Work on the layer that is actually shedding
The brush that suits a double-coated dog in shedding season is an undercoat rake, backed up by a slicker and a comb. What comes out in spring or autumn is the soft, dense undercoat, while the longer, coarser topcoat stays in place as the dog's weatherproofing. A rake with long, rotating or smooth teeth reaches through the topcoat and draws the loose undercoat out in sheets, whereas an ordinary brush mostly skims the guard hairs and leaves the shedding layer packed underneath, where it mats and blocks airflow to the skin.
A section-by-section shedding session
Brush in sections, parting the coat so the rake is working near the skin and drawing outward with the growth. Expect the heaviest release from the neck ruff, the chest, the sides over the ribs, and the thick trousers on the hind legs, and check behind the ears and at the base of the tail, where undercoat felts into mats. Follow each section with the slicker to clear the surface, then a comb to confirm nothing is packed down. During a heavy blow, sessions a few times a week, kept reasonably short, remove more coat with less protest from the dog than one marathon attempt.
What not to use, and why shaving is a mistake
Avoid cutting de-shedding blades used aggressively and never shave a double coat down to solve shedding. The topcoat insulates against heat as well as cold and shields the skin from sun, and a shaved double coat can regrow unevenly, sometimes with a changed, patchy texture, while the dog still sheds the undercoat, just in shorter pieces. Blade-style de-shedding tools used lightly and occasionally have their place for some coats, but heavy repeated use on one spot can break and thin the guard coat, so the rake-and-slicker combination remains the safer default for most double-coated breeds.
Bathing and drying as a shedding accelerator
A bath partway through the blow, after a first thorough rake-out, can loosen a surprising amount of remaining undercoat. Rinse meticulously, because shampoo left in a dense double coat irritates skin, then dry while brushing, ideally with forced air if you have access to it, which blows loose hair out of the coat as it dries. Never bathe a dog whose undercoat has already matted into felt and expect water to help; mats must be worked out first or carefully removed, since wetting them tightens them against the skin.
Living with the hair in the meantime
Shedding season is finite, usually a few weeks of heavy release, and managing the house helps owners stay patient with the dog. Brush outdoors or in one contained spot when weather allows, keep a lint roller strategy for clothing rather than chasing perfection, and wash the dog's bedding more often during the blow, since it collects the bulk of the shed hair. Puppies blowing their first adult coat and older dogs whose coats change with age may shed on a slightly different timetable, so follow the coat in front of you rather than the calendar.
When shedding is not just shedding
See your veterinarian if hair comes out in distinct bald patches, if the skin underneath is red, flaky in a new way, or smelly, or if heavy shedding arrives with weight change, lethargy, or increased thirst. Seasonal blowing is even across the body and leaves healthy skin and a growing new coat behind it; patchy loss with symptoms is a medical question wearing a grooming disguise.
Shedding season rewards steady, shared effort over heroic weekends, and KinsLe Care Teams lets you rota the rake-out sessions across the household until the double coat has finished its blow.