# Shedding + Smells: Resources + Q's from a Newbie



## themissingpen (Jul 8, 2020)

I'll admit: I'm a bit neurotic about my clothes (ok, let's just call it what it is; I'm vain), so I was wondering if anyone here had any tips for how to handle shedding and odors in both the home and on clothes?

And how accurate is this shedding video? I'm guessing that's about 1 week of shedding for 2 Goldens in 1 house?

Here's my resource compilation so far: (I'm taking product recs)

*PRODUCTS:*

Air purifier + HEPA filter
Nature's Miracle pet odor remover spray
Alternatively, vinegar + baking soda
1 part water to 1 part white vinegar (for really terrible smells, use vodka instead of vinegar) in a spray bottle, lightly spritz carpets, couch, and dog bed weekly
Test urine spots with enzyme cleaners
Sprinkle baking soda on carpet before vacuuming, sweep it around a bit with a broom, then vacuum it up

Febreeze
Pet wipes
Good vacuum
Rubber/wool glove for getting fur off cloth surfaces
Lint rollers
Undercoat rake, slicker brush, comb
Deodorizing spray (e.g. Skout's Honor)
Weird last-resort rec: ozone generator
This is used after fire or flood damage in homes to remove the smell, and car detailers will use these to remove cigarette smoke smell from customers' cars

*BEHAVIORS:*

Change filters on any central air + heating often
Minimize the soft surfaces you can't easily launder weekly
Carpet/rugs you can't use carpet cleaner on (e.g. Woolite + handheld steam cleaner)
Slip covers/throw blankets on furniture you can toss in the washer
Launder drapes + bedding frequently
Dog beds should be machine washable
Side note: a tip I heard for leaky older dogs is to use a kiddie pool with a comforter in it; just toss the comforter in the wash and hose out the kiddie pool

Apparently leather couches actually don't soak up smells all that much???

Mop up hardwood floors to get rid of saliva (check the walls too). This is esp important if you use Kongs or similar toys.
Groom + bathe dog regularly with nice smelling shampoo + dry throughly afterward instead of air drying
Feed a good diet
Keep a towel handy to dry off dog if they get wet (to avoid "wet dog" smell), then throw the towel in the wash
Keep dog ears clean
Keep up with dental hygiene
Housetrain (duh)


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

My house must stink...

I just bathe and brush..
Use nature's miracle on accidents 
Clean carpets every few months
And febreeze surfaces occasionally. 

I avoid wearing a lot of dark colors and if I do, I have a little roller


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Oh and wash the dogs bedding and our blankets regularly


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Weekly?! That's daily.... honestly if you are this obsessed with not having hair in the house any double coated dog is not for you. Does my house have hair, yup... vacuum daily, including the bed. Dust and do laundry weekly. Wash dogs several times a month, blow dry. Does my house smell, nope. I prefer to spend my time playing or training with my dogs than fighting a loosing battle on the hair. It's manageable but life is too short to be overly concerned with the hair. What's the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff", the hair is the small stuff. It's part of owning the dog...


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Wow. I bathe Rukie once a month and brush him once or twice a week, vacuum 2-3 times a week and I'm embarrassed to say how often I mop or don't mop. I'm afraid you will not have any time left to enjoy your dog, and puppies take up a lot of time. My one tip is if you suck up some whole cloves into the vacuum cleaner it covers up the doggy odor which is really the only thing I notice as having a doggy odor. Also if you have a refrigerator with coils in the front you need to vacuum dog hair off the coils occasionally.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Oh the only extra measure I will say we have is an April Air filtration system on our furnace. 
My hubby was afraid he would be allergic to my dog years ago when I moved in. It cuts my dusting of the house down to hardly any and we live in windy, farming area Iowa. I'm sure it helps with pet Dander but doesntdo much for the hair itself.

We keep a blanket over the couch and wash it as it collects hair. Vacuum. 
I did buy in between bath wipes but only for her tail and hind end as she was a piddler and frequently would pee on her tail as a young pup.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Shedding is going to be a fact of life with any double-coated dog. We as a family have learned not to buy clothes that attract and show dog hair (e.g. dark-coloured fleece), and to live with the fact that whatever we do, however much we clean, there is going to be dog hair in the house. It has never bothered me (I grew up on a farm), but it did bother my husband at first and it took him a while to learn to live with it. You are simply not going to be able to eliminate all dog hair from your house, even if you spend the majority of your time trying. If it really is a problem for you, a non-shedding breed might be a better choice. We also own a toy poodle. He doesn't shed at all, and I think that is the main reason why my husband has always preferred him to our other dogs.

It's actually not good for dogs to be bathed too often, since bathing with shampoo removes the natural oil in their coat. I bathe my dog a couple of times a year maximum, when he gets into something really gross (sprayed by a skunk, rolling on a dead animal). The rest of the time, I brush him to keep his coat untangled and take him swimming in freshwater during the summer. When he swims in our pool, I rinse him down with a hosepipe afterwards.

I have leather furniture in my home, and while it doesn't attract hair, hair does accumulate in the gaps around the seat cushions. Also, with leather furniture you have to be fairly relaxed about scratches, which are inevitable regardless of how much care you take. I leave loose throws on the couches, but the dogs will sometimes pull them off before settling down.

Living with dogs means living with messy situations. The other day, our dog swam in the pool and was rinsed down afterwards, but someone left the back door open and he ran immediately into the house, shook off most of the water in the kitchen, all over the cabinets, then ran up the stairs and rolled on my bed to dry himself off ... Muddy footprints are inevitable and common. As for the "wet dog" smell, depending on what type of coat your golden has, towelling won't dry him completely; it can take several hours for the undercoat to be fully dry on a heavy-coated dog. 

Best of luck!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Video is pretty legit with 2 dogs. It gets worse with 3 dogs.... 

If dog hair is stressful to you, don't buy a golden. Many other breeds out there (don't need to get a mutt) shed a lot less. 

And reputation for goldens is they shed a lot. Have set up at dog shows with a dog who was bathed and blown out the previous 2 days in a row and was not shedding anything at all, and have had crazy butt people who own dog breeds with no coats come up and yell at me for blowing my dog's fur into their area/crates. 



*PRODUCTS:*

Air purifier + HEPA filter We use a fan to keep air moving. It's important for multiple people in house anyway.
Nature's Miracle pet odor remover spray  We use plug ins in bathrooms and Febreeze auto mist thingies at different points of the house (by litter box for the cat, at the end of our hallway with 2 bathrooms, and 1 in our big living room where the dogs hang out with me during the day). So this is less about "house with multiple dogs" and more about house with dogs, people, and cat. 
Alternatively, vinegar + baking soda
1 part water to 1 part white vinegar (for really terrible smells, use vodka instead of vinegar) in a spray bottle, lightly spritz carpets, couch, and dog bed weekly No.
Test urine spots with enzyme cleaners - There shouldn't BE urine spots in the house. But if you do have a leaky puppy, highly recommend keeping a Oxyclean spray on hand for your carpets and bedding. 
Sprinkle baking soda on carpet before vacuuming, sweep it around a bit with a broom, then vacuum it up I wouldn't do this routinely. But I would use Arm & Hammer with Oxyclean Pet Fresh once every couple months or so. Shake that down into your carpets and vacuum up. I DO use a broom on carpets to gather up the loose hair and I just pick it up and toss it vs clogging my vacuum. We vacuum every 2-3 days. <= Before you think we are slobs, be aware I scrub down the kitchen every evening. LOL. And dogs only spend most of their time on the carpet in the living room and hallway and my room. Other carpeted rooms, dogs do not enter. Most of the house is tiled. 

Febreeze - Prefer Lysol Disinfectant spray (if you can find it in the store). Less about the dogs. More about bathrooms and litter box area.
Pet wipes NOOOOOO. That's weird.
Good vacuum - YES, absolutely. But if you have a lot of fur on carpet and furniture, try to sweep up as much as possible to save your vacuum. 
Rubber/wool glove for getting fur off cloth surfaces 
Lint rollers - if you insist on wearing dark colors and knit materials.... YES. You will need. 
Undercoat rake, slicker brush, comb
Deodorizing spray (e.g. Skout's Honor)
Weird last-resort rec: ozone generator
This is used after fire or flood damage in homes to remove the smell, and car detailers will use these to remove cigarette smoke smell from customers' cars

*BEHAVIORS:*

Change filters on any central air + heating often - Change your furnace filter every 3-4 weeks at least.
Minimize the soft surfaces you can't easily launder weekly
Carpet/rugs you can't use carpet cleaner on (e.g. Woolite + handheld steam cleaner)
Slip covers/throw blankets on furniture you can toss in the washer
Launder drapes + bedding frequently
Dog beds should be machine washable
Side note: a tip I heard for leaky older dogs is to use a kiddie pool with a comforter in it; just toss the comforter in the wash and hose out the kiddie pool

Apparently leather couches actually don't soak up smells all that much??? - nails can scratch though (but I LOVE them for people and dogs. 

Mop up hardwood floors to get rid of saliva (check the walls too). This is esp important if you use Kongs or similar toys. We mop floors every couple months or so.
Groom + bathe dog regularly with nice smelling (GOOD) shampoo + dry throughly afterward instead of air drying - every couple weeks is fine. Make sure you purchase good quality shampoo that can be diluted if you bathe frequently. Nothing from petstore.
Feed a good diet - You should anyway.
Keep a towel handy to dry off dog if they get wet (to avoid "wet dog" smell), then throw the towel in the wash - Believe me, wet dog smell is less noticable the longer you own dogs.
Keep dog ears clean - you should
Keep up with dental hygiene - you should
Housetrain (duh) - yes.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

I would love for my house to be really clean and would love there to be no dog hair. Truth is, I love Maggie way more than the hair bothers me  I do wear "house clothes" more now than anything I really care about getting hair on. We put Maggie away in her area before getting dressed for work in the morning. Work clothes are taken off right when we get home and house clothes put back on. 
I like to use baking soda on the carpet every once in a while and I vacuum almost daily. I have 3 dogs and the hardest hair to fight is my labs!
Jules


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## themissingpen (Jul 8, 2020)

puddles everywhere said:


> Weekly?! That's daily.... honestly if you are this obsessed with not having hair in the house any double coated dog is not for you.





Megora said:


> If dog hair is stressful to you, don't buy a golden. Many other breeds out there (don't need to get a mutt) shed a lot less.





cwag said:


> I'm afraid you will not have any time left to enjoy your dog, and puppies take up a lot of time.


I appreciate the honesty here, but I just wanted to be clear that I do know that GR’s shed a lot (though it does seem to vary, show-bred vs. field-bred, BYB vs. well-bred, puppy vs. adult coat, how recently a pup was groomed/bathed, etc.), and I most definitely wasn’t planning on doing every single thing on this list, it’s just a HUGE compilation of things I’ve seen across forums for years and I was wondering what worked for you personally, and what was realistic. So thank you for all your comments! I came here after a long time of researching standard poodles, but I’m really after that Golden temperament.

That said, it’s nice to hear your attitudes toward hair


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

I think it is great you are going into this with eyes wide open 
Jules


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

My number one tip is to invest in a good dog blow dryer if you intend to bathe the dog at home or have it swim. If you blow dry the dog it cuts down on shedding and eliminates wet dog smell. I blow mine off before coming in on rainy days. It sits right by the door to the house in my garage. I am a very picky house keeper and have 3 Goldens. They swim everyday during hot weather. 
I had a contractor come to my house yesterday and asked him to wait while I put the dogs in the fence. When I let him in he said he was shocked I had three Goldens in my house. He would have never believed it. I also have an iRobot 7+ that runs every night through the downstairs. He has one lab.


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## mp2005 (Jul 17, 2018)

I put a flat sheet (I never use them on the bed, so they become dog throws!) over my dog's favorite spot on the couch and over his sleeping spot on the bed, and I have old towels that lay in the living room for him to nap on-- I launder all those weekly with some Nature's Miracle along with detergent. I bathe him every month or so and vacuum daily. (A light cordless vacuum has been my savior!) I am a fan of Pet House Candles-- super effective at getting rid of the doggy smell (especially when he comes back wet from playing in water outside!).


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## themissingpen (Jul 8, 2020)

I'm definitely more worried about smell than shedding; tbh I'm pretty oblivious to fur... even when I lived in a dorm with 9 cats on our floor I never noticed any hair (and I'm allergic to cats and STILL didn't notice... I might just be oblivious). I'm more worried that my friends will be annoyed by the hair (or that the public will be; I want to task-train my dog for some service work so I anticipate having my dog with me in travel situations and such). However, I have been sensitive to smell before, though I really only noticed it when there were 6 therapy Goldens all crammed in one tiny room together. My biggest worry with going nose-blind is again being a nuisance to others.

Ultimately, I guess these worries are pretty unfounded? It sounds like no one else here is super worried about it.

How long does grooming take you? That seems like a really important part of minimizing shedding and smells too, and this is ultimately a big etiquette thing for me.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

i think if your golden has good skin & coat, the 'smell' shouldn't be an issue. i've never noticed a dog smell unless i meet a dog with yeast or skin issues. Some dogs that don't get showered often, leave a 'dog smell' when you pet their coat, but my dogs are showered weekly ( as they swim weekly) and i don't have an issue with that. 

I do use a diffuser, vacuum & mop daily as well. I switch on the fan and all the fur will blow and clump together as dust-bunnies in a pile so thats pretty easier to clear, just pick them up or vacuum it.

As for the fur in when they go out in public, that shouldn't be noticeable unless that are balding and leaving clumps on the floor. With regards to your friends being annoyed with the dog fur, well if you welcome them into your home thats something they have to accommodate is part and parcel of your life and they shouldn't make you anxious or worried about it. 

During the week I do brush them lightly here and there, behind the ears, the tail, underbelly & the butt feathers, but very short brushing session literally less than 5 minutes just to neaten them up after they play and are covered in each other's crusty saliva! At night when they are lying in bed I check their skin & paws ( especially Monty who is prone to itchy spots). They get their teeth brushed daily. 

I do a 'grooming' weekly after they have their baths. Nail trims, blowing the coat out, ear cleaning, and then going through with a good rake. 

every two weeks I trim their paw fur as well. thats about all I do for now as Monty is still a puppy and doesn't require much work. My girl Lily isn't very heavy coated so I don't need to do much. Sometimes I use thinning shears on the feathering near her sanitary area thats about it. For 2 goldens I take around, 1.5 hours from bath to finish.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Again - if you are very sensitive to smells, you probably want to slow your feet about getting a golden retriever. The breed is musky and has an oily coat - and you smell them a lot more than other breeds.

On another thread you indicated you have herding friends - would suggest you look into some of these breeds. Border collies, aussies, etc... Their coats are a little different and they do not seem to smell like goldens.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

My dog has no smell at all and is not just me that says that. I usually bath her 1X a month, possibly more if she swims in the ocean. Bath and dry takes me less than an hour and I dry her "mostly" dry.
Jules


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## goldens9 (Apr 7, 2020)

Skip the Febreeze, that had cancer causing chemicals, bad for pets and bad for people. Yes I know lots of ads on
TV and they will never put the truth on TV.
Healthy dogs without yeast overgrowth will not have doggy smell after swimming or when wet.
Doggy smell is caused by yeast overgrowth. Yeast overgrowth can come from a health imbalance, too much sugar in kibble, injected toxins, chemicals, etc...
The vaccines can damage the immune system and that can cause yeast overgrowth too.
Eating kibble which is almost half sugar can feed the yeast. Stop feeding kibble.
Feed real food, real meat, real raw eggs, veggies, fruit, KELP green powder for iodine, plain KEFIR for probiotics, sprinkle CHIA seeds on food for fiber and firm poop.
I never use any deodorizing spray (toxic chemicals in deodorizing spray can cause cancer in both pets and humans) and my house does not smell at all and I have
people coming to the house every day and some visitors do not have dogs, so I will hear about it, if the house were to stink.
Yes I am particular about clothes, but with blond dogs, don't wear black, unless you put it on and walk 
out the door and have a tape roller. 
Buy a car with a TAN BEIGE TAUPE interior. Never buy a black car with Goldens.
Avoid drapes and get hard blinds so hair doesn't stick to the blinds or verticals.
Avoid carpet. Hard floors thruout the home including bedrooms, easy to vacuum hard floors and hair doesn't stick.
Bonus to hard floors, easy to clean up an accident or vomit.
Carpet and drapes hold smells and holds hair so get rid of both drapes and carpets for an easier life keeping the house clean w pets.
Dyed thru tan leather sofas are easy because hair does not stick to the leather, so easy to clean. The thick leather seems to stand up
well to dog nails and cat nails for years of dogs and cats running on and off the sofa.
After swimming or bath or walk in rain, towel dry, then you can spray or sponge on white vinegar, as that kills the yeast growing on the
skin that causes doggy smell. For a dog with an overgrowth of yeast that has not been healed yet, then vinegar is the
quick temporary way to kill off the doggy smell. Then let vinegar air dry. Vinegar scent is gone in about 10 minutes as it dissipates. 
Hair dryers can dry out the skin too much and are too hot for Goldens.
For pee accidents in carpet, use OXYCLEAN HYDROGEN PEROXIDE POWDER. Soak carpet with cold water and lots of oxyclean powder mixed together.
Leave on carpet for up to 3 days, retreat each day, and put a white towel over the wet spot. After 3 days, let air dry, and never had any urine smell 
with soaked on OxyClean. Works great for cat pee too as cat pee can be much stinkier than dog pee. There may be leftover white powder 
residue after carpet dries, just vacuum up white powder.
Want your house to smell great, then get an essential oil diffuser that uses mostly water and a few drops of natural essential oils, lavender, cinnamon, etc..
Be careful with essential oils if you have cats, then check what essential oils are safe to diffuse with cats.
Goldens and all dogs are a joy so don't worry so much about keeping the perfect house.
I know perfect people that had perfect houses, and then they finally fell in love with a Golden and found they could live with a little hair.
Hair means a happy home, stressing to have a perfect controlled home is not a happy place without a Golden or a pet.
All that stress about hair is stressful on your Golden too, as Goldens are naturally thick hair dogs, with lots of hair. Goldens will feel bad
that their hair is causing a stressful home. 
Just relax and play with your Golden. Many do not know the joy of sharing life with a Golden. More hair and a happier life.


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## DelilahMiller (4 mo ago)

I walk my dog often in the woods, and he always comes in with dirty hair. I've tried a lot of products, but none of them completely removes the dirt. After the local flood, puddles were everywhere; I had to bathe my dog every day. The water damage blew a lot of the buildings into the neighboring woods. There is a lot of debris there now. I am afraid to walk my dog there because of the many pieces of glass. Flooding is bad, of course.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

DelilahMiller said:


> I walk my dog often in the woods, and he always comes in with dirty hair. I've tried a lot of products, but none of them completely removes the dirt.


How exactly does he get covered with dirt just from walking in the woods?


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