Hint: If your dog's coat is turning your couch into a fur magnet, you’ll want to read this.
Although often confused, grooming and deshedding are distinct services — each serving a unique purpose in maintaining a dog’s health and coat condition. While grooming ensures hygiene and aesthetic maintenance, deshedding targets one issue in particular: excessive fur loss caused by seasonal or genetic shedding patterns.
Understanding the difference between the two helps dog owners make more informed decisions and provide tailored care, especially for breeds with double coats or dense fur.
Grooming: A complete hygiene routine
Grooming refers to a full-service care session focused on hygiene, cleanliness, coat health, and overall well-being.
A professional grooming session typically includes:
- Two baths with skin-sensitive shampoo
- Blow drying and thorough brushing
- Nail trimming and ear cleaning
- Paw pad shaving and sanitary trims
- Breed-specific or owner-preferred haircuts
- Finishing touches like cologne, bows, or bandanas
Regular grooming helps prevent matting, skin irritation, infections, and unnoticed injuries. It also enhances the dog’s appearance and comfort, while promoting skin and coat health.
Recommended for: All breeds, especially those requiring routine trims or with long, curly, or tangle-prone fur.
Deshedding: Targeted coat management
Deshedding is a focused process designed to remove loose, dead undercoat hairs that naturally shed — particularly during seasonal transitions.
Deshedding typically involves:
- High-velocity drying to lift dead hair from the coat
- Professional tools such as undercoat rakes or deshedding combs
- Deshedding shampoos and conditioners to loosen follicles
- Final brushing to remove remaining debris
This treatment reduces shedding around the home, improves coat texture, and allows better skin ventilation — especially important in warmer climates like Florida.
Recommended for: Double-coated and heavy-shedding breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, German Shepherds, and Akitas.
Do dogs need both grooming and deshedding?
Yes, and combining both often yields the healthiest results.
Grooming provides foundational hygiene and appearance care, while deshedding is a complementary service that removes the buildup of undercoat fur. Deshedding treatments are especially useful during spring and fall, when many breeds experience coat blowouts. Think of grooming as regular skincare, and deshedding as a deep exfoliation. Together, they protect the coat, prevent discomfort, and minimize allergens in the home.
