De-shedding, explained
What is Shed Release?
If you own a Bernese or a golden on Cape Ann, spring means fur in the car, on the couch and in the coffee. Shed Release is the studio's answer. Here is what the treatment involves, which coats it suits, and when in the year it does the most good.
The short version
A $10 add-on that removes loose undercoat at the studio rather than at home
Dogs with a double coat carry a soft insulating undercoat beneath the longer guard hairs. Twice a year, and to a lesser degree all year, that undercoat lets go, and if it is not removed it drifts out over weeks. Shed Release speeds that up in one visit: a treatment worked into the coat in the tub, a high-velocity dryer that blows the loosened undercoat free, and a brush-out to catch the rest.
It is a $10 add-on, so it sits on top of the bath-only price ($55 to $95 by size) or the full-service price. It is not a shave, and it does not change the coat's length or look. What changes is what comes home with the dog: a great deal less of it, and for the following few weeks the sofa notices.
- Add-on to any bath or full service: $10
- Treatment in the bath, high-velocity dry, brush-out
- For double and heavy-shedding coats, not for doodles
- No cutting or shaving involved
How it works at Dogtown
Tub, dryer, brush, in that order and to the skin
Book a bath or full service online through MoeGo or in the Dogtown app and tick Shed Release as an add-on; grooming needs no evaluation. At check-in the groomer confirms the coat is right for it. In the tub the treatment is worked through the coat down to the skin and left to do its work before rinsing, which loosens the undercoat's grip.
The dryer is where most of the fur actually leaves. A high-velocity dryer run against the lie of the coat pushes the undercoat out in clouds, section by section, and on a big Bernese that stage alone takes a while. An undercoat rake and a slicker finish the job. The dog goes home with the same coat, lighter and brighter, and far less of it on your floor.
- 01
Book bath only or full service and add Shed Release ($10)
- 02
Check-in: the groomer confirms the coat suits the treatment
- 03
De-shedding treatment worked through the coat in the tub and rinsed
- 04
High-velocity dry against the coat to blow loose undercoat free
- 05
Undercoat rake and slicker brush-out to the skin
- 06
Rebook at pick-up for $5 off, timed to the next coat blow
Which dogs
Bernese, goldens, huskies, labs and Aussies, yes; doodles and poodles, no
Shed Release is for coats that shed. The double-coated dogs we see most, Bernese mountain dogs, golden retrievers, Australian shepherds and huskies, are the obvious candidates, and so are heavy single-coat shedders such as Labradors, German shepherds and pit bulls. If you find fur on your black jeans every morning, or the car seats never come clean, this is the add-on for your dog.
Curly and wool coats do not shed in the same way; the loose hair stays caught in the curl and turns into mats. A goldendoodle does not need Shed Release, it needs a haircut every 4 to 8 weeks and a brush to the skin between them. Wire-coated terriers and drop-coated dogs like shih tzus are also poor fits. If you are unsure, ask at booking and the groomer will tell you straight.
What it means for your dog
Cooler summers, faster drying after a swim and a healthier coat
A packed undercoat that has let go but not left holds heat and moisture against the skin. In July, on a Bernese who has been in the pool at daycare or on a boat out of Gloucester harbor, that damp sits for hours, which no groomer likes to see. Lifting the dead undercoat lets air reach the skin and the coat dry faster after every swim. That is the main welfare gain.
Puppies rarely need it before the adult coat comes in around a year old. Adults benefit most at the spring and fall coat blow. Seniors, who groom themselves less and carry more dead coat, benefit at any time of year, and the treatment is gentle enough for an old dog with a stiff back. Shaving a double coat to stop shedding is never the answer; Shed Release is.
- Puppies: usually not until the adult coat arrives
- Adults: at the spring and fall coat blow, more often if the house demands it
- Seniors: any time, as they carry more dead coat
The Cape Ann shedding calendar
April and September for the big blows, after every beach season for the rest
Double coats on the North Shore blow twice: through April and May as the winter coat lets go, and through September and October as the summer coat makes way. Book Shed Release with the groom in each of those windows and you catch most of the year's fur in two visits. A third visit in midsummer helps a dog who swims most days.
Beach season is the other trigger. Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, Good Harbor on even days and Wingaersheek on odd, so winter dogs come home salty and sandy, which pulls undercoat loose in clumps. Tick season, April to November, is another reason to keep the undercoat thin: a tick is easier to find in a raked coat. For Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Pup Van is $10 each way.
At Dogtown
Baths, de-shedding and the rest of the menu
Shed Release pairs with any bath or groom in the Gloucester studio, on its own visit or during a daycare day.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How long does Shed Release last?
Is Shed Release the same as a de-shedding shampoo I can buy?
Can Shed Release be added to a full-service groom?
Does Shed Release work on short-haired dogs like labs?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Leave the undercoat at the studio.
Add Shed Release ($10) to a bath or full service online or in the Dogtown app. Best booked in April and September.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
