# How long do they shed for?



## mesuezee (Jan 9, 2009)

This is Magoo's first big shed with us. He is 9 months old. I guess there is a lot of puppy hair coming off too, I think. Anyway I have been brushing him, using a shedding comb and an undercoat rake. He is still shedding fter about 3 weeks now. He looks like a puppy again. I swear he lost 2 or more inches off his girth! Can I take off to much hair with these tools? I've heard of the furminator damaging coats. I was planning on taking him for a bath and grooming when he ws done blowing his coat. I just wonder when that will be. Is there an average time it takes to get throught the heving shedding?


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

If you are lucky about 12-16 years.  Seriously that first big puppy shed will probably last about a month. The amount of hair is just amazing. After that they shed constantly but no where near the volume of that first big shed. They will have heavier sheds in the Spring and Fall but no where near what you are experiencing now.


----------



## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

Oaklys Dad said:


> If you are lucky about 12-16 years.


 LOL!! Good one Oaklys Dad! But seriously, I agree 100% with what he said.


----------



## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

The Furminator works well for us, but I use it sparingly during big sheds to speed things up. Stay away from tails, ruffs, and butt feathers and use it about once a week or every two weeks they are fantastic and haven't damaged the coats here.


----------



## mesuezee (Jan 9, 2009)

Oaklys Dad said:


> If you are lucky about 12-16 years.  Seriously that first big puppy shed will probably last about a month. The amount of hair is just amazing. After that they shed constantly but no where near the volume of that first big shed. They will have heavier sheds in the Spring and Fall but no where near what you are experiencing now.


Ok-just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to make him bald! I am truly amazed at the amount of hair that comes off everyday  Thank God my carpets match his color!!


----------



## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

Alas, they do shed forever, even with daily brushing! Casey does not have a heavy coat at all, but sheds far more than our thick coated golden girl ever did. I think it is an inevitable part of sharing your home with a golden! I'm not even sure there is a shedding "season". He seems to do it non stop.


----------



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

With Lucky, that first shed was bad for months. Ok...I was in tears. It lasted the same length as our normal seasonal shed.

Our normal seasonal shed is bad too. Dogs shed differently...and with Lucky, June through September is the worst shedding months. By the end of September his coat is thin. And then he starts growing his winter coat....and shedding is very minimal then.


----------



## eekbh (Jun 9, 2008)

Mighty Casey's Mom said:


> Alas, they do shed forever, even with daily brushing! Casey does not have a heavy coat at all, but sheds far more than our thick coated golden girl ever did. I think it is an inevitable part of sharing your home with a golden! I'm not even sure there is a shedding "season". He seems to do it non stop.


 
Forever!?!?!? Oh fun. I was hoping it was just a seasonal, twice a year thing! Guess I'll never wear black pants again! We vacuum frequently and brush her as often as possible. The problem is that she thinks the brush is a chew toy. On occasions, I can distract her with her chew rope and I can get in a little brushing. Any suggestions to make her not want to EAT the brush or furminator?

And, does anyone know a secret to getting pine pitch off dog fur...besides cutting it out?

Thanks

eekbh


----------



## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Oaklys Dad said:


> If you are lucky about 12-16 years.  Seriously that first big puppy shed will probably last about a month. The amount of hair is just amazing. After that they shed constantly but no where near the volume of that first big shed. They will have heavier sheds in the Spring and Fall but no where near what you are experiencing now.


I was thinking along the same lines. They will shed for their entire lives. 
And every dog is different.... 

Natasha sheds a lot right after the first cold snap... blows the old coat and then a new thicker winter coat comes in. And she blows her coat again in the spring when it gets warmer, and then a new lighter coat comes in. In between those two events she just sheds the normal amount... that would be enough to make 1 puppy a week. Oh, and now we have 2 dogs... so we can make 2 puppies each week. :wave: 

Tweed is a very nice fabric pattern... and doesn't show the hair as much.


----------



## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Goldens shed their entire lives. Our boy is also about to turn 9 months and he is shedding like crazy right now. Pretty soon, you will consider golden hairs as condiments with your food. :bowl:


----------



## Tahla9999 (Nov 21, 2008)

Vacuum cleaners are your best friend.


----------



## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

Do make sure you are brushing daily, even if you are supplementing with a Furminator. The more that ends up in the brush, the less you will find on the floor. As for wanting to chew the brush, for the first year, Fergus wanted to hold my free hand in his mouth while I brushed with the other. :doh: 

Another thing you could always try is to teach him to like being vacuumed! One of our goldens when I was growing up adored being vacuumed with the hand-vac. It had a little beater bar on it and I think he thought it was like the Holy Grail of brushes...


----------



## AmbersDad (Dec 25, 2007)

eekbh said:


> And, does anyone know a secret to getting pine pitch off dog fur...besides cutting it out?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> eekbh


I would try vegatable oil as it typically works very well for getting pine residue off the coat without stripping it or hurting their skin.


----------



## CravenCloseClan (Jan 20, 2009)

eekbh said:


> Any suggestions to make her not want to EAT the brush or furminator?


With Bella, we just never turned it into a game. If she tried to eat the brush, we didn't pull it away from her....just let her sniff it/put her mouth round it, but gave a firm 'ah ah' or 'leave it' and she got the message.
Now she'll be there, chewing away and we'll just groom away....she's not bothered by the brushes now.

(she's 7 months now, so we've got the 'shed' to come....although out nice wood floors do constantly have a golden hair dusting around the edges!)


----------



## rictic (Feb 16, 2009)

so does that mean he will lose his teddy bear looks?

well thats it then, no more babe magnet for me.

guess i'll be talking to the green welly brigade brigade instead of the hunnies coming up and petting the teddy bear now lol.


----------



## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Oaklys Dad said:


> If you are lucky about 12-16 years.  Seriously that first big puppy shed will probably last about a month. The amount of hair is just amazing. After that they shed constantly but no where near the volume of that first big shed. They will have heavier sheds in the Spring and Fall but no where near what you are experiencing now.


I overheard two breeders talking at a GR dog show. They were joking about shedding hair and tumbleweed hairballs. One said "oh well, we just consider it roughage". I thought that was pretty funny. All 6 of my Goldens have been major shedders year round but especially during the spring & fall major sheds. I could brush them for 20 minutes and the amount of hair coming out would still be the same. We have 1 vac for upstairs and 1 for downstairs. Comes with the terriority. Minor inconvenience compared to their loving personalities.

PS vacuuming the dog directly does help!


----------



## deanlucy (Apr 11, 2009)

> Any suggestions to make her not want to EAT the brush or furminator?


I purchased one of those grooming poles with the "hang-man" noose, it works very well and only cost about $25 CDN.


----------



## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

rictic said:


> so does that mean he will lose his teddy bear looks?
> 
> well thats it then, no more babe magnet for me.
> 
> guess i'll be talking to the green welly brigade brigade instead of the hunnies coming up and petting the teddy bear now lol.


Have no fear... small or large Otis will always be a babe magnet.


----------



## Sivin (Nov 23, 2006)

Forever and ever and ever! (but they are worth it).


----------



## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Forever.... 

1 hour after I vacuum I have "golden bunnies" rolling across the floor. At least with hardwood flooring I don't go through vacuum cleaners as fast anymore. I brush them 3 - 4 times a week but there is no keeping up. I still don't understand why they don't go bald.

The first thing I tell people when they ask about getting a golden is that if you hate lint and fur, don't get a golden they shed constantly. There are alot of folks turned off by that.

Kirby loves to be brushed Darby is a PIA and of course he is the one with all the fur/hair. We have a system, I start with Kirby and when Darbs get really jealous I switch to him, works for awhile!! I keep the brush and comb handy so I can grab it anytime, we have spontaneous grooming sessions all the time.

v


----------



## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Look at my signature!!.


----------



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

I will say that my dog hair stress level has declined dramatically after we installed carpet that is the same color as Lucky's hair. Its amazing how much more "clean' the house looks......


----------

