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Shedding

Pug Dog Shedding

And the Best Brushes and Tools to Use

Overview

Pugs are considered to be a heavy shedding breed, though, there can be a difference between black and fawn coats. The level of shedding will vary from moderate to severe (at times). Other factors come into play such as age (puppy vs adults) and season. But, one thing is clear, if you have a Pug you need to be prepared for what is involved in having a high-shedding dog that may leave hairs all around the house and have a coat full of dead hairs that need to be pulled out. 

This section will cover:

Why Pugs Shed So Much - The 3 elements that contribute to this breed being a heavy shedder. 
Elements that Can Affect a Pug's Level of Shedding - The aspects you have some control over and those that you don't. 
Tips to Help Manage a Pug's Shedding - The 4 things you can do to help control shedding and keep your house fur-free. 
The Best Brushes and Grooming Tools for Pugs - Top recommendations for quickly and easily pulling out as many dead hairs as possible. 
Brushing Tips - Some helpful tips to make each brushing session as productive as possible. 

Why Pugs Shed So Much

There are several reasons why Pugs shed so much:
  1. Most non-black Pug dogs (fawn, silver-fawn, apricot-fawn) and some black Pugs have double coats, a soft inner layer and a short outer layer. With double the coat, you have double the shedding compared to a single-coated breed. 
  2. A Pug’s coat (single or double) is very tightly-packed; it holds about 600 hairs per square inch, which can be compared to 100 to 200 hairs per square inch on some other breeds, such as the Yorkshire Terrier. So, again, the more hairs there are, the more shedding there is. 
  3. For all canines, the hairs on the coat go through a 3-step process: Growth, rest, and shed. For Pugs, this 3-step cycle moves more rapidly than with some other breeds. 

Elements that Can Affect a Pug's Level of Shedding

There are some factors that affect how much a Pug sheds; some you can control and others you can't:

Type of coat. If you have a black Pug, the coat may be a single layer that sheds moderately, but some do have the double coat. If you have a non-black Pug, chances are that it's a double layered coat that sheds heavily. 

The season. Though Pugs shed all year round, there can be a significant increase in both the autumn and the spring. While this seasonal shedding is somewhat dependent on temperature changes it is also triggered by changes in sunlight hours. When days start to become shorter in autumn, this triggers the body to shed some fur as a thicker winter coat grows in. When days start to become longer in the springtime, this sends a new trigger to the body to shed the winter coat.

Age. Young Pug puppies have minor shedding compared to their adult counterparts. Once a Pug reaches the 1 to 1.5 year mark, shedding will increase. 

Baths. Baths can trigger a Pug to shed due to the massaging process that frees loose hairs and the the cleansing agents in the shampoo breaking up natural body oil that was holding some of the dead hairs in the tightly packed coat. However, this is a good thing since it means you can be prepared for it. 

Heat cycle, for females. Un-spayed females that enter into heat cycles may have extreme shedding as the cycle is winding down. This is connected to fluctuating hormone levels. 

Tips to Help Manage a Pug's Shedding 

Sure, this breed can shed a lot, but this element is worth it to have such an adorable and loving canine family member. And, while there is nothing that will completely stop a Pug dog from shedding, there are lots of things you can do to keep shedding under control and keep things manageable. 
1. Routinely brush the coat to remove loose and dead hairs. 

When a Pug sheds, some hairs will fall to the floor and some will stay trapped in the coat. The more that you can pull from the coat, the fewer will find throughout your home, on your furniture, clung to your clothes, etc. And, for those hairs trapped down deep, they become encased in body oil, block skin pores, and start to get stinky if they are not removed. So, pulling these out will help keep a Pug's coat healthy and prevent bad odors
It is recommended to brush a Pug at least 3 times per week and as often as once a day. It is also best to go through the coat immediately before giving a bath and right afterward. 
2. Use a tool that goes deep enough into the thick coat. 

There are lots of types of brushes and grooming tools for dogs because there are lots of different types of canine coats. You'll want to avoid brushes that would just skim over a Pug's coat, like bristle brushes, and use a tool, brush, or grooming mitt that is designed to reach deep into thick coats and latch onto loose and dead hairs. Ahead, we will cover the Best Brushes and Grooming Tools for Pugs
3. Omega fatty acids supplements.

Poor coat quality that results in hair breakage can mean extra shedding. So, keeping your Pug's fur in excellent shape can help control shedding levels. For this, omega fatty acids is the type of supplement that can be very beneficial and additionally can promote healthy skin and help reduce any joint pain or inflammation. 
There are different types of omegas and the best combination for good skin and coat health is EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) fatty acids which are both derived from fish. Wild fish is preferred over farmed fish, since farmed fish are often fed vegetable oil-based pellets which can interfere with the levels of EPA and DHA. 
An excellent fish oil for Pugs is Zesty Paw's Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil which has no additives, is made in the USA, and comes in a handy pump that allows you to easily add this to meals. 
4. Control shedded fur in the house. 

The more loose hairs you find on your floors, furniture, and personal items, the more it will seem that your Pug is shedding. So, keeping these hairs in the house to a minimum plays a role in managing things. 

A tape lint roller can work very well for picking up hairs from clothes, fabric-covered furniture, bedding, and small rugs. 

For large areas of all types of flooring surfaces, a vacuum cleaner specifically designed to pull up pet hairs and trap dander like the Shark TruePet Vacuum for Carpet and Hard Floors can be very handy when having a breed like the Pug. This has a detachable 'pet tool' hand-held vacuum for getting smaller areas that fallen hairs can cling to like steps, chairs, and even window blinds. And, the HEPA filter and anti-allergen seal catches and traps 99.9% of pet dander as well as dust and other allergens like pollen.
It's best to go over any carpets or furniture with fabric coverings at least once a week since the longer hairs remain the deeper they will work themselves down into the fibers. 

The Best Brushes and Grooming Tools for Pugs 

A De-Shedding Tool
The Thunderpaws De-Shedding Tool works exceedingly well to pull out more hairs than you could even imagine were there. It reaches deep down through even super-thick and densely-packed fur. And it does this without doing any sort of damage to the top coat, which is important. This is made with stainless steel combs which are very durable. As an added plus, it's really comfortable to hold. Note that this is best for fawn Pugs (not black Pugs with single-layer coats). 
A Grooming Glove
The Delomo Pet Hair Remover Grooming Glove is an awesome grooming glove that is much more preferable than a brush and works incredibly on both fawn and black Pugs. There is nothing at all to hold. You just slip this pair of gloves onto your hands and go over your Pug's coat. The 250+ rubber tips are fantastic at reaching into a Pug's fur and latching onto tons of loose hairs. As an added plus, most dogs find this pleasurable since it feels like getting a friendly petting massage. If you're looking for both efficiency and ease-of-use, this is the best choice. 
As a Finishing Brush, a Bristle Brush
Once you've pulled out all of the loose hairs from your Pug's coat, you may wonder if there's something else you should be doing. While it is not mandatory, going over the coat with a quality bristle brush like the Chris Christensen Soft Tufted Boar Brush will create a 'finished' look and add shine. 
This sort of brush is also terrific for when you're looking to simply remove debris and touch up the coat without needing to de-shed your Pug. In addition, if you are using a leave-in spray like Nootie Daily Spritz to protect the integrity of the hairs, help the coat repel dirt, debris, urine splashes, allergens, and contact irritants, and keep the fur properly moisturized, use the bristle brush to distribute the product through the coat.

Brushing Tips

1. You may be wondering how long you need to brush a Pug for. Five minutes? Fifteen? Until there are no more loose hairs coming out? Quite honestly, if you went over the coat until zero loose hairs remained, you'd be brushing your Pug forever. So, the goal should be to set aside 10 to 15 minutes every 1 to 3 days to remove as much fur as you can in that session. If your Pug is relaxed and you want to continue for a bit longer, that's just fine. But never feel as if you have to keep going past that point. 
2. It's easy to focus on brushing just the flanks (sides) and back of a Pug, but going over the back of the head, neck, chest, legs and even the tail are important as well. This will help control heavy shedding, including how many hairs fall out around the house and how many are stuck in the coat. 
3. Whether you are using a de-shedding tool, grooming glove, or bristle brush, go in the direction of the fur growth, not against it. 

Excessive Fur Loss

Though Pugs shed a lot, normal shedding for this breed is never so much that the coat looks thinned out or as if it is missing spots of fur. So, if your Pug is shedding to this extent, this is considered abnormal and may be linked to any number of health issues. Possible reasons for excessive fur loss with Pugs includes mange, severe allergies, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, and alopecia X. Coat loss to this degree should be diagnosed by the veterinarian. 
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