Posted on 02/02/2013 11:15:00 AM PST by heartwood
A Shepherd-Lab mix, she's blowing her undercoat. I brush her daily, vacuum and sweep daily, and she's confined to the family room and kitchen. But still the little hairs are floating everywhere. When I got the carving board out of the dishwasher and put it on the counter, there were hairs on it. Washed it and put the carrots on it - hairs. Wiped off the hairs, cut the carrots and put the celery on it - more hairs, and on, and on, and on...
The vacuum doesn't pick up most of the hairs - I am reduced to scraping the carpet with a shower squeegee - that works. An hour later it looks like I haven't vacuumed for a month.
Any suggestions as to dog brush, floor cleaning devices, what kind of furniture and flooring (for whatever distant future we make changes in) would be so much appreciated. We like having a dog - we will probably get a second at some point - twice the fun and twice the fur.
/johnny
Get a good vacuum cleaner and get used to using it alot.
There are some nutrition supplements that claim to help.
Just tell your guests that, if they don’t want doghair on their clothes, they should stay off the furniture.
Welcome to dog ownership. Brushing is important as is sweeping and vacumming. You might even try getting a Roomba to sweep up when you’re not around. But ultimately a little hair is one of the prices to pay for the love of a dog.
There is no help. Next time pick a dog that doesn’t shed.
Get a ‘Furminator’ at your local pet supply. Don’t weenie out because it’ll cost about $40.00. Buck up and pay the man. Go home and brush the mutt. You’ll be amazed and with routine brushing your shedding problems will be over.
I kid you not.
Welcome to the wonderful world of pet ownership. Brushing daily is the only way to keep things under control. There are special brushes for undercoats vs. outer. You will probably end up with at least three different brushes.
Hard wood floors are easier to clean but hard on the dog’s feet.
In another few months you will just pick the hair out of your food without even blinking. LOL!
You’ve got to lick the dog clean so the dog becomes used to being groomed by you.
Its a bonding thing.
I grew up with two huskys, and hair. Now have a coonhound. Much less og a problem.
Hair is part of the territory when owning a dog. Get a lint roller for yourself and keep it in your car.
HooWee!! You got troubles.
Your Lab is shedding winter coat in Feb? In NJ?
Better get an industrial vacuum. My Lab sheds like crazy here in Tx, but this is the ONE time of year I get some relief and he keeps that winter coat.
Stand by for summer!
Best wishes and regards
PS they love fish, it is great for their coat.
They still shed, but at least it will be soft shiny shedding LOL
Here you go: http://www.entirelypets.com/furminatorbrand.html
I can’t speak for everyone, but the love and companionship is well worth it. And, when they pass, it is like you lost a part of yourself.
You’ll never completely defeat it, so find ways to make peace. What color is the dog’s coat? Wear those colors, sofa in those colors, you get the picture, lol. A grooming mitt might help, the dog percieves it as affection and petting, while you get a lot of the loose fur gathered up before it falls.
LOL, that’s pretty much a given.
A beater bar vacuum will help, but be prepared to clean the bar frequently. Also, a fine tine comb,like a tick comb, is a good idea.
Don't think of it so much as an act of surrender, but more like joining the winning team.
Serioiusly though, if you're not brushing with an undercoat rake, you might want to get one. They are pretty cheap, look absolutely medieval, but go a long way to stripping out the undercoat.
I've also had very good results with a product called the "Furminator", although they tend to be a bit more expensive than a simple undercoat rake.
Take her out to the country and dump her off at a farm. Then go buy some sort of poodle or poodle mix. Don’t go yuck. Poodles are the most intelligent breed and without the prissy haircut they look just like a regular curly haired dog. And they don’t shed.
You’ve got the wrong breed of dog. I have a Pyrenees-Newfoundland mix that only sheds twice a year.
Once from January through June, and the second time between July and December.
(the wire brushes are pretty good at getting that fine undercoat stuff)
We have an Akita and she blows her coat twice a year for about 2 mos each time. She does not have free reign of the house so that keeps the hair contained to a certain extent. She generally stays in the family room on her huge dog bed or in my son’s room which has laminate flooring. I am just used to vacuuming 2 times a day in those areas. I did buy a cheap bagged vacuum that works great...a Hoover widepath tempo. I think it was around $80 but works better than my much more expensive vacuums. Oh and I trained her to only shake when she is outside LOL!!
Are the Huskies like Norweigen Elkhounds? They had an outer coat and an under coat. When the under coat shed it came out in big clumps.
This time around, we got a long haired German Shepherd. He doesn't shed like the other Shepherds we've had over the years. In fact, he barely sheds at all. No question, we're sticking with the long haireds from now on.
Ha. I cannot imagine this dog in the same room as a Roomba. Well, I can. Dead Roomba in short order.
BwaaHaaHaa!!!
BTW I love Newfies!
Get a short hair dog next time.
Be glad you don’t have a Siberian Husky. Beautiful, strong-willed, and infinite amounts of lighter-than-air undercoat hair.
Mr. Biscuit, aka Biscotti, Bisquick, or Mr. Wiggles THERAPY DOG (you have to say it in all caps) is our 14 pound short hair three legged dachshund. He barely has any hair and although he considers it to be very insulting, we do put a sweater on him to go out in winter weather. Actually, he has four legs but only uses three of them. He can’t seem to remember which of his hind legs doesn’t work. But he has a heart as big as any 80 pound dog I’ve ever met and a huge plus, he’s not a barker. Our cattle dog does shed and since he is black and white (1/4 border collie) it shows up on everything. But yes, my sister in law’s golden lab was the worst.
The bottom line is that Labs shed like crazy And then in spring they love to wallow in the mud and water.
Think about a mud room/den with smooth floors for easy clean up.
I am dreading spring LOL
Muddy paws everywhere LOL
My boy is currently OUTSIDE LOL and he is not allowed on furniture.
Dogs shed get used to it.....Sounds like your fed up already....maybe you should have done yer home work before making the dog miserable by being stuck out side or in the basement or garage or wherever else you decide is better for you.
Dogs shed get used to it.....Sounds like your fed up already....maybe you should have done yer home work before making the dog miserable by being stuck out side or in the basement or garage or wherever else you decide is better for you.
LOL! LOL!
like Johnny said, get used to it... you can NEVER win that one
Wearing rubber gloves can help scrape a lot of hair up from the sofa. I had a basenji, who would blow coat about twice a year. Not too bad compared to some other breeds. It was funny when he’d leave a “basenji-shaped” pile of fur on the spot where he was lying down.
I think one of them thar new fangled Labradoodles dont shed nether and I hear there good dogs
They love outside, when they aint inside.
LOL. I do that with my cat!
He loves it!
I used to vaccum my previous dog, Lola. I took the hose with a brush. First I brushed her with a dog brush, then followed with vaccuming her.
To get her used to the vacuuming. The first few times I got her used it , I had her sit outside on the back screen porch and began by singing an Aria from Opera very loudly.This distracted her enough that she got used to it.
( of course,the neighbors thought we were nuts..but then they weren’t cleaning my house!)ha.
First all dogs shed but the bother is worth a little trouble.
I have hairy dogs too and have owned lots of them (show dogs).
Tools - good stainless steel comb and high end brush (Christiansen)
Method - 1. bath the dog, this loosens the dead coat
2. towel dry as best you can. This might take 2 or 3 big towels.
3. brush the dog to get the coat loose enough to comb
4. comb the dog. nothing gets dead coat out like a comb.
5. Brush and comb the dog everyday until the coat finishes
shedding.
6. Keep the fed high quality food and given wormer
regularly. They shed less when you do.
What's a meal without a little dog hair in it?
Wash the dog regularly and get a rainbow vacuum.
Read the post - she’s not a miserable dog, she’s a happy dog, she’s in the house and she’s staying in the house with lots of love and attention even if she does shed.
Knowing that a dog sheds is not the same as having experience dealing with the shedding. And she didn’t shed much for the first two months - thought we’d got lucky on that, ha.
And you have a nice day too.
I see you've never owned a Border Collie.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.