I never heard of that, but I do give my dogs 1 tsp of olive oil in their food to help with skin moisture..you dont get the flakes..and it makes their coat so much shinier. I can honestly say I dont know if it works for the shedding with my dogs, since they have always gotten it in their food. If you had seen my 18 wk old puppy when I first got her in Oct, with her duller than dull coat, and all her flakes..and then saw her now..no flakes, coat so shiny, you wouldnt believe it! But I will say that GSP's are supposed to shed ALOT, but she really doesn't. I do see hairs here and there, but not alot. So maybe it does work for that. There are no cons as far as I know, only pros. My vet knows I do it, and he has never said anything against it. My mother did it with her dogs all their lives, and they lived long lives. Her ESS died at 15, and her cock-a-poo at 14. I see nothing but good in it..I wouldnt do it otherwise.
Daniella

I have found one 1000mg capsule of salmon oil a day(much less expensive than fish oil)controls shedding and brightens the coat of our Rott/GSD mix. I just insert the capsule in his food.

Being a cat person, I can only speak from feline experience. When I adopted Odessa from the ASPCA, she was shedding and flaking like no cat I ever had. My vet said the condition was partially do to nerves...trying to adjust to a new environment. He put her on a regimen of "Dermcaps" and hi-quality canned food instead of dry food. It worked like a charm. She just doesn't shed anymore...and no more dandruff! Dermcaps are a 'balanced' (some fish and some vegetable oil) fatty acid supplement. But who knows, maybe olive oil works just as well...and is less expensive.

Adding fatty acids is a great supplement for skin and coat. Normally tho it will take 4-6 weeks to see an improvement

Lisa

Most high quality foods include sufficient fatty acids to make it unnecessary to add anything. When I switched my dogs from one food to another, I saw a dramatic improvement in their coats and skin. If your dog needs that kind of supplement to reduce shedding or flaky skin, it may be worth changing foods.

Olive oil will help with skin and coat but is a low source of omega 6, and it doesn't have any omega 3's. you'd be better off giving your dog a supplement that has more omega 3's ( such as 3V tabs) as these supply the nessasary 3's that are missing in most canine diets. Also most dogs get enough omega 6's but lack omega 3's and it's important to keep a certain ratio, therefore adding 3's is usually needed not adding 6's.