Smylinacha
Connecticut
MH
Posts:1208
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| 04/10/2011 6:50 PM |
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It's gotten warmer out, days are longer and he's outside either being walked, biked or out on his run. For the last 3 or 4 days he has been shedding A LOT. Hubby says "it's that time of year". I won't let him sleep on the bed it's so bad. It's everywhere. He seems normal and happy but just shedding like crazy. I keep bushing him with a rubber mitt and his soft bristle brush and it just keeps coming out  . How long will it take until he reaches his summer coat? |
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escampbell
MH
Posts:213
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| 04/10/2011 7:42 PM |
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I feel your pain. My 10-year old boy is a brightly ticked liver and white and he sheds like crazy! His coloring is very similar to your dog. He has a very thick coat, as does his mother. But he sheds far more than her. Sorry, but a few days is not nearly long enough. Think a couple of weeks to a month... it depends upon how aggressive you are.
Give him a good bath and purchase a zoom groom (soft rubber curry brush) and while he is being bathed, curry him like mad. Soap and rinse at least twice. This will really encourage the winter coat to come out. You should have a couple of handfuls of wet hair when done.
And purchase a Furminator (that's the brand name) and use it daily. A rubber mitt and soft bristle brush do not get to that undercoat and pull it out. You will be overjoyed (stunned?) by the amount of hair the Furminator gets out.
Hope this helps. IMO, Shorthairs vary enormously in the amount of coat they have and in the amount they shed. We had a very cold winter!
I am about to bathe my boy. He sleeps in a crate at night, but otherwise, I cover everything with throws and sweep my hardwood floors often!
Eleanor in nearby North Jersey
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Eleanor Campbell
New Jersey
Sydney, Presto, Price, Ozma and Soleil |
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JMSGunner
Bucks County, PA
MH
Posts:785
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| 04/11/2011 5:09 AM |
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Yep, I was going to say bath too. Gunner sheds significantly less after a good bath. He's been getting one once a week or so though (with a non-soap oatmeal shampoo) because it's been so muddy and he really likes fox poop. HA  |
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Jackie & Gunner
Impressive Gewehr von Catskill 4/19/2010
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4452
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| 04/11/2011 5:20 AM |
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I vacuum the floors every day. I change the bag about once a month,sometimes before - and that's only dog hair. The floors get washed twice a week - I'd do it more but I get lazy.
Dogs are work. |
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 04/11/2011 5:35 AM |
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| My 2 don't shed that bad....I am constantly sweeping or swiftering (wet and dry) my floors cuz of paw prints this time of year! |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 04/11/2011 5:38 AM |
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I hear ya Marcia. My husband spent the day vaccuming and cleaning floors on Saturday -- dogs went out about 5 minutes after he was done, and came back in with mud and grass on their paws. I told him he was crazy if he was going to clean up every time they come in since they are just going to keep tracking it in. It's a lot easier when they let us wipe their paws at the door ... but sometimes they forget  |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 04/11/2011 5:39 AM |
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| Mine are good about letting us wipe their feet but sometimes I don't think it looks like they need it and when the kids let them in and out they are lazy about it sometimes... |
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DesertRoseKennel
MH
Posts:1033
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| 04/11/2011 6:58 AM |
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If the shedding is that excessive and Windsor will tolerate it, you might try the vacuum. I haven't had to vacuum my GSPs (we live in AZ and they never really grow a thicker coat in the winter) but we had a border collie cross mutt years ago that was like a walking lint trap - threw hair EVERYWHERE. He was a trusting dog so over time, I taught him to lay down and let me vacuum him. He actually came to enjoy it. He would even let me stick his long tail into the wand attachment. Made clean up a whole lot easier.
Another idea...
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"Our dogs are bred to be champion hunters who sleep on the bed"
www.desertrosekennel.com |
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MainCreeksRemi
Wisconsin
MH
Posts:824
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| 04/11/2011 8:30 AM |
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I haven't noticed Remi shedding too bad yet, but the girls on the other hand are!
We do have a furminator.....but I'd be careful with how much you use it on a shorthair..the labs can handle it fine but they have a lot more protection from the amount of fur they have between the brush and their skin.
Bathing does help a ton though! Spring is one of the times we do give baths often b/c it helps so much with the shedding. |
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Loved by Kelley:
Remi (7/3/2010) GSP
Morgan (5/17/2008) Choco Lab
Nallah (8/6/2006) Black Lab |
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Smylinacha
Connecticut
MH
Posts:1208
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| 04/11/2011 1:14 PM |
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| I don't think I'll go the Furminator route. I think the dog would be bald because I remember trying to give my son haircuts when he was a toddler and he had bald patches - so I don't think it would work well with me. I do have one of those rubber mits that he likes, followed by a soft bristle brush but tonight he gets a bath! Last time he had one, and only time, he loved it. So I'll walk him when I get home tonight and then in the tub he goes and then a blow dry maybe. He HATES the vacuum cleaner and I don't even have to turn it on as he runs if he sees it being pulled out of the closet so that that wouldn't work. These hairs stick to EVERYTHING. |
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escampbell
MH
Posts:213
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| 04/12/2011 6:20 AM |
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Sorry, I am going to disagree. The furminator is a Godsend! I even use it on my young GSP, who has a much thinner coat. Of course, I exercise common sense and run it lightly over her, but those nifty metal teeth pull out lots of dead hair and undercoat.
Pre-furminator, I used a shedding blade. A rubber mitt and soft brush simply does not get the undercoat out. My 10-year old boy has a very thick, double coat.
I use one all summer long...love them. In the winter, it pulls nothing out at all. So, I know I am not ripping coat off, just getting out coat which is ready to shed.
And I sweep and vaccum a lot. |
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Eleanor Campbell
New Jersey
Sydney, Presto, Price, Ozma and Soleil |
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Nancy D
No. Lower MI - Gaylord Area
MH
Posts:849
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| 04/12/2011 6:23 AM |
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Has anyone tried a shedding blade. I use one on my dobe and am going to try it on Lucy. The one I have has fine teeth on one side and works great on short hair. The teeth are a little larger on the opposite side and does a good job on my lab/gsd mix. |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 04/12/2011 7:01 AM |
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I could be wrong but maybe you are confused on what the furminator is...it isn't like the flo-B
http://www.furminator.com/
I don't think they could go bald from this... |
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MainCreeksRemi
Wisconsin
MH
Posts:824
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| 04/12/2011 7:15 AM |
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I think it would be fine to use....I would just be very careful with it. (Furminator)
They make different styles and I'd be sure to use the one for short coats as described on their website. The one we have is for long coats and I could see it being damaging to their topcoat.
I haven't tried it yet but someone mentioned above the Zoom Groom. I have heard good things about it from friends.
http://www.petco.com/product/100491/KONG-Zoom-Groom-Brush.aspx
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Loved by Kelley:
Remi (7/3/2010) GSP
Morgan (5/17/2008) Choco Lab
Nallah (8/6/2006) Black Lab |
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escampbell
MH
Posts:213
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| 04/12/2011 5:43 PM |
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Shedding blades work well, too. You just need something that strips out the undercoat.
I followed my own advice today and bathed Price. The zoom groom removed tons of undercoat. I then dried him with towels and because it is cool and raining here, put his insulated coat on. A couple of hours later, I took him outside (between downpours) and the furminator got masses of hair out in just about 5 minutes. He is shedding so badly (as he does every Spring) that my young GSP, Soleil, had to substitute for him on my therapy dog visit to a local Alzheimer's home. His hair is literally falling out en masse. But no worries, he always has plenty left!
My house was so clean and hair fre this winter. Sigh... The Shelties are amused, I think, because people assume that they shed more! Nope.
Eleanor in NJ
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Eleanor Campbell
New Jersey
Sydney, Presto, Price, Ozma and Soleil |
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Smylinacha
Connecticut
MH
Posts:1208
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| 04/12/2011 7:39 PM |
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I'll look into one but I saw them online and they are pretty pricey! I brushed him and also gave him a bath last night - he's not shedding much today. Been brushing him every day. But then again I think the bath helped and it's only a matter of time before he starts up again, especially if it gets warmer out. It's pouring here too, cooled down and he's inside. We walked in the rain today but forget playing in the mud pit of a yard.
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escampbell
MH
Posts:213
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| 04/12/2011 9:01 PM |
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You can buy knock-offs or a shedding blade. I found a knock-off at a local pet supply store. I did eventually spring for the real Furminator, because I used a friend's and I loved the nice handle, cover for the blades, etc. But I used a shedding blade for years. They are still available and work well.
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Eleanor Campbell
New Jersey
Sydney, Presto, Price, Ozma and Soleil |
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Smylinacha
Connecticut
MH
Posts:1208
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| 04/14/2011 6:48 PM |
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| I think the bath really helped - he's not shedding like he was before but I know it's not the end of it so in my next travels I will check these things out. I've been brushing him every day and not much is coming out on the brush or the mitt like it was before. But it's definitely no fun trying to dress for work with dog hair everywhere, especially since I wear alot of black clothes! |
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Smylinacha
Connecticut
MH
Posts:1208
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| 04/15/2011 7:02 PM |
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| So tonight after our walk and some ball, I noticed Windsor was shedding alot again. I called my local pet store and asked if they had the furminator. They had a knock off made by Four Paws and she told me it was cheaper and she uses it on her Pit. So I went down and bought it - it was only $28. She said I could bring it back if it didn't work. OMG - this thing is awesome! I was nervous at first but combed him carefully and I was amazed at all the hair it took out - tons of it. So thanks for recommending this! So happy I got it. And he loved it. |
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escampbell
MH
Posts:213
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| 04/15/2011 7:42 PM |
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Aren't knock-offs great?
Isn't shedding awful? I do love winter in that I have no hair on the floor, and clean floors, thanks to the snow...now, my house is a daily battle with the fur falling from five dogs! |
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Eleanor Campbell
New Jersey
Sydney, Presto, Price, Ozma and Soleil |
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