[Shaggydog]

Even though my dog is only a pup,she sheds a lot. I hate to tell my wife that it's going to be worse by the time she hits adulthood.Hopefully,I haven't started a thread that has been issued in the past.I've been bathing her at least once a week,and brushing her every day.I'm afraid my wife will force me to put the dog outside for good because of the shedding. It's not nowhere near what it's going to be. Other than regular bathing and daily brushing,and vacum cleaning,is there anything else I can do to avoid heavy shedding?

 

[Love's_Sophie]

What breed is she? the shorter haired the dog, the more shedding, simply because the hair 'dies' quicker, and thus comes out more. That is something your wife may just have to get used to. You can keep a fairly decent handle on it, if you limit the places you allow the dog; such as making furniture off limits, and even certain rooms off limits, and having a few doggie beds that she can sprawl out in. Making sure she has her own crate (to ensure she's not 'everywhere') for when you leave, can minimize the hair that floats about too; you can also put her in a designated 'room' too; a tiled, or otherwise 'hard' floor will make cleaning 'her room' a breeze. Other than making sure she is on a decent quality food, brushing regularly, and routine house cleaning, there won't be much you can do about how much hair a dog will shed; it's just something that happens!

Investing in a shedding tool; furminators, or other 'shedding blades', deshedding rakes, ZoomGrooms, and other rubber curry brushes, work well, especially on short haired breeds, like Labs, and Shepards.

 

[AkiraleShiba]

I've read that good quality nutrition can help your dog shed less but I have no personal experience regarding this.

 

[echo8287]

Good nutrition does go a long ways towards a healthy coat. I recently read somewhere that 50%(not sure of this figure) of the protein a dog eats goes towards maintaining its fur or coat. I do know that I had a Dalmation that I had fed sub par food for awhile shedded a lot. When I found out about the food and changed her diet she shedded a lot less. I also gave her some fish oil tabs and that helped too. Later in her life she stayed inside more and that contributes to the shedding, because the temperture inside the house was constant year around. The dogs coat doesn't know when to thicken up for the winter or shed for the summer. David

 

[Shaggydog]

What breed is she? the shorter haired the dog, the more shedding, simply because the hair 'dies' quicker, and thus comes out more. That is something your wife may just have to get used to. You can keep a fairly decent handle on it, if you limit the places you allow the dog; such as making furniture off limits, and even certain rooms off limits, and having a few doggie beds that she can sprawl out in. Making sure she has her own crate (to ensure she's not 'everywhere') for when you leave, can minimize the hair that floats about too; you can also put her in a designated 'room' too; a tiled, or otherwise 'hard' floor will make cleaning 'her room' a breeze. Other than making sure she is on a decent quality food, brushing regularly, and routine house cleaning, there won't be much you can do about how much hair a dog will shed; it's just something that happens!
Investing in a shedding tool; furminators, or other 'shedding blades', deshedding rakes, ZoomGrooms, and other rubber curry brushes, work well, especially on short haired breeds, like Labs, and Shepards.

I have a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retrevier mix. She is four months old and I feed her Nutro Max puppy food.Our house is a three bedroom,but we limit her to the living and dining room only,when she isn't outside.I feed her Nutro Max because I think it's the best deal for my budget.I've heard about adding eggs and vegetables to the diet as well.Thanks for the comments.

 

[midge0413]

i would either get a good rake or get the furmianter. we use them at work with the low shed treatment and it cuts shedding down by like 90% when used correctly. and you don't have to do it all the time is the good thing.

 

[Graco22]

The Furminator isn't going to do a whole lot for you on a longer coat. They work best on labs, huskies, etc..short to medium coats..Your mix is probably going to be pretty well coated.. I would get her on a higher quality food. Nutro is ok, but not top quality. Try Nature's Variety, Taste of the Wild, etc. just watch the protein level for her...being a large breed, you don't want a really high protein and calcium level. Talk to a knowledgable rep at a specialty pet store. And get her professionally groomed, NOW. She (and you and your wife) are going to benefit from having her groomed professionally for years to come. We have products and equipment that can get most of the shedding coat out and make it last at least a few weeks or a month. Get her used to it now while she's young. If it comes down to making her be an outside dog or not, you could always have her clipped shorter. That won't stop the shedding, but will make the hairs shorter and not as noticable as the tumbleweeds you are seeing now.

 

[aero4ever]

Two of my dogs shed a lot! I find hair everywhere and will no longer cook anything to take somewhere just in case. They're brushed regularyly and I use the Ferminator when weather gets warmer, but would suggest using it outside, I could knit sweaters with what can come off them. I also give them a good scratching all along their body to help remove hair. They love that more than brushing!