Hey All! Hello everyone. I am new to the forum and wanted to ask some questions around shedding. I have an almost four year old Yellow Labrador named Apollo. I brush him twice a week with about 2-3 different types of brushes and he gets a really good quality of food. He has recently been to the vet and they said he is in great health and not to worry about his shedding. I am trying to not worry but I have never had a lab before and I feel like the amount that she sheds is just way more than normal! If myself, my roommates or any friends come over and are wearing dark clothing he is obsessed with rubbing his body against them and as a result, he quite literally turns their pants white! I would love to be able to control his shedding a bit more but I don't know that I really can. I love him and would not trade him for the world, but the shedding drives me CRAZY!! I would love to know if I am the only one with a yellow that has an obscene amount of shedding, and if not, what tips do you have for me to help decrease the shedding!! Thank you!
I have a chocolate girl and she sheds continuously! We have wooden floors so it kind of blends in, until you see the tumble weeds of hair rolling down the hallway! We brush her regularly and still have to sweep the floors daily. I think I'll give up on trying to reduce the hair and try to come up with a use for all of the hair instead! Labrador fur lined slippers maybe..?
you could do that dog felting thing. You collect the fur then felt a little Ella. You use a needle to make the felt bodies very cute. I have a friend who spins she takes all sorts of fibre and makes knitted things, I don't know if lab fur is long enough to mix well with a spin though. I put mine in the garden and the birds line their nests with it
All my labs shed differently some shed all the time and other do it all in one go i do use a Furminator which is good for some of the dogs coat types but not the others. All my clothes and house funishings match or camoflarge my dogs fur colours unfortunately so even on a bad dog hair day I can get away with it. A good clothes brush and a sticky roller helps. Sorry Joe theres no miracle cure for hairy beasts but you can help a little with regular brushing and a sticky roller
Your dog isn't unusual. I have a black and a yellow. The black one has a coarser (proper Labrador) coat and doesn't shed too badly. My yellow boy is a lot silkier (definitely not a proper Labrador coat) and sheds constantly. Interestingly, his yellow sister also has the same sort of soft coat and the blacks in the litter that I still know have the same coarse coat. But it's not a black/yellow thing in general - I've known many yellow Labs with proper coats! I think yellow hair tends to show up more in general. I was told about this by the breeder's wife, who lives with one of each. It certainly shows up more on clothes. I keep one of those Scotch roller things by the door to get hair off if I'm going somewhere "nice", but most of the time, I just take half my dog with me everywhere
Hi Joe and welcome to you and Apollo, shedding is all part of the pleasure of Labrador ownership . Some shed more than others and colour doesn't seem to make any difference.
Thats one of the reasons we chose a BLACK lab. I don't look good in white/cream pants Seriously though....They do go through phases. I was once told by an experienced Dog professional that the more you brush them the more they shed. I am undecided. Definitely put your hair brushings outside for the birds though.
Hi Joe, welcome to the forum - I like the furminator but be careful not to overdo it as it can make bald patches on some dogs!! Here is some more info on shedding http://www.thelabradorsite.com/shedding-labradors-its-the-moulting-season-again/
Pongo sheds acres of hair. Everywhere. I tend to wear black trousers for work; the only solution I've found is to have a Scotch roller in the car and another by the front door. My friends have learned not to wear black when they visit. Or long dangly sleeves.
Holly lost some weight last night. We brushed her. She doesn't mind a soft brush but is less keen about the furminator, which is unfortunate as its much more effective than the brush. One of us has to distract her with a bit of sausage if we get the furminator out.
My two LOVE the furminator (or cheap knock-off that I have). They start dancing when I get it out of the drawer and barge each other out of the way to have their go. I should probably train that out of them, but it's nice that they see it as a game. Willow absolutely detested it as a young puppy, so I put it away and didn't use it for ages, and the next time I did, she loved it. They really do not like their bloomers or tails being done, though. Luckily, it's the stripe along the back, and base of the tail that are the worse areas, and they enjoy those being combed.
Thanks for the input everyone! I feel better knowing that I am not the only one. He is a year round, consistent shedder. People have told me to give him coconut oil or salmon oil to help with his coat and shedding. Has anyone tried this and seen any kind of difference? Thanks again!!
Adding coconut or salmon oil to diet might help with dry skin and dandruff but it won't lessen shedding. My favourite grooming tools are a rake and a Zoom Groom. The zoom groom is soft rubber and it works partly by hair sticking to it. It gets coated in oil from the dog's coat so you have to wash that off once in a while to restore it's effectiveness. I confess, mine is not an official zoom groom but rather a rubber curry comb from the tack shop, much cheaper for me. A bath once in a while helps too. You don't want to overdo baths but yesterday my dog got into a ditch filled with dirty, stinking mud that froze on him and our outside water is turned off so he had to have a bath. I didn't even know he was going to shed soon but so much hair came out it blocked the tub drains. He's not a constant shedder, usually only twice a year.
My two Black Labs aren't too bad, I chose black as I know the yellow hairs show up more! Mine have Yumega oil from Lintbells, though a lower dose than suggested, just a squirt! Maybe that is helping them?
Sorry Joe!! I use the Furminator and at times a lot of hair comes off and others, very little. Cooper doesn't shed a huge amount all the time BUT there are times when, walking down the hall, there are tons of hair gathered in corners!!! My pup is almost white and I wear a lot of dark colored clothes.....so have hair on me all the time! You just learn to live with it. Good luck!
