Question re Labrador shedding

Okay all you vet techs, groomers and dog owners, question here.

I've had Labradors before and know that they tend to be year round shedders but our new female Lab, Bella, is a prize winning shedder! She's just turned a year old in January and is a very whitish yellow Labrador. Her coat is lovely, not patchy, dry or anything like that. Her skin is in good condition as well. She eats a good quality food offered twice daily and has 24/7 access to a full water dish.

I swear though I'm sweeping up the equivalent of a spare dog weekly. We have hardwood floors throughout and I have to sweep every day and could likely do it twice a day! Oh and btw, little hint here - a dark blue cordory couch and a shedding white dog...NOT A GOOD FIT! :rolleyes:

So suggestions anyone for any dietary changes or additions and I'd love an idea of what is the best grooming tool for her. It's been a lot of years since I last owned a Labrador so I'm sure there's new tools on the market that might help me keep Bella from dropping hair all over constantly.

Imma sheddin on yer couch! (yes she folds herself in half like this to sleep...I don't know how that can be comfortable....what a goofball! LOL)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...nkieJan082.jpg

Imma sheddin on yer kid!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...MikeyJan08.jpg

Imma sheddin on yer blankie!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...couchDec07.jpg

Imma sheddin on my duckie!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...uckyNov071.jpg

Ya love me even when Imma sheddin on you too!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ellaXmas07.jpg

Hahahaha! What a doll... :oops:

Have you seen the "fuminator"??? I used it on my cats... you wouldn't believe what it got off of them! :O
http://www.furminator.com/

Thanks Laura, she is a doll and chock full of personality. Labs are just a breed I adore and I was thrilled to give this big gorgeous girl a forever home with us. We've only had her a first short months but it feels like Bella's been a part of our home forever.

I have heard of that grooming tool but I've only seen it used on double coated, thick or long coated animals. I'm not sure if it's also used on dogs like our Bella who has the naturally smooth, tight coat of a Lab.

Just took this picture, too cute!

Imma sheddin on your hubby too!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...eslapMar08.jpg

Bella loves to cuddle with me or the kids but only with Mike has she convinced herself she's a small lap dog. :rolleyes:

Good thread Jo, I am curious about this as well. I also have a lab that is a major shedder, and on my creamish colored linoleum type floors, I see his black hairs everywhere!!! So I end up usually sweeping about twice a day and between the two dogs that we have, I think I find enough hair for a couple of spare dogs!!!!

I have an off brand furminator that I LOVE using on my GSD/Chow mix, it works really really well with his double coat. It doesn't seem to work as well with our lab, although I use it on him anyway because he seems to enjoy being brushed with it. I wonder if one of those deshedding tools would work??? Anyone have any experience with those? The big oval shaped metal brushes with the short prongs on them (in case someone doesn't know what I am talking about...).

Jo I LOVE that last pic that you posted, where she is on the back of your couch!!! Too cute!!:)

We love the furminator at the groom shop.. it's great on labrador coats.

Actually taking her to a groomer may be the ticket (for a time anyway) we have big forced air dryers that actually blow the hair right off the dog.. it's pretty amazing how much hair can come off of one dog.

Thanks April, I will be getting an appointment soon as she needs her nails done anyways. I normally can handle that but she's grown so much that her nails are a bit too tough for my own nail trimmers to deal with lately. Thank goodness she has pure white nails so they are super easy to do. I'll have the groomer give me some advice on weekly coat care for her as groomer visits every week would be way out of my current budget.

Funny thing with this dog. I've never seen one do it before. She has a specific "I have to pee bark". She looks you dead in the eye and woofs a soft "ooooowwwwwwwwtttt" sound. I swear I know it sounds nuts, but this dog says "out". Then if you don't get the point, she walks to the door, comes back and repeats her "ooooowwwwwwtttt" bark. She's always done this so I assume she learned it before we adopted her. It's totally unlike her play barks or her "somebody is walking by my house" type of bark. It's cute as heck but very unusual.

Labs shed. Massively.
The furminator is a decent tool. Giving good bathes with the HV air blowers will take a LOT of hair out too, so an occasional visit to a pro groomer will make lots of difference.
If you bathe at home, brush her when she is wet with shampoo, then rinse, then brush again wet, then dry her, then brush one last time. It's a lot of work, but it will make a huge difference.
Some people shave the labs, and that definitely gets rid of the shedding temporaily. But it is expensive. And it has to be repeated when the hair all grows back, PLUS the hair that sheds in the meantime is cut hair, so it's sharp. But hey, we shave a LOT of labs here, and they do fine, and the owners seem happy with it. Shrug. If *I* owned a lab I wouldn't bother shaving it, but just do the brushing, use a deshed tool, and washing.
Make certain you rinse EVERY bit of soap off the dog when you do wash. Leftover soap residue will make her itch.
I hope this was helpful.

http://www.uncrate.com/men/images/20...c14-animal.jpg

It's always a battle here on who sheds more, me or the cat. :P

Geesh I joked to Mike about shaving Bella but I never knew people would actually do that to a Lab! I know they are heavy shedders but geesh, they have short coats as it is. I can't see shaving Bella, I think she'd look horrid LOL.

Thanks for the bathing tips Wolfy. How often would you suggest I bathe her to help with this shedding issue. Any particular type of dog shampoo that's particularily good for coat retention/condition?