Nearly all animals shed their coats. However, unwanted hair on the couch or in the car is one of the most frustrating aspects of being a pet owner. At Bar-King Dog Kennel in Keaau, Hawaii, the staff offers not only pet boarding but also dog grooming services.

One of the best ways to reduce the amount excessive shedding in dogs and cats is to keep your pet’s skin and hair healthy. Here are five tips for dealing with pet shedding from the grooming experts at Bar-King Dog Kennel.

• Feed Them A High-quality Diet: If you feed your dog the cheapest food in the store, it will reflect in their coat. Instead, choose foods with meat as the main ingredient. High-quality food with good digestible protein will help reduce shedding. Adding a few teaspoons of olive oil or flaxseed to your pet’s food will also help calm inflamed skin, reduce flaky dandruff, and improve your pet's coat texture.
• Keep Them Hydrated: Shedding is often the result of dehydration. One way to reduce shedding through nutrition is to make sure your dog or cat always has clean, fresh water available.

• Brush Their Coat: Brushing not only makes your pet’s coat look better, softer, and cleaner, but it is also the best way to reduce shedding because it removes loose fur. But make sure to use the right brush. The dog grooming experts at Bar-King Dog Kennel will help you find the right brush depending on your dog’s type of coat. Some dogs might even benefit from deshedding tools such as a rubber curry comb or an undercoat dematting rake.
• Give Them Baths: A clean dog is a healthy dog. When you give your dog regular baths, loose hair is more likely to go down the drain instead of all over your couch or car. Use an oatmeal shampoo to make sure you don’t dry your pet’s skin.
• Control Allergies & Fleas: Itching and scratching caused by fleas and allergies will only make shedding worse. To reduce excessive shedding, keep your dog free of fleas.

Routine dog grooming is one of the best ways to make sure your pet is healthy, and shedding is kept to a minimum. The pet grooming experts at Bar-King Dog Kennel offer bathing, brushing, nail trims, sanitary trims, ear cleaning, clipping, and styling. For more information about the dog grooming services at Bar-King Dog Kennel in Keaau, visit the website or call (808) 966-8733.