry companion is one of life’s greatest blessings, bringing mutual joy and health into your lives and ensuring you have a best friend to keep you company for years to come.

But dang, cleaning up those balls of hair your pooch leaves around the house can sometimes present quite a chore. So much so, that you end up finding loose dog hair in your morning coffee, your clothes (suits or pajamas, it doesn’t matter) and of course, all over your furniture and floors around the house.

While you can’t blame the pooch for going through a natural process that serves as a way for the dog to regulate its body temperature and keep itself healthy and clean, you do need to find a way to clean up after them efficiently and effectively on a daily basis.

Here is a simple yet effective guide to keeping pet hair under control:

1. Embrace daily grooming as a mutually-beneficial ritual

Now, before we delve into the subject of daily grooming, let’s first take a look at what constitutes healthy shedding, and when you should start to worry about the health of your furry compadre. How much your dog sheds will vary greatly based on the breed. Some dogs shed year-round, and others don’t shed at all, but regardless which breed you have, you need to be able to distinguish healthy shedding from fur loss.

Fur loss is not shedding, and it’s usually an indication that the pooch is sick. Typically, fur loss occurs on certain parts of the body, making it easily distinguishable from overall shedding. While you need to take your dog to the vet immediately in the case of fur loss.

When it comes to shedding you simply need to stick to regular grooming. What’s more, this doesn’t have to be a chore, but rather it can become a true relaxation session for you and the dog, and a kind of a bonding ritual that can benefit you both!

2. It helps if the pooch has its own special spot

Dogs (and cats, for that matter) are creatures of habit. They love their healthy routine, and they love having their spot in the house they can truly call their own.

While it sometimes might feel as if you have relinquished all authority of your domain, and that the dog has claimed every piece of furniture under the roof, in actuality they only recognize their puppy bed as their “property”. But numerous other benefits of having a dog bed notwithstanding, it can actually help you keep dog hair at bay.

Dog hair tends to stick to everything, and unlike your traditional furniture, modern Snooza dog beds, for example, are specially designed to be easy to wash, vacuum, and keep hair-free on a regular basis. In your case, this means that having a place in your home where your dog spends the majority of its time can help you keep loose hair from spreading throughout the household.

3. Focus on keeping your dog’s coat healthy

If you notice that your dog is shedding excessively, it might even be a sign of a hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition, or an allergic reaction. Remember that the food you choose for your dog will have a profound impact on its health and overall well-being. You want to choose your dog food based on numerous factors such as breed, age, weight, and climate.

If you notice that your dog is shedding excessively, it might even be a sign of a hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition, or an allergic reaction.

Remember that the food you choose for your dog will have a profound impact on its health and overall well-being. You want to choose your dog food based on numerous factors such as breed, age, weight, and climate.

That’s right, climate also plays a factor in what type of food your pooch should enjoy on a daily basis. For instance, here in Australia, nutritious Advance dog food is made with the country’s dry-and-warm climate in mind, with nutrients balanced in such a way to support the health of Aussie pets in these unique conditions. The same should be for your region, so make sure your dog eats the right food in order to maintain its overall health and improve their hair quality.

4. Ditch the rugs and vacuum daily

Rugs are a pet owner’s worst enemy, and if you haven’t rolled them up and put them in storage the moment you brought your new best friend home, now’s the time to do it.

Dog hair gets everywhere (in case you didn’t notice), and it especially loves penetrating deep into the fabric of the rug, making it almost impossible to vacuum or clean without pulling a muscle or at least spending two hours going back and forth with a fine-tooth comb.

The solution: stick to tile, hardwood, vinyl, and other smooth surfaces, and simply vacuum on a daily basis until the shedding period comes to an end.

5. Protect your furniture and set boundaries

Finally, when the shedding season is at its highest, it would be wise to set some boundaries and teach your dog that the furniture is off limits.

This will help keep things under control, but you still want to vacuum your furniture daily, and even protect it with washable slip covers. Don’t forget to use a lint roller on your clothes and furniture to get those remaining hairs out.

All in all, taking care of your pooch on a daily basis and keeping pet hair under control is not as difficult of a task as it might seem. By incorporating these simple solutions into your daily routine, you will have no problem minimizing dog hair build-up around your home.

Shopping for dog bed? Try Snooza