Fluff Control
De-shedding Treatment
The undercoat treatment for heavy shedders. Less hair on your couch, and a healthier, cooler coat on your dog.
What The Treatment Actually Does
A de-shedding treatment targets one thing: the dead undercoat that is already loose in your dog's coat and on its way onto your floors.
- A bath with a shampoo and conditioner that helps release the undercoat
- A high velocity blow dry that lifts and drives out the loose coat
- A thorough rake and undercoat comb, working in sections down to the skin
- A full brush out to finish, plus nails and ears
It is not a haircut and it is not a shave. Nothing that is still doing a job gets removed. What comes out is the coat your dog has already shed but that is still trapped against the skin.
Why It Beats Brushing At Home
Home brushing is genuinely valuable and you should keep doing it. It also has a ceiling, and the ceiling is the undercoat.
Most brushes skim the outer coat. The dead undercoat sits underneath, packed close to the skin, and a slicker run over the top of a thick coat can leave it entirely untouched while feeling like it did something. That is why owners are shocked at how much comes out on the table after they have been brushing all week.
The high velocity dryer is the piece you cannot replicate at home. It pushes air through the coat at the skin, which loosens the dead layer so the rake can clear it. Bath, dry, rake, in that order, is what makes the difference.
Spring And Fall Are The Real Seasons
Double coated dogs blow their coat twice a year, hardest in spring as the winter undercoat goes and again in fall as the summer coat is replaced. Those two windows are when this treatment earns its money.
Around Healdsburg the spring blow tends to run into the start of the hot, dry stretch, which is exactly when owners of big double coated dogs start asking about shaving. Getting the dead undercoat out at that point is the answer to the same problem, and it does not carry any of the risk.
Through the summer, a coat carrying a layer of dead undercoat also traps heat and holds dust and grass seed against the skin. Clearing it means better airflow, fewer places for foxtails to lodge, and a coat you can actually see the skin through when you check for them.
It Is Not A Shave, And Here Is Why That Matters
De-shedding removes the loose undercoat and leaves the guard coat exactly where it belongs. That distinction is the whole point.
A double coat insulates against heat as well as cold and shields the skin from sun. Clipping into it removes both protections, and it can grow back patchy or coarse with the guard hairs never fully returning. There is no way to predict which dogs that happens to.
If you want the shape neatened as well, the right pairing is this treatment plus an outline trim. Cooler dog, tidy finish, coat intact.
Which Dogs Benefit Most
- Retriever and shepherd type coats
- Spitz breeds, including Pomeranians
- Huskies, Malamutes and other heavy northern coats
- Aussies, Border Collies and other working double coats
- Any dog whose shedding has taken over your house in spring or fall
Curly coated dogs like doodles and poodles do not have this kind of undercoat and do not need this treatment. They hold shed hair in the curl instead, which is a brushing and haircut problem: see full groom and bath and brush.
What It Costs And How Often
Price depends on the size of the dog and how much coat is coming out, which is mostly a question of season and how long it has been. Twice a year is the usual rhythm for a heavy shedder, with a bath and brush in between.
A $10 travel fee applies to all mobile services. Request an appointment and tell Alexis the breed and how bad the shedding has got.
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Rather just talk? Call or text (707) 608-4087
A $10 travel fee applies to all mobile services. Standing visits 1 to 2 times a week? Ask about recurring client discounts.
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