Help! Dog Hair Threat Level Red!

[Guest GoingGrey]

Is it normal for a dog who didn't shed for many years to suddenly start and then keep on continuously shedding (for the last couple years)?

 

- hasn't correlated with any food change (and he's on higher quality food now than ever)

- hasn't corresponded w/change in health, activity or home

- No bald patches from it (tho at age 9 he's thinning around his toes/knuckles a bit)

 

At age 3 he arrived with a majorly long, almost wolf-like, dull, fawn-colored kennel coat. That came out, but only with heavy brushing and pulling of clumps, to reveal a sleeker, redder fawn coat beneath. The sleek coat stayed that way after, barely shedding for years.

 

FFWD to a couple years ago. I did notice that his hair was getting softer. Starting to feel like fur, almost. That was probably around the time the constant shedding started?

 

I have 3 different kinds of brushes. I brush often. After researching this forum, I even hosed him down and gave him a blow out with the brushes today, yet I'm STILL freeing little hair clouds just petting him, for crapsakes.

 

To make the overall hair cloud situation worse, I got him a sister. She has delicious white bunny fur and sheds double (heard the white dogs shed more and i can confirm). I wear a lot of black. She rubs her face on my legs enthusiastically and often. You do the math. I have to fold clean clothes on the kitchen counter. My keyboard is clotted with dog hair. I wake up to find little dog hair clumps knitting themselves into dog-shaped sweaters in the corners of my hardwood floors. Soon they'll start play bowing to me and demanding cookies.

 

I know extreme shedding. I had a border collie/retriever mix that broke 3 vacuums. (One sparked and started smoking before succumbing to the almighty Dog Hair.) But I thought those days were over..! Guess not. Cuz here I am. And Homeland Security has declared our house Dog Hair Threat Level Red. Soon I won't be able to breathe! Send Help!

 

 

[GreyTzu]

All dogs shed. Cats shed, people shed. It's life.

[Hubcitypam]

I'm with you as I have had a collie/golden mix bestowed on me. My dust bunnies have small mutant dust bunnies.

From GH experience I'm not so sure that white dogs shed more of if it is just more noticeable. I've been slammed on here before for saying best thing I ever used on greys for shedding was a small blue 12 inch hacksaw blade. It doesn't really have teeth like a shedding blade...more like ripples. Works like a charm.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Hubcitypam

[Brandiandwe]

I use a rubber curry comb thing sent to me by SS last year. Brilliant. All of mine she'd, but Benny has that bunny, woolly fur which is delightfully soft....and which sheds more than the others combined. No idea why. Hermon's is certainly the mist noticeable, but the colour of the dust bunnies is a dull grey.

 

Brushing weekly seems to help.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I use a rubber curry mitt on my guys.

Not too hard in their boney bodies.

And Cheap.

 

http://www.adamshorsesupplies.com/Roma-Rubber-Grooming-Curry-Mitt-P4809.aspx

 

 

Although the hacksaw blade is a good idea, too..... Just a bit hard on the boney bits.

I've tried one on the horses, but its not 'enough' to really get rid of their winter coats.

[tuff]

Get a husky. You wont even notice the greyhound is shedding.

[ShebasMom]

Now THAT was funny!

[Guest sireltonsmom]

I agree - that is hilarious - my granddaughter would attest to the Husky tumbleweeds. So would my German Shepard friends. My white Mindy sheds more it seems than red fawn Beau.

[Remolacha]

I think some do get thicker coats as they get older (hence, more shedding) They definitely get softer. No idea why. Sallie has the thick, soft, bunny fur coat and used to shed like crazy twice a year, not so much the rest of the time. The last couple of years she has shed more often, and in shedding "season", the drifts were impressive. I use a Zoom groom (rubber curry comb type thing) and a shedding bald, which is basically a hacksaw blade with a handle.

 

And I don't know if white dogs shed more or it just looks that way, but when I had a white & brindle, there was always a LOT of white hair around!

[Guest june]

My experience over the years has been that the softer and more plush the coat the more they shed. Nova is barely shedding at all (3 years old) and I've been brushing Rona (11 years old) every other day for weeks and still getting gobs of hair each time. The best I've found is the rubber curry mitt. I keep expecting to get up one morning and find her bald, but no, still got lots of hair. The worst grey I had for shedding was Angel. She had a coat that felt like bunny fur and shed all year without fail. Even my vet couldn't believe how much she shed.

Good luck.

[RaineysMom]

yup, the white ones shed WAY more than any other color that I've seen. Our first, Rainey, was white with fawn -- softest bunny fur EVER -- but man did she shed. And our 3rd, Larry, is white too and sheds like crazy -- tufts flying everywhere. Our black (Nube) and current blue (Zeke) didn't shed nearly as much. Guessing the fawns fall in between the 2 ends.

 

Blondes literally have about twice as much hair as other hair colors, which is good because my hair is so thin I'd be bald if that wasn't the case

Edited April 26, 2015 by RaineysMom

[Greydawg]

Idea for new Netflix show: "Dog Hair is the New Black."

 

Forget jewelry and scarves, hound hair has become my favorite accessory.

 

Thanks for the reminder... I am going to go outside and brush Heisman right now. (He is shedding more than Alex right now.)

[carronstar]

My first girl, Scarlett, had some kind of triple coat thing going. She felt like velvet/bunny fur, but you could curry comb her for 45 minutes and then hand the comb over to someone else for another 45 minutes and still be getting hair to come off. As her vet at the time said "she's a dog, dogs shed". Okay, then.

[Guest MaggieMae]

The only thing that has worked for me:

 

http://www.kongcompany.com/products/for-dogs/grooming-and-recovery-collars/grooming-and-recovery-collars/zoomgroom/

Here is a U-tube video on the Kong Zoom Groom:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gCG5vxHau4&feature=share&list=UU1Rz3vE7ht1ygpJ8q4xpNow

[Guest GoingGrey]

Haha, Husky!

Thanks, everyone. Pretty much confirmed what I suspected: nothing unusual with either of 'em-- I'll just have to DEAL. [sad trombone] I know some of shed more than others, and yes, dogs in general shed, i was more worried that my fawn guy who never shed before has started and not stopped. Sounds like it must be an age thing and nothing to worry about.

 

@RaineysMom, I was thinking the same. White hair is more noticeable, but like blonde hair probs contains a higher concentration of numbers of hairs per square inch, so more to shed. And it makes sense that the softer hair, the finer/more concentrated it is, hence SHEDSVILLE, USA, Population: Me.

 

I have the Zoom Groom. But I too could spend 45 min using it and then hand it over and another 45 min with it would still unleash fur clouds on both. I could try a curry comb/hacksaw blade thingy. Assume this is looped-blade curry comb used on horses? I'm sure a lot depends on the depth of the teeth and the care used while brushing. I.e., if you go gently, not raking it down their spine and they're still enjoying it, etc. But I'm hesitant to invest in one more brush that might not make a lick of difference one way or the other.

[Rickiesmom]

I have a fridge magnet that says "Dog Hair. Don't Care."

[Hubcitypam]

The 12" hacksaw blades I used on the greys were like this. The don't have notched teeth like a shedding blade that can be folded - it's more like a ripple. Worked great on greys - won't do a thing on the collie/golden.

[PatricksMom]

I have a fridge magnet that says "Dog Hair. Don't Care."

I need that. And one for my office door, problem solved.

[GeorgeofNE]

Uhm, I grew up in a house with four English Setters--show type, not hunting type. Meaning loooooong white hair. Fur tumbleweeds, like someone already said.

 

I also use a rubber curry comb (left over from when we had horses). Works great, won't hurt. Brush him outside and let the birds make nests of his fur!

[cleptogrey]

husky- also corgi and pug...the worst! i commented to a friend that after a good petting/rubbing session i looked like a blond werwolf! rubber curry comb, stiff and soft horse brushes used here.

[sobesmom]

I actually agree that as dogs age and their coats get nicer, which we all want, softer, bald spots filled in, etc. - they also shed a LOT more. It might be the downside of the good food and supplements we give them when they're pets. More nice hair=more shedding.