Shedding season, on one page.

1. When the heavy weeks come

Many dogs with a double coat (huskies, shepherds, retrievers, corgis and plenty of mixes) drop much more fur for a few weeks in spring and again in autumn, as the days get longer or shorter. Plenty of cats do the same. Pets that live indoors under steady light often shed a little all year instead. Single-coated dogs (poodles, many terriers) lose less hair onto the floor, but still need brushing.

2. Brush often, and briefly

• In the heavy weeks, a few minutes most days does more than one long session at the weekend. Stop while your pet is still calm, not when they start to wriggle.
• Brush a dry coat, in the direction the hair grows. Work in sections: back, sides, chest, then the tail.
• Use light strokes with a slicker: the pins should glide through the coat, not press into the skin. Go gently over the belly, the legs and around the face.
• Empty the brush often. A slicker full of fur stops picking more up.
• Brush outside, or over a towel you can shake out, so the fur leaves with you instead of settling on the floor.

3. Bath days

• Brush first, then bathe: loose fur comes out more easily from a dry coat than from a wet one.
• Lukewarm water, a shampoo made for pets (the one you already use), and rinse until the water runs clear.
• Dry thoroughly with a towel, then brush once more when the coat is fully dry.
• Most dogs don't need a bath more than every few weeks, and many cats never need one at home. If you're unsure what suits your pet's coat, ask your groomer or your vet.

4. The fur that already landed

• Do the sofa, the car seat and your coat after brushing, not before.
• A mesh or rubber mitt, rubbed in one direction, gathers fur into a strip you can pick off. A slightly damp rubber glove works too.
• In the heavy weeks, wash your pet's bedding and the throw on the sofa once a week, and vacuum after the brushing session rather than before it.

5. What brushing won't do

Brushing doesn't stop a pet from shedding: the fur that is ready to come out will come out. What changes is where it ends up: on the brush and in the bin, instead of on the sofa. If you notice bare patches, sores or a sudden change in the coat, that's one for your vet, not for a brush.

What we sell for this

Shedding Season Kit, $39.99: A self-cleaning slicker brush, a silicone bath brush with a shampoo chamber and 3 fur-pickup mitts. Brush the loose fur out, bath time, then the fur on the sofa.
Fur-Pickup Mitts, 3-Pack, $19.99: Three mesh mitts. Rub one in one direction over a sofa, a car seat or your coat and the fur gathers on the mesh.