Question re Labrador shedding

[wolfy-hound]

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.

[cassandra]

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

[frankykeno]

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?

[Rapture]

Not sure about the weather up in Ohio, but down here in Texas my husky has already undergone shedding his winter undercoat. How's Bella's undercoat right now? I've seen a lot of labs at work that are dropping their undercoat like mad. The furminator is really great for it. My only disclaimer for it is to be very careful around thin areas of fur, as it really has a sharp blade on it that can scratch the skin. The furminator company also makes a shedding shampoo, conditioner, and also treats... but you've got me on whether they work or not. Seems like anything with Omega 3 fatty acids, fish oils, and brewers yeast are said to help reduce excessive shedding. You can get them in pill form, treat form, or special skin formula dog foods. I'm willing to bet that it's just a bad shedding time of year, and hopefully it will calm down some in the weeks to come. Good luck!

[slartibartfast]

If the furminator is too harsh for her coat, looking for the shedding blades that resember a horse's curry comb. Flexible metal loop, with dull teeth. I've used it on Dobies, Weims, and similar slick-coated breeds with great success.

I'll also add a second vote for the Dyson. We have one (bought it refurbished on Amazon.com for much less than store price) and love it. It's a wonderfully well-designed tool.

[wolfy-hound]

Just use a good shampoo, no funky oils and additives, since you're washing it off anyway. Tearless ones make it safer and more relaxing. I've seen so many folks go out and buy expenisve specialty shampoos, and they usually do a lousy job at getting them clean.
Don't wash more than once a week. Every other week is normally just right, at least for my dogs.

[BulldogBalls]

The furminator is a GREAT tool. I would recommend the furminator and a rubber curry, not a metal one. Rubber curries you can use more often and to a better effect than a metal curry as even though the teeth are dull the curry is still metal and not flexible. Here are some examples: http://www.horse.com/products/sku-BJI17.html

Or a rubber grooming mit:
http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy0...LT055258%20HGR
Regarding diet, often time what people think is a quality diet really isn't Not trying to say you don't feed a quality diet but most commercial/processed foods do not have adequate amounts or correct types of omega 3s and 6s, among other issues.

Also, a dog must have vitamin E to process omega fatty acids. A processed food may have salmon oil in it but the cooking process still renders it less quality/effective than just giving it in liquid or capsule form. Always supplement with Vit. E as the dog will use up its own store of vit E to process omegas and so that amount of omegas that are utilized are directly linked to how much vit. E the dog has/produces in its system. One 400 I.U capsule of real vit E (D Alpha tocopherol, NOT dl-alpha tocopherol acetate) with 1 gram of salmon oil per 10-20 pounds of dog (your decision, I use 1 gram/1000mg per 10 pounds but my dogs are raw fed)

You can get salmon or fish oil capsules at wal-mart or costco/sams club to supplement, and either cut open the capsules and squeeze onto the food or feed the capsules to the dog in their food or with a light coating of canned food etc most dogs eat em up like candy. Salmon/fish oil takes a few weeks to show big results but is very very very worth it.

Also, climate plays a huge role in the amount a dog sheds. If you have a dog that is anything but short coated (labs are medium coat/double coated) in a warm climate then your dog will shed. A LOT. Dogs go through cycles based on winter and summer, but if you do not have cold weather the coat the dog naturally grows in for winter just gets shed out sporradically. Taking the dog outside and using the furminator/rubber curry (I use the curry first, them the furminator) and brush once a day plus some salmon/fish oil and vit e and you should see a difference shortly.

[Ginevive]

My mom uses one of those mitts with the rubber thingies on it. it grooms the hair off, and then you can peel it off in a "sheet" of hair, and toss it outside for birds to nest in
Granted though, her dogs are longhairs.. not sure how this would work on a shorthair.
She is a cutey!!