Dogs and winter usually mean a full hair coat that is thick and fluffy and usually less hair shedding in the house. You should notice your dog seems softer and may even look like he or she has gained a few pounds. Sometimes that may be the case and other times it may be a few pounds of additional hair.

One thing to be prepared for is the arrival of Spring which can only be a month or so away. When the weather starts to even creep in and send the thermometer up for a few days can cause havoc to your dog and his senses.

Once this happens be prepared with the proper equipment and you will not have to worry about excess hair in your house. As soon as you know the temperature will be changing start a grooming plan that you can implement on a daily basis.

For a long haired dog or one that seems to have accumulated a thick coat over the winter you will probably want a rake. These are wonderful for eliminating loose undercoat hair which is what you will have coming out of the winter months.

Every morning and evening when you take your dog outside to potty give him or her a quick 60 second brush with the rake before you go inside. This will start to remove any early hair loss and continue to remove hair as it begins to thin out.

When done daily you should find that the blowing of a coat is really not noticed and you should not see the huge clumps of hair and large immediate hair loss in your dog. It will probably eliminate some scratching associated with shedding hair loss as well.

Your dog will probably come to really enjoy this time as it feel really good.

Get more information on controlling dog shedding at http://www.fetching.us

Lesa Bolt is a contributor to dog shedding issues