# OMG, the shedding........how do you cope?



## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Well, I surprised everyone when I got another Golden...they all knew how much I hated dog hair. But when I realized Goldens were a lot less trouble than husbands or kids and way more easy to get along with, the trade off was easy! 

Seriously, I just do what you're doing and don't look to closely. Being near sighted helps. I can't see the floor that well.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I don't cope well...but keep trugging along. Lucky is limited to our large family room. Regardless of that.....when I vaccuum the formal room...guess what fills up my bagless vacuum? Dog hair. He's not allowed in the kitchen. But guess what I find in the kitchen? Balls of dog hair.

He has a lotta coat and it flies through the air.

I know another Golden with a lot less fur, less under-coat. This dog goes with his master to the master's high-end boutique men's clothing store. 

The only time I saw hair from that dog is when a customer accidently step on him....the dog squealed and he had a ring of hair around him..I guess from the trauma.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

You may be able to improve the results from brushing by using the right equipment. If you're just using a slicker brush (wire pins) or something similar, you may not be loosening the dead undercoat. I favor a rake like this for shedding. It pulls out a ton of undercoat, particularly from the parts of the dog that have longer hair.


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## sophiesadiehannah's mom (Feb 11, 2007)

i love my swiffer, use it several times a day. 3 goldens, lots of fur.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Also take into consideration diet and brushing. Sometimes switching to different foods can decrease shedding and brushing daily definitely helps control the hair floating around. Even frequent baths (with a quality shampoo) will help lessen the shedding. 

I use a rake brush once a week and pin brush every day with some spray in conditioner, bathe ranger every 1-2 weeks, and vaccuum 3 times a week. I swiffer about once a day in the "problem areas" where the dog hair bunnies like to gather and it seems to keep everything under control pretty well. That being said, the house is never going to be dog hair free and I'm at peace at that. Luckily, most guests are okay with it too, even if they're not dog people.


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

I groom Riley frequently and that keeps the hair down. I have my own grooming equipment so I give him a bath and blow out every two weeks during the nice weather and once a month during the cold months. Getting a good blow out with the force dryer really takes out a lot of the loose hair. He is on a very high quality diet and I brush him maybe twice a week. I find that he seems to leave less hair around than when I had my Rottie years ago.


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

I just invested in a swiffer vacuum due to the outrageous shedding and it has seriously changed my life. I highly highly recommend it for intense shedders. I didn't think it would be as powerful as it was but ohhh boy it proved me wrong.


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## alsublett (Jan 9, 2008)

We have two goldens. I use the furminator brush on them every other day and use my Dyson Animal Vac regularly!!!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I completely vacuum my bedroom daily. Including my sheets and pillows - don't laugh at me, it's easier than changing and washing the bed stuff daily. 

I avoid dark colors for the most part, unless the material is the type that doesn't attract fur.

There is also a rubber brush you can buy at Walmart or Target that I use between vacuuming. 

The other thing to remember is that once your dog's adult coat grows in, the shedding situation should improve...


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## cory (Aug 23, 2010)

When does the adult coat grow in?


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Penny's Mom said:


> Well, I realized Goldens were a lot less trouble than husbands or kids and way more easy to get along with, the trade off was easy!


Amen! I am right there with you in your thought process!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

cory said:


> When does the adult coat grow in?


I went digging for the transformations thread showing how a golden grows...  

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-pictures/85337-transformations.html

If you are talking about length - the answer probably depends on your golden, but definitely with Jacks it took him 3 years. 

If you are talking about shedding, the worst shed that we had was at 12-15 months.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Jasper is blowing coat right now. I have been brushing him out every single day. Of course, it didn't help that I washed all the dogs on Sunday in preparation of our trip. That always seems to be a trigger for shedding. Jasper has a serious undercoat, so thick that it's incredible, so when he blows his coat there's a humongous amount of hair!


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Two words: Furminator daily.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

I vacuum and complain daily........but when I look in those big brown eyes I just smile Plus it helps that my stone floor is the same color as Wyatt.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> I vacuum and complain daily........but when I look in those big brown eyes I just smile Plus it helps that my stone floor is the same color as Wyatt.


I have the same sort of flooring, tile that has a gold undertone and berber carpet that is what I call poop, puke and pee colored. LOL


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

fostermom said:


> I have the same sort of flooring, tile that has a gold undertone and berber carpet that is what I call poop, puke and pee colored. LOL


LOL! I love it!


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## kcapone (Jan 23, 2011)

thanks to all. I do have the dyson animal and it is scary what it pulls up after vacumming daily. I do use the undercoat rake, and just bought the furminator, so hopefully that will help.


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## Siques (Aug 9, 2011)

Not sure if your dog would tolerate this, but Dyson does have a new accessory...The Dyson groom tool removes loose hair directly from your dog before it's shed around the home. Collected hair is then sucked straight into the vacuum. Mess free vacuum-assisted dog grooming. ($70)

Dyson Dyson groom tool - part 921001-01 | Dyson.com


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

The Dyson vacuum has been a lifesaver. We have had Kirbys [worthless] and Hoovers that just did not pick up like this Dyson.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

What's scary about the Dyson is not just the fur that it pulls up. It's the amount of dander that comes out of carpeting and furniture. That was probably the most impressive difference between it and our previous (very nice) vacuum.


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## Siques (Aug 9, 2011)

I just saw this post on the nylabone website: A great way to handle dog hair is to take a spray bottle and pour in a couple inches of fabric softener. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake well, then mist lightly over any area you want to vacuum. You will get a lot more dog hair out of fabric and rugs! The softener makes the hair release from the fibers, and if you mist it in the room the right way, you will even have hair falling off the ceiling and the walls. It’s a beautiful sight.


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Just a word of caution - I've heard that the Furminator can be a disaster if you don't know how to use it properly. We brush Sawyer about every other day and we also rely on our Dyson animal. Beyond that, I've just accepted that it's part of my life. I love him way too much to even really care about the hair. I just shampooed my carpets, and yesterday, I let Sawyer in from the backyard, and he had been in the dirt, so there were promptly doggy pawprints leading in from the back door. Sigh.... 'Tis part of being a Golden mommy.


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

I vacuum my dogs  
I take them in the laundry room and shut the door and brush them out (door shut so all the hair stays in the room, and I don't brush outside because I hate the huge piles of hair that blows away and gets caught in trees nd the fence, etc) and after I get done brushing I put the attachment on the vacuum that has the little bristles on it, and go over their whole body with it. Get's all the excess hair off of them and I think it feels kind of like a massage, because even my super skittish dog doesn't flinch at all when I do it.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

The Dyson comes with a pet grooming tool :bowl:

Dyson Pet Groomer Vacuum Cleaner Tool 92100002#

Seriously, I get freaky after I vacuum, how much my Dyson picks up. I can't believe I live with all that "stuff" I don't see. But then I have color coordinated most everything


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Taz Monkey said:


> I don't brush outside because I hate the huge piles of hair that blows away and gets caught in trees nd the fence, etc)


Really? I always throw the hair outside, I think the wild critters might use it for nesting? Not sure about that, but they might. Would make for a very warm nest.


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## Golden123 (Dec 6, 2009)

Weekly baths and brusing cut down on the shedding alot. I use a mit with nubbies on when I wash her which helps get the dead hair out. Plus vaccuming daily.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

More kudos to the Dyson. I am shocked that I fill it up each time I vacuum! And I vacuum in between with an electric broom. With 2 goldens and 4 cats it is endless.....


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm lucky. Ben barely sheds, except when he's blowing coat. The car picks up a lot of fur, but the house doesn't get that bad. I've lived with German Shepherds that shedded much much worse.


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

I like to brush on the front porch when there is a little wind. It blows the fur away as I loosen it.


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

I guess I have something to look forward to. I brush Bayne about 2 or 3 times a week and hardly get anything in the brush. He's so short right now that I wonder if he'll ever get the beautiful long coat I so admire in Goldens. He just loves getting brushed though.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

You get used to the hair bunnies! LOL Jax is my worst shedder and since we keep ceiling fans on alot, the fur tends to gather in corners. I sweep every day in the kitchen to pick those up and I use the pledge sweeper on my bed and pillows nightly, sometimes 2 x before I go to sleep. There is no way in hell I can vacuum my house every day. I'm OK with that and anyone who isnt, well, they dont need to come over!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I know that when Daisy isn't here anymore, I will be finding her hair in places for a long time to come. I'm going to like that :heartbeat


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