Shedding season: a 10-minute grooming routine that keeps fur off the sofa

You cannot stop a dog or cat from shedding. You can decide where the fur ends up: in a glove and a bin, or on the sofa and your black jeans. This routine takes about ten minutes and works for most short and medium coats.

Minute 0-4: loosen and collect

Start with a grooming glove. Stroke with the coat, the way you would pet them, using slightly more pressure than usual. The soft tips lift loose undercoat and it clings to the glove. Most pets read this as petting, which makes it the easiest tool to start with, especially for cats and nervous dogs.

Minute 4-7: detail work

Follow with a comb. A rounded-pin comb reaches through the top coat to the loose fur the glove missed, around the neck ruff, hindquarters and the base of the tail. Short strokes, and stop if you hit a snag rather than pulling through it. Mats need to be worked out with fingers or trimmed, never yanked.

Minute 7-10: the room

Now the sofa, the bed and your clothes. A washable adhesive lint roller handles fabric surfaces; rinse and air dry it so it is ready next time. Test any roller on a hidden spot of delicate fabric first.

How often

• Normal months: once a week keeps most coats under control.
• Spring and autumn: twice a week, or every other day for heavy shedders such as Labradors, Huskies and long-haired cats.

When shedding is not normal

Bald patches, red skin, a dull coat or shedding that comes on suddenly are reasons to talk to a vet, not to groom harder. Diet, parasites and stress all show up in the coat first.

After a bath or a rainy walk

Wet fur sheds more and smells worse. A hooded drying towel gets the worst of the water off before they shake it onto your walls.

Find the tools in the grooming collection.