You can definitely tell the weather is warming up around here, because Lucy is totally shedding. If this were a farm, and she was losing her winter coat, that would be one thing, but she’s shedding All.Over.The.House. The HH bought Lucy a new brush, shampoo, and treats to help manage this hairy situation {ha!} and I know he secretly must really like her, although he would probably deny it in public.
I have actually called all of my friends and neighbors telling them not to wear black to my house, for fear they will leave visibly covered in dog hair. I’m sure you already know, but all I wear is black–so we have a real situation on our hands. I looked up a couple of ways to control the shedding, turns out you can’t really stop it, but there are a couple of ways to minimize it’s effects:
- Brush your dog regularly, with a brush that is designed to deal with shedding. That’s easy enough. I think I’ll take Lucy onto the back patio and give her a daily brush to remove excess hair. She’ll probably love it anyway. Or better yet, maybe I’ll talk Andy the Plant Whisperer into doing it for me.
- Make sure your dog is not having an allergic reaction to something outside or their food. {I’m pretty sure this is not the case with Lucy, but I thought it was worth mentioning.}
- Provide a fatty acid supplement. Bonus: it improves the shine and look of their coat as well.
- Vacuum frequently. I know, duh! But staying on top of the situation is key.
- Keep a lint roller close to their bedding. It’s easier to deal with the hair when it’s newly shed than after it has had a chance to work its way down into the fabric.
- Put a blanket down in the the back of the car if your dog rides in the car. It’s easier to shake the blanket out and wash it than it is to obsessively vacuum your car.
- Give your dog occasional baths using a soothing doggie wash. It helps remove excess hair and soothes their skin, if it is irritated.
- That old saying, “you are what you eat” applies to dogs too. Make sure to give them a highly digestible protein. Healthy Treats that encourage your dog to sit still while you groom them are super helpful.
- If money is not really a concern, take your pet to the groomers. They can give your pet a summer do that helps to minimize the effects of shedding.
- If shedding lasts longer than 2 weeks, it’s probably time to head to the vet. Occasionally, shedding is an indication something is medically wrong with your pet.
How do you control your pet’s shedding this time of year?
~Mavis
Beth says
I have a german shepherd-officially the hairiest dogs on earth! I brush her fairly often and vacuum alot- especially my wood floors. I also wear alot of black and I tell people that dog hair is an accessory!
chrism says
Ha!I know. I’ve got a German Shepherd mix and wow. They shed enough to make a whole new dog, lol.
Madam Chow says
I have three long haired dogs. We always have tumbleweeds rolling around no matter how much I vacuum and brush! When I go out, people ask me if I have cats because I am covered in hair.
Kenzi says
Beth, your accessory comment made my day! lol
Beth says
Thanks- I have said that for years…one of my friends picks hair off my shirt whenever she sees me- she can’t stand it…but I told her a long time ago that pet hair is a losing battle at my house so I accessorize with it! At least the german shepherd hair goes with my black clothing!
Sarah says
Hahahaha, a couple of weeks. OK. My 3 shed constantly (it is not medical), some times of the year are worse than others but I pretty much have a constant layer of fur in my house and on my clothing. I decided a long time ago that I like my dogs more than I like my furniture and just move on with life 🙂
Sakura says
I have a shiba inu that has the double coat so she sheds a lot at the beginning of every season change. I take her to the groomers to get most of it out. My chihuahua sheds because the wind is blowing, the birds are singing, you name it. That dog loses hair when she’s nervous which is all the time. I agree with the vacuum and the lint roller, 2 must haves in my house.
Ariel says
I have a pug and I hate to tell you but they shed CONSTANTLY! My understanding is puggles do as well :/ I’m wearing some Daisy on my black cardigan right now HA. I would suggest picking up lint rollers at Costco like we did 😉
Beth B. says
The “furminator” brush (for dogs or cats) is amazing. It works better than any other pet brush I’ve tried.
Beth says
I totally agree with you- I have one and I love it but my GSD doesn’t enjoy being groomed so I don’t get to use it for very long before she is done with it. My son has 3 pitties- they love being groomed and of course they have short hair and it takes almost no time to groom them.
darlene says
My sister’s pug sheds ALL THE TIME!
Amanda says
We give all of our dogs fish oil capsules once a day for a smooth healthy coat and good skin. They love them and it seems to help with the shedding some.
suzanne says
We have always and will always have critters. I change into newer/nicer clothes before heading out even if it’s just to the market. I change back into my older “home” clothes when I get back. Takes all of 30 seconds. It saves wear and tear and the new stuff and I still look nice around the house for the HH in my retired “public” clothing.
Heidi says
For some reason I thought Puggles didn’t shed? I guess I was wrong.
We have a bulldog that sheds so much I’ve always wondered why she’s not naked by now??? Well over the past six months or so we’ve been letting her eat over easy eggs in the morning and I believe it has helped. Her shedding has greatly reduced and her coat is much healthier looking. It’s worth a try since you have access to fresh eggs. I’m certain it’s the fats/protein in the eggs that is helping her.
Becky says
LMBO on number 10. My dogs shed ALL the time. We researched pugs before getting ours & one of the lines that has proven to be most true is, ‘even your friends cars will have pug hair’. Pugs shed a lot! My other is a lab & he sheds constantly also.
Crystal says
Taking the dog to a self grooming shop that has a force-air dryer you can use helps a ton. The powerful dryer basically blows out any hair loosened but not gotten rid of during the pre bath brushing and the bath itself. It is amazing for heavy shedding. Not to mention that it is well worth it to pay for a self grooming place than to have to clean the bathroom after giving the dog a bath yourself, especially if heavy shedding is on the table!
HollyG says
I’ve got to say I think we’ve got even Beth’s furry Shepard beat for the title of Hairiest Dog on Earth. We had two Maremma Sheepdogs (sadly we’ve lost one). They weigh about 100 pounds and have a long white double coat which they “blow” in the spring (they’re similar to a Great Pyrenees). The undercoat felts if you don’t brush it out. An average brushing session is about 30 minutes to cover 1/4 of a dog and we get about 2 paper grocery bags of hair off of them during each session. It’s all worth it though to see those giant, fluffy, fur-balls running around the orchard; they’re so proud of themselves when they’re pretty.
chrism says
Wow!
Helen in Meridian says
Maybe you could trade Andy the plant whisperer dog fur for his “rug” hair style.
Mavis says
Ha Ha! That is funny. 😉
yas says
I have a malamute (100lb dog)… they blow their coat twice a year, and shed a little the rest of the time. My dog is a family pet, so she’s wherever we are (currently napping on the generously-haired sofa). And being a malamute, she sheds a ton – as bad as the other folks with big double-coated breeds have already posted. It takes several weeks from when she starts a big shed – every couple days we comb a dachshund off her. (The little birds love the fluff, and as soon as I leave the yard they swoop in and steal it all.)
Just resign yourself to lots of brushing, baths as frequently as reasonable for you/your dog, and finding out who among your friends has pet hair issues… lol. The stuff just gets everywhere and unless you have hard-surface floors and leather-type furniture, it’s just about impossible to get the house clean enough that company won’t leave with a dust bunny. Lint rollers in the house, lint rollers in the car (because inevitably, between the lint roller indoors and your car door, you will get more dog hair on you). And keep up with the vacuuming – it will take the same amount of time whether you do it daily or spend half a day once a week, but if you do it daily it minimizes your odds of drinking dog hair in your morning coffee.
KC says
We have a blonde golden retriever who sheds all year. Some of his fur is as much as 10 inches long (I measured). And while he LOVES being brushed (I think it’s like getting a massage), he also likes being vacuumed! We use a brush attachment and vacuum away! And, yes, it does work!
Laura Reinhart says
Pugs shed….A LOT. I have a brother and sister pair, Frankie and Lily and I vacuum daily with a Dyson Animal vacuum. That looks funny typed but it really is made to deal with pet hair. We also use a shedding tool-it is a metal comb with two different sized “teeth” on either side. We take the pugs outside and use the shedding tool and get huge fluffy clouds of pug hair. Frankie and Lily shed year round but they blow their coats big time when the weather heats up. We belong to a pug meetup group here in western New York and i know of some owners who shave their dogs when they blow their coats 🙁
Pug hugs from Frank and Lil
Cathy says
I have found no way to completely control it. We feed a high quality food, but there is no way I’m going to brush 2 dogs and 4 cats daily. We have over the years transitioned to no carpet, though, so I sweep daily and vacuum here and there. And almost never wear black, lol.