[4NGI3]

Maan, Nelson's hair is EVERYWHERE!!! I vacuum and mop the house one day and the next day, theres a fine film of his hair all over everything again!!

I heard dogs can shed thier "puppy coat"? puh-lease tell me this is just his puppy coat!! (he's 10mths now).

i took him outside today and brushed him for 30 minutes straight. sooo much hair came out and STILL couldnt' get all his dead/stray hairs out! made a mess of the backyard too. Urgh! I cleaned the house today and it looked so clean i didn't want to let nelson in the whole day to ruin it. He's an inside dog so please someone help me keep this problem under control. do i have to brush him everyday? his hair falls out when you touch is head, and when u stroke his back heaps of hair comes out.

can you ever get ALL the dead hairs out? it is summer here in australia but please someone tell me this shedding thng gets better in winter? i don't remember nelson shedding like this when we first got him (granted, there was less of nelson then so maybe i didn't notice the hair around that much).

I read the breed description for ab's and it said " grooming - The short, harsh coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, and bathe only when necessary. This breed is an average shedder." AVERAGE SHEDDER?! bullsh*t! Easy to groom if you want to get hair all over the place and embedded in ur clothes and stuck everywhere.

i bought a kong rubber brush and yea it is good but what do u use? is it better? how do u keep ur bully's shedding under control?

 

[Fina]

I went through the same thing with Fina 2 months ago! I was afraid she was getting mange or something. Things are JUST NOW back to normal.

Does Nelson have any irritation with the shedding? Redness? IF not, it's probably just shedding. If so, he may have developed an allergy to an ingredient in the food he's eating.

I feel you pain with the cleaning though. I was emptying my vaccum every 3 or 4 days becuase of the HAIR!

 

[debs]

The shedding could also be that Nelson is shedding his winter coat (you said it is summer where yopu live) and growing his summer coat. Moose and my other 2 dogs are shedding alot too. They are shedding winter hair and getting summer coat which sheds very little. Keep brushing and it will get better. I feel your pain. When I clean the house I like to keep the dogs outside for awhile so that I can enjoy the clean house. The weather is nioce here so I don't feel to bad about leaving them outside for awhile besides it is good for them to get fresh air

 

[coco]

I am so glad I am not alone. I am driving my self crazy trying to keep the house clean of dog hair!! I just purchased so fish oil pills, I had read they worked very well with shedding. Does anyone else have any other advice?? I feed Authority Harvest Baked Chicken. At what age do most AB's shed their puppy coat? It is beginning to get very warm, so I guess it could be a combination of the puppy coat and winter coat. All I know is, all of this hair is driving me nuts!!!!

 

[maryserratos]

Last summer my dogs were doing the same thing. My chihuahua is the absolute worst because she has a little longer hair than my dogges. I found some shampoo at petco that was called shed control. It works!!! I think what it does is loosen up the folicles so while you are bathing them all the hair comes out then instead of all over the house. Yes, giving the bath is messy, you wind up with hair all over the tub but atleast then you can just wash it down. I used it every other week on the chi, and once a month on the big ones. It's getting about the time to go get more... :wink:

 

[Frank]

Well it's cold where I'm at, & my AB always sheds. It's almost too much. I'm going to get some spray called "Low Shed".We used it on my boxer & it seemed to help quite abit.

 

[Josie's Proud Mom]

Josie sheds like crazy also. I brush him daily and also use the shampoo called Shed Control. I heard of using Omaga 3 pills (fish oil) I haven't gotten them yet but I will very soon. The brush that I have been using is made of rubber and it works great! I never heard of the spray "Low Shed" but I'm gonna look for that and give it a try also. If any one does find a good working remeady PLEASE post it! I know I will.

 

[coco]

Where do you get the Shed Control shampoo?? I always thought there was no way a shampoo could help with shedding!! I just started to give mine fish oil pills and will let you know if it works. I spent almost an hour in Petsmart the other day trying to find a solution to the shedding and bought a FURminator deshedding tool. It was like 35 bucks and I think it is crap!! I thought I was using it wrong, so I went and got my neighbor and told her to read the direction and try and she thought it was junk too. Has anyone else ever used this?

 

[Josie's Proud Mom]

I found the shampoo at Petco and Walmart. Petsmart should have it also. The best brush I've used and continue to use is made by Coastal called a Safari. Kong also makes one. It's made out of soft rubber and it works great (but you got to use it daily). Do let us know if the Fish oil pills work. I have'n't found the spray called "Low Shed" yet but every where I have read suggest using it. As soon as I do find it I'll try that also. Good luck on your shedder!

 

[AkainePSP]

Do these shampoos and sprays really work? And what do they do exactly? If they aren't shedding how can the new hair grow?

 

[4NGI3]

i haven't used them before but to me it sounds like the spray is like a hairspray that stops the hair from falling out altho it still grows but sticks to them until you wash them again? i don't know but i'm just guessing. coz like you i can't see how their new hair grows if they don't shed if not my ab will endup with the fur coat of a husky if his old hair doesn't fall out and he still grows new hair.

if anyone finds something that works well, please let us know. i'm gonna have a look for this spray and the shampoo here coz right now i'll try anything. i haev the rubber kong brush already and yes it does work, but maaan i thought getting a short haired dog meant you didnt' have to brush them everyday?

 

[Murphy]

murphy is shedding like crazy too. he's 9 months now, and it is getting hot here in new orleans, so i think it's a combination. i bought one of those metal sheard like things, and it works great. he loves it. we bought it at petsmart. it pulls the hairs out.

 

[sjburns]

Your never fully dressed until you are wearing your fur coat! I saw this on a bumper sticker a couple of years ago. It had a picture of a woman in a business suit with dog hair all over her. LOL.

After six years, the shedding still gets on my nerves. It does lessen during the warmer months, after they shed their winter coats. I like to use the Ionic brush (from Wal-Mart). When you brush, the hair doesn't go flying everywhere. I think you can get it online, too. I've seen it advertised on TV a few times.

 

[4NGI3]

Your never fully dressed until you are wearing your fur coat! I saw this on a bumper sticker a couple of years ago. It had a picture of a woman in a business suit with dog hair all over her. LOL.

After six years, the shedding still gets on my nerves. It does lessen during the warmer months, after they shed their winter coats. I like to use the Ionic brush (from Wal-Mart). When you brush, the hair doesn't go flying everywhere. I think you can get it online, too. I've seen it advertised on TV a few times.

i think i need that sticker is the ionic brush better than a normal rubber brush?does it get more hair out?

 

[sjburns]

The ionic brush doesn't get out any more hair than a regular brush does, but it keeps the hair that comes out from flying everywhere.

 

[4NGI3]

crud! oh well at least i do feel better that i'm not the only one that's having a hard time dealing with the hair factor. just wish there was some sort of magic cure!

 

[Diesel34]

Shedding

Hello, I'm new to the forum. My dog Diesel (AB) is shedding like crazy. I can actually see his skin in some spots. I'm in NC and the weather here is changing. Is this normal for them to shed this much. I'm a little nervous about this. I give him heartworm meds, feed him the benifield food and brush him from time to time. He was shedding so much that I had to move him to the garage. I set up his dog house out there and I put one of the big dog pillows from wal-mart. I checked the pillow and i didn't see anything (ticks fleas or bugs) on it. Please advise.

 

[gazar]

Do these shampoos and sprays really work? And what do they do exactly? If they aren't shedding how can the new hair grow?

Dogs have two kinds of hair:

fom Wikapedia
"Guard Hair: are the longest, thickest hairs in a mammal's coat, forming the topcoat (or outer coat). They taper to a point and protect the undercoat from the elements. They are often water repellent and stick out above the rest of the coat. Guard hairs add the sheen to the coat of an animal."

Then they have their undercoat. The undercoat grows in the winter to add warmth and protection to their skin. When the weather turns warmer, the hair automatically loosens from
the skin and sheds off. Some dogs have a much thicker undercoat than others depending on
the breed of the dog. All undercoats will shed and need to shed so that the dog can be cooler during the summer. You want to help the shedding process with daily grooming. A stripper is the best thing I have found to remove almost all of it at one time. Do it outside as it is very messy. A stripper is a long serrated blade with a handle, it combs through the undercoat and removes it. The new hair is going to grow regardless, just like it does on your head. The only thing that can stop it is a medical condition or baldness. Certain dog foods low in oil will dry out the coat and make the shedding process worse. A good quality dog food will add the necessary oils to the skin and coat and help to keep the shedding under control. Instead of flying all over every where, it will wait for the stripping/combing to remove it.