My Dog’s Shedding Is Driving Me Crazy!
There she is...sprawled out on the couch without a care in the world.
Our lab Django is perfect. She is the ideal companion, protective and fun. And she is content just to be around us. Basically, she is everything we were looking for in a pet, except for one thing: her crazy shedding.
Part Labrador retriever (labs are awesome, after all) and part we’re not really sure, her fur is everywhere. My daughter found it in her cereal bowl this morning and yesterday while at a meeting, I pulled out a pen and found a piece of her jet black fur stuck between the pen base and the cap. There is a stray hair on top of one of my computer keys right now! Unfortunately, there is nowhere that I go that I don’t take a piece of Django with me.
Plus, I spend entirely too much time attempting to clean up her fur from every single part of our home and I’m honestly at a loss at the moment.
I’ve tried the standard advice: daily brushing and a balanced diet. I also vacuum and sweep daily and cover the bed and couches with a blanket (which get cleaned regularly). I gave her a bath a few days ago which only seemed to exacerbate her fur loss. I suspect it has more to do with the seasons than anything else. Thankfully she is healthy and is not suffering any kind fo medical problem. While the shedding is annoying, it’s not serious.
Still, nothing really seems to work. I know that as a general rule, labs shed a ton and I know that I will never make all of fur go away completely, but if there is some kind of magic tip (do those personal pet vacuums really work?) that you know about to combat a shedding problem, please leave your suggestions in the comments below.
In the meantime, I’ll be doing my (futile) morning clean sweeps.
Image: D. Sullivan
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I have a Siberian Husky.. SO talk about shedding! There’s hair everywhere at all times.. :S
Some things that I find that help (tho don’t solve the problem)…
The FurMinator.. Helps comb out his undercoat
Olive Oil/Omega oils added to his food
Daily brushing
Bathing wtih Furminator de-shedding shampoo and conditioner
And.. finally.. Lint brushes everywhere.. Even the dog gets lint brushed after a good brushing session.
Thanks Mrs. D, I hadn’t heard of the Furminator, but will check it out now. And never thought about lint brushing the pup! LOL
There’s also a brush that attaches to a vacuum if your dog isn’t afraid of it.
I give my dogs derm capsules, I get from the vet. Seems to help a little. I vacumn
twice a day. It’s like cat hair. Floats everywhere. It even invades the lamp shades.
I have a boxer (white boxer I might add) and she is perfect in every way. As you describe in your 1 st paragraph, she is everything we ever wanted in a pet. However, she sheds constantly. I have tried, brushing, bathing and now to the point of taking her the groomer and having her shaved!! I have her shaved at least once a month and it has cut down on shedding, but not completely stopped. I find fur on my keyboard, clothes, furniture, etc. I have vac to I thought I was going to loose my mind. I sweep constantly, and wipe the furniture down at least every two days. Like I said, I have her shaved not completely now, just to a little tiny bit fur on her. Even her head. That might be something else you can try. Lint brushes?? I am gonna try. That is a great idea!!