Want to know how to help keep your Labrador from shedding so bad? I'm constantly vacuuming. Help!

I find Harley goes through stages of shedding at different times through the year. I used to be very house proud, but that doesn't fit with my girl bringing in mud, grass, being wet from rain or swimming, shedding and just being her. I don't get changed for work until 5 mins before I leave, and when I'm home I'm in casual clothes that I don't care about whether or not there is hair all over it.

 

Furminators pull out the undercoat. Maybe even undercoat that is not loose. Zoom & Groom rubber brushes do a pretty good job on the guard coat. Unfortunately for us, Cooper does not like to be brushed period. Tilly is fine with it but Cooper requires a lot of understanding and bribing.

 

For me it was just easier to change my environment than the dog. So lots of black clothing, all hardwood/tile flooring, no soft drapes (replaced with wooden shutters), leather sofa and lots of throws that could be easily shaken out and then dumped in the washing machine on a regular basis. Other than that, just embrace dog fur as a decorative object and food condiment!

Call me crazy, but not having a dog now, the fur is something that I miss. Just doesn't seem right, all that boring cleanness. I don't mind at all when friends' dogs shed all over me, my house or my car. Makes me feel normal again.

 

I think it was @Boogie who originally mentioned washing bags to put dog bedding, towels etc in so that the hairs don’t clog the washing machine. Here’s a link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_12?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=dog+washing+machine+bag&sprefix=Dog+washing+,aps,173&crid=3UJ2W03RHJG20

As for vaccuming, thank goodness I don’t have a machine that needs bags - it would cost a fortune!

 

Not here. Shadow definitely moults far more than Willow. When I groom them (which I only do once in a blue moon), I could stuff a pillow with what I get out of Shadow, but, except if she's in a seasonal moult, Willow hardly leaves anything on the brush.

I've not found this to be true. I've used real Furminators and fake ones (I have a rake that's similar in design but not Furminator branded) and they certainly do not pull out undercoat. If the dog is shedding, it will grab out the hair, but if they're not, nothing will be pulled. I've heard people say they cut the guard hairs, too, and I've also not found this to be the case. Moulting = handfuls of hair on the brush. Not moulting = nothing on the brush. If it truly pulled hair out or cut hair, there would always be hair on the brush. The clearest one of mine to test this on is Luna who has an amazingly thick "true" coat but only sheds seasonally.

 

Both my present dogs hardly moult shed at all for labs . My last lab shed for the Olympics. 12 months after his death and we are still finding his hairs in weird places and behind stuff. I find the furminator really good and had no coat problems with it. Ive found a rubber horse curry brush very useful too. It takes out loose hair and the dogs love it as it's like a massage for them. some labs shed more than others but at least we don't have to clip or use groomers.

 

Think it depends on the coat type, not the colour. Both my dogs have had very thick, lush double coats.

 

I think it depends on the dog! In terms of coat quality, we have Willow, who has a thin coat with little undercoat (although there's plenty when she's shedding ). Shadow seems to be mainly undercoat, as he's sort of fuzzy, with the longer guard hairs just along his back. Squidge has the most amazingly thick coat, super dense with both thick undercoat and a good top coat. I still get more out of Shadow than Luna, and her coat is by far the best. He seems to shed all day, every day. The girls shed more seasonally. I don't think it's because he's yellow, I think it's just how he's made

 

Yeah, I think it’s probably just how they are as individuals. Both my dogs have shed all year round, with crazy seasonal peaks. I’m just lucky I guess....

 

This is my experience with Simba too. I’ve grown accustomed to the little clumps of fur drifting serenely across the laminate...

 

I've never gotten to the point that there was no hair on a Furminator. Maybe it will happen some day.

I don't find much guard hair when we use it though, mostly undercoat.

 

Baha! You make it sound almost meditative. Will try to cultivate more of a zen state at the sight of the furdrifts

 

Share the hair!

Everywhere we go we take the hairs off our clothes and leave them for others to inherit. Nowhere is safe: cafes, airports, universities, hotels, church halls.... all have received donations from Hollys coat.

Before retirement I would take bundle on business trips and leave them all along my route, on colleagues laptop bags, in taxis, and on the seats in hotel receptions. Handing one over on the back of my passport sometimes resulted in the customs official getting a hair on his jacket - very satisfying.

International meetings were the best. At one conference in America I planted hairs on representatives from all continents. There are little bits of Holly all over the world.

What has this achieved? It's made us embrace Holly hair as a challenge and a resource. The challenge is to find new places and methods for sharing hairs. Holly hair is a scarce resource so we welcome each bundle as it allows us to maintain our unusual hobby.

 

@Hollysdad

 

And why wouldn't you?
I think Holly has the softest coat to touch of any dog I've ever known.

 

I actually bought a Samsung Cyclone Force- Robot vacuum. It does a great job with fur and I don't have to do it myself everyday. It's like a Roomba- but follows a pattern instead of willynilly directions around the house. I still have escapee fuzz bunnies under furniture but I do that once a week or so. Keeps me sane and the dogs are fine with it going around them. Madison (6 month) boofs at it but they are friends now. ha ha.

 

Oh I am sooo making this. When my hubby wanted a lab again I asked that it at least be a yellow lab as our other dogs is copper and white. Saying to keep the fur in one color spectrum.

 

I have a Lab of each colour. Yup, I'm a glutton for punishment

 

Roomba. Get a Roomba. (if you are not familiar, they are little robotic vacuum cleaners that you can program) They only miss a tiny area in corners. Depending on the height of you furniture they may go under it for you.

We bought one about 5 years ago. My OH was traveling every week and I am no fan of vacuuming. Soooo, I did a stealth trip to the local big box and got one. Murphy came along about 2 years later. The only difference is that now it needs to be emptied after every use. Before I only had to empty it about every third or forth time.

We live in a sandy coastal area so not only is hair a problem but also sand. Murphy and I are in and out at least 6-7 times a day rain or shine. It handles sand very nicely.

We are not very fussy around here anyhow since we figured out that "House Beautiful" would not be stopping by in the foreseeable future.