# Help! with (SO MUCH) Shedding



## BroadwayBaby (Sep 25, 2014)

Ziggy is shedding a ton - do older puppies lose their coat or is this a normal, yearly type of thing? (eek!) 

Anyways, we were hoping to cut down on the shedding. We bought a Furminator from our vet but our handler friend told us it's bad for their coat. Is this true - does the Furminator damage their coat?

Does anyone have any other solutions to this crazy shedding problem? :--appalled:


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Yes, the Furminator can damage the coat. I don't think many on here would recommend it.
Sounds like normal coat blow - it happens a couple of times a year. The first time Max blew his coat, I called my husband at work and told him there was something wrong, that there was enough fur coming off him to knit a chihuaua! He assured me it was normal. I hate it when he's right.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

laprincessa said:


> .... there was enough fur coming off him to knit a chihuaua! He assured me it was normal. I hate it when he's right.


You never cease to make me laugh! 

And yes, at my house (with a rough collie and a Golden) there has been enough coat blown to knit a pack of Chihuahuas!


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

How old before this starts. Ben is 1 and I don't thing it's started yet


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## DJdogman (Apr 23, 2013)

I didn't know that about the furminator, I had been thinking of getting one as we're going through the same. It seems constant though, not just twice a year. The tumbleweeds 10 minutes after vacuuming are just ridiculous, and we brush them almost every day!


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## Daisy123 (Jan 26, 2009)

I have the furminator and I think it works great just try not to press too hard or use it too long. You can take your dog outside and try to pet off all the shedding hair before you come back inside. 

I also think a good bath helps when using a shampoo brush like this one:
KONG Zoom Groom Brush at PETCO


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Daisy123 said:


> I have the furminator and I think it works great just try not to press too hard or use it too long. You can take your dog outside and try to pet off all the shedding hair before you come back inside.
> 
> I also think a good bath helps when using a shampoo brush like this one:
> KONG Zoom Groom Brush at PETCO


That zoom groom is great! Max seems to think of it as a massage.
Honestly, furballs is part of the joy of having a Golden. You get used to it after a bit.


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## Tennyson (Mar 26, 2011)

Both my vet and breeder told me o never use the furminator. It rips the top coat.
I use the Kong Zoom and my boy loves it. He even positions what body part he wants done next. Sometimes his carrot appears with the Kong Zoom which makes me think he REALLY likes it. I also use a pin brush and a slicker.
You get used to the amount of hair after awhile. Putting the ceiling fans on and seeing it float is a thing of beauty. Getting rid of all your black clothes is good for the soul.
In time you'll learn to appreciate fur bunnies.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Tennyson said:


> Both my vet and breeder told me o never use the furminator. It rips the top coat.
> I use the Kong Zoom and my boy loves it. He even positions what body part he wants done next. Sometimes his carrot appears with the Kong Zoom which makes me think he REALLY likes it. I also use a pin brush and a slicker.
> You get used to the amount of hair after awhile. Putting the ceiling fans on and seeing it float is a thing of beauty. Getting rid of all your black clothes is good for the soul.
> In time you'll learn to appreciate fur bunnies.


I had to think about "carrot" for a second - that's called a "bipper" in my house. 


I have all my black clothes. I knit for friends, and if there wasn't a bit of Max fur in their scarves, they'd be disappointed. 
But I do love love to watch the fur balls floatin in the breeze.


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## dmg1983 (Jun 13, 2015)

Lucy is shedding so much at the minute as well. I have to vacuum the floors twice a day or I have a mountain of hair. I've never had an inside dog before so now I'm the person who is constantly covered in dog hair (and droll)! My husband said when he finds one of Lucy's hairs in his lunch it makes him smile:bowl:
I guess it's just something we have to put up with! Lucy tries to chew her comb when I'm brushing her so I usually give up after a few minutes, I might try and get one of those Kong combs though!!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Ah yes, tis the season! If I don't brush everyday you can see Hank's undercoat hanging off in tufts. I do have a Furminator but only use it with a light hand on his haunches during the big sheds. Usually I just use a comb or brush.


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## DJdogman (Apr 23, 2013)

Tennyson said:


> Both my vet and breeder told me o never use the furminator. It rips the top coat.
> I use the Kong Zoom and my boy loves it. He even positions what body part he wants done next. Sometimes his carrot appears with the Kong Zoom which makes me think he REALLY likes it. I also use a pin brush and a slicker.
> You get used to the amount of hair after awhile. Putting the ceiling fans on and seeing it float is a thing of beauty. Getting rid of all your black clothes is good for the soul.
> In time you'll learn to appreciate fur bunnies.


This post is so funny!! We call that a red rocket, it makes me squeamish, haha. Must get a Kong Zoom by the sounds of it, but I'll be making my bf use it haha.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

DJdogman said:


> This post is so funny!! We call that a red rocket, it makes me squeamish, haha. Must get a Kong Zoom by the sounds of it, but I'll be making my bf use it haha.


It's the Kong Zoom Groom - don't worry, Max loves it but it never makes the bipper pop out here!


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## Taylorsmum (Sep 30, 2014)

This sums it up for me


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Shedding at our house seems to be nonstop for the last 2-3 months. Usually we see the twice a year blow but this really is not stopping. I brush and rake all 3 at least twice a week. Each time I get enough undercoat to make a sweater. I also bought a K9ll dryer and was hoping to blow out more hair. I've only used it on one dog and still got a bunch out when I raked. What's the deal???


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## tietjs (Jun 30, 2014)

With my old girl we would vacuum twice a day for eleven years , my new pup is now 17 months old and I have yet to pull out the vacuum , I only get her groomed every 60 to 90 days , is she not shedding due to her age?


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## dmg1983 (Jun 13, 2015)

I bought the Kong brush and it's really really good so thanks for the recommendation!! I brushed her after a bath on Tuesday and yesterday I didn't have to vacuum- success! It looked like I sheared a sheep outside though:


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

jenlaur said:


> Shedding at our house seems to be nonstop for the last 2-3 months. Usually we see the twice a year blow but this really is not stopping. I brush and rake all 3 at least twice a week. Each time I get enough undercoat to make a sweater. I also bought a K9ll dryer and was hoping to blow out more hair. I've only used it on one dog and still got a bunch out when I raked. What's the deal???


Has there been any unusual stress recently? Max totally blew his coat - to the point where I thought he would soon be bald - after one of his dog friends seized and died in front of him. Also, his coat goes wonky when his thyroid levels are off.


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## Daisy123 (Jan 26, 2009)

tietjs said:


> With my old girl we would vacuum twice a day for eleven years , my new pup is now 17 months old and I have yet to pull out the vacuum , I only get her groomed every 60 to 90 days , is she not shedding due to her age?


Some dogs shed less than others. I noticed that Daisy barely shed as a puppy! Now she sheds a lot but it didn't get bad until she was around two years old.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

I used to use the furminator on my girls and it works but it's not great for the top coat....but if you're not showing them it's really not a huge deal and my dogs never looked like they had a ragged coat  I LOVE my Deb Oster Undercoat Rake-it leaves the top coat intact and if you're taking fuzzies out of one area you don't have to worry about accidentally scraping them. I'd HIGHLY recommend it for the shedding and undercoat removal. And a good vacuum


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## Sanna Fase (Jun 5, 2014)

NOW I finally got the carrot thing! Too funny! I've only had females for close to 40 years so it didn't even cross my mind. And, if someone wants to come to my house and see it perfectly spotless and hairless, they might be the folks I don't want spending time with me (and my animals!!) We have a 14-month old, and recently added another who is only 12 weeks old! The older absolutely loves the slicker - the newer one is getting used to it. May do the Kong thing - I bet they'd enjoy it. Thanks for all the info here!


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## TexasGoldRush (Dec 12, 2014)

I made another post about Ava's coat and never saw this one until now! 
Ava is losing a huge amount of hair. So much so that it seems like she is half naked. One side is worse than the other. Originally I would vacuum all the bunnies up and now it has come to the point that I just let them gather and suck them up every couple of days. It seems like it would make a very nice sweater. I remember reading posts about shedding and now I know what they meant!:doh:


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## TexasGoldRush (Dec 12, 2014)

We live in Texas and it is hotter than hades most days. Ava has lost so much hair she resembles a lab. Virtually naked but even when I think she can't shed anymore ....she does.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

TexasGoldRush said:


> We live in Texas and it is hotter than hades most days. Ava has lost so much hair she resembles a lab. Virtually naked but even when I think she can't shed anymore ....she does.


That's a bit more than normal
I think you might want to take a trip to the vet?


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