[jswez11]

Our roommate has had a husky Labrador mix dog for about 3 years and he doesn't take care of her properly. There is constant white hair in every single room, all over furniture, it gets in our food, our clean laundry, our clean dishes, etc. The dog doesn't get walked but maybe two or 3 times a month. She also stinks.
1. How often should you bathe this breed?
2. How often should you brush this breed?
3. How often should you walk/exercise this breed?

 

[Lillith]

Sounds like you need a new roommate, but the hair thing is a pretty normal for that mix. They're notorious shedders.

Dogs really shouldn't be bathed more than once a month unless they get into something nasty. You can brush a husky or a lab every day and still have hair everywhere. They should have a good long walk or some sort of enrichment about every day.

There likely isn't anything you can do to make your roommate take better care of his dog. It's his dog. I would just suggest considering moving.

 

[jswez11]

Is there a way to tell if he's brushing her? Like it falls out in clumps and chunks and I can't imagine it would be this bad if he brushed her consistently

 

[Lillith]

It's the time of year where lots of dogs are blowing their coat, so falling out in chunks isn't necessarily a sign of poor grooming. Again, both labs and huskies are AWFUL shedders no matter what you do and no matter the time of year. An old neighbor of ours had a husky, and they'd brush it at least every week in their yard and it looked like it was snowing. My own dog who sheds moderately and who gets regular grooming looks like a scruffy wild thing 24 hours after getting a brush out with an undercoat rake when he's blowing his coat, and the house is covered in hair.

If the dog's coat is bare in spots or matted with gunk, that would be cause for concern. Diet can also have an effect on coat quality. Again, it's not your dog and as long as she's fed and watered and not living in her own filth there's not a whole lot anyone can do, so I'm not sure what you're after here. If you don't like the hair, talk to your roommate about cleaning regularly. You might also consider a robot vacuum which helps keep the dust bunnies under control between more thorough cleanings.

I know sometimes it can be difficult, but you simply can't control how other people treat their pets unless it qualifies as abuse according to your state or county laws. Not brushing or not walking a dog enough wouldn't be considered abuse pretty much everywhere, at least in the US.

 

[jswez11]

What I'm "after here" is answers from other dog owners so that when we have a sit down talk with our roommate, he doesn't lie to our faces like he has in the past and get away with it. He's been our good friend for a very long time and we are about to give him an ultimatum with taking better care of his dog or finding a new place to live.
Also, it's not just like this during shedding season.. it's like this year long. I've even brushed his dog about a dozen times just to see the impact it has and it made a difference in how much hair was around the house.

 

[Toedtoes]

The problem is that your questions are subjective.

1. Bathing - it depends on if the dog tends to roll in things, get muddy, etc; or if the dog is a show dog; or if the dog has skin issues; or if the owner has allergies or is a neat freak or slob, etc.

2. Brushing - again it depends on the individual dog's behaviors, health, the weather, how much time the dog spends outside, if it's a show dog, as well as the owner's preferences.

3. Exercise - and again, it depends. First, most mixes have more than two breeds in their makeup. So a husky lab mix may also contain a breed that is less energetic and that trait overrides the other breeds' traits. I knew a husky- shepherd mix brother and sister. The brother looked very husky but had the temperament of a GSD while the sister looked GSD but had the brain and energy of a husky. Their requirements were extremely different.

I would simply address the "roommate" issues and leave "what the dog needs" out of it. So rather than demanding he bathe the dog X times a month, simply require him to eliminate the offensive odor. Instead of requiring the dog get brushed every day, simply make it clear that any excessive clumps of dog hair found in the apartment will be grounds for eviction. Same with exercise. Instead of requiring he walk the dog X times a day for Y minutes, make it clear that if the dog creates a disturbance or causes a mess that wll be grounds for eviction.

This makes it your roommate's responsibilty to figure out how much he needs to do to stay within acceptable guidelines.

Otherwise, you can require him to brush the dog once a day for 10 minutes, and when the dog's coat blows, you can find yourself with hair in your food and no recourse because he is meeting that requirement.

 

[Lillith]

Ah, I see. That sucks. It's hard when they're a good friend.

I like Toedtoes's approach and perception of the problem. Providing clear requirements for your roommate like "excessive fur needs to be cleaned up promplty" or "the dog shouldn't smell like a garbage can" will make it difficult for your roommate to lie about his dog if you make the issue about the cleanliness of your home rather than about the dog itself. The dog you don't really have a right to control...but you can control your shared living space and demand it is kept comfortable and clean and disturbance free for everyone's use.