# How do you manage your GSD's shedding?



## Ludogg (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm having shedding issues with Luke... When we got him we knew he was going to shed but not this much. I love my dog so want to figure out a way to get this shedding thing rite.. I have to vacuum or sweep my laminate floors daily. He's about 9 1/2 months, I'm hoping his shedding will slow down with age. He's been an inside dog since we brought home at 6 weeks' he's always slept in his crate. But a couple a weeks ago I decided to relocate him outside,because of the shedding. I don't think he was a happy camper cause he was destroying everything in sight and digging holes. He doesn't act like that in the house.. So anyways to make a long story short; I brought him in the house again but I need some advice about managing the shedding...

I brush him every couple days, is that excessive? Am I causing his fur to shed by brushing too often?

Is the furminator the best way to go?

Is vacuuming better than sweeping? Is there a special vacuum out there for pet owners? 

ugh....


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

I do like the furminator a lot. Definitely gets more hair out than any other brush I tried. I vacuum 2 - 3 times a day and did get one of those Pet Hair Vacuums ( I don't remember the name). It works very well though, doesn't get clogged as easy either. I do that and sweep every day. But, in all honesty, I still find hair on the floor, in my food, on me, etc. and I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## squerly (Aug 3, 2008)

Sorry, having a GSD means living with hair. However, I did read somewhere that a pill was developed that limited the sheding cycle to once a year. But the cycle lasted 365 days...


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I think you are doing what we are all doing to manage the hair. You clean everyday, and learn to live with a little mess. Here's *one day of dirt and hair from my dogs:*










Granted, it had rained and they brought in mud, but that's the amount of hair we get here daily. Our house has concrete floors, so they are easy to clean. I just make it part of the daily routine to sweep.

Some people say that what they feed their dogs makes a difference in the shedding, maybe those people will have advice.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

I brush my dogs every day and vacuum and sweep the floors once a day I just make it a point to make this a part of my daily routine, but in all honesty I still find hair everywhere lol but I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

Another daily vacuumer here sorry there is no cure,lol I brush daily and feed good food, but in all honesty there is always hair here no matter what I do. My lab is a heavy shedder as well so between the two I have learned to deal


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## BUBBAGSD (Jul 16, 2010)

Hi ludogg

I would invest in a good blower and take luke out once a week and blow his fur out , it will cut down on your shedding in the house and the birds will love you . lol


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have three dogs~1 long coat, one tight stock and one with a fairly thick stock coat and the shedding isn't that severe. If I run my hand down their back, I don't come up with a handful of hair like other dogs I pet.
I feed raw, give them green tripe, salmon oil, vitamin E, C and they get raw eggs a few times a week. 
Many people ask how/why the coats are so soft. 
I brush them about once a week with a rake and pin brush. Very seldom do they get baths, but like the hose or wading pool in the summer.

This Summer has been the worst I've seen as far as coat blowing, as they all had heavy undercoats from the long Winter. 
Now that they aren't shedding(finally) the undercoat is going to bulk up as the days get shorter...


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i have yet to find an easy fix as well. I vaccuum a couple times a day and brush a few times a week. I swear i can get a whole other dog off of them. Some seasons are worse than others. Really not much more you can do. I'm anxiously awaiting payday so i can buy a furminator though! those things are awesome!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I feed good kibble, lots of oils, eggs, and brush once a week along with vaccuming and sweeping. That keeps it down, and I don't notice much between cleanings.


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## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

I vacuum every morning and sometimes every evening depending on the amount of fur around. The dogs get a full brushing at least twice a week and baths every 2 months. Sometimes I will just take them outside and blow their fur with my force dryer which helps blow loose fur out. I do use a furminator on them sometimes, but I really like the furminator shampoo/conditioner - it seems to really loosen the dead fluff.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Folks, please, just embrace the truth....GSD hair is a food group. It's a bit like salt in that it is in most everything you eat....come-on, you're amongst other GSD folks here, you can admit it...you eat it.

I have said it before, us Olivers, the entire family of eight plus one GSD, we're all real regular...thanks to that GSD fiber in our diet!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Stosh is long coated and he really doesn't shed that much- I know, hard to believe. I think it's the diet because my mom has a gsd that sheds like mad...dust bunnies the size of elephants. I brush daily, they swim, sit in the kiddie pool or are hosed off everyday. But the food they eat seems to be the prime factor


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## alaman (May 3, 2006)

I've got 3 that live in our home. Get a German Rake, use it a lot and learn to live with their hair. In our home, I think the hair reproduces itself after being shed


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## Runswithdogs (May 8, 2010)

Furminator + german rake and it's not unmanageable. When she was blowing her coat, I would pet her get a handful of fur. Now there's not much at all. Vacuum once a day.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I think the only way to stop a german shehperd from shedding is to trade them in for a poodle. 

We give names to the piles of fur that can accumulate in the corners in less than a day. It's cheaper than buying another puppy and they don't bark.


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## Marissa (Dec 31, 2009)

crisp said:


> I do like the furminator a lot. Definitely gets more hair out than any other brush I tried. I vacuum 2 - 3 times a day and did get one of those Pet Hair Vacuums ( I don't remember the name). It works very well though, doesn't get clogged as easy either. I do that and sweep every day. But, in all honesty, I still find hair on the floor, in my food, on me, etc. and I wouldn't have it any other way.


 
I would LOVE to know the name of the vacuum, my current one gets clogged all the time


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## Marissa (Dec 31, 2009)

I should say I also LOVE the furminator, my best friend lol. I vacuum once a day as well, twice to three times if they are blowing coat...


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## Ludogg (Mar 8, 2010)

I want to get one of those shop vac's.. there's one that has backpack straps, i think its 6.0 HP. The guys that installed our laminate floors had one. It has a huge compartment that holds alot of trash..

rite now we have a Bissel with the detachable canister, it actually has a picture of a cat and a dog on the front. Supposed to be for pet owners.. I dont like it, not enough suction power..


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Ludogg said:


> rite now we have a Bissel with the detachable canister, it actually has a picture of a cat and a dog on the front. Supposed to be for pet owners.. I dont like it, not enough suction power..


 If you have an air compressor, blow out all the filters, your vac needs that done regularly. 
I have a Bissell and it works as well as a Dyson as long as I keep the filters clean. Especially the one just below the canister(its on a slide out tray)


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

Brush, brush.


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## Stogey (Jun 29, 2010)

A shop vac works well !!! Welcome to the Joys of owning a GSD !!!!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

No outfit is complete without dog hair


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## Stogey (Jun 29, 2010)

Stosh said:


> No outfit is complete without dog hair


Now that there's just funny, I don't care who you are !!! :laugh:

True too...so true, as I pick silver dog hair off of my black sports shirt ... :crazy:


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Whiteshepherds said:


> I think the only way to stop a german shehperd from shedding is to trade them in for a poodle.
> 
> *We give names to the piles of fur that can accumulate in the corners in less than a day. It's cheaper than buying another puppy and they don't bark.*




:rofl:


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Whiteshepherds said:


> I think the only way to stop a german shehperd from shedding is to trade them in for a poodle.
> 
> We give names to the piles of fur that can accumulate in the corners in less than a day. It's cheaper than buying another puppy and they don't bark.


 
or pee in the house when you dont make it to them in time to let them!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

If you plan to brush your dog every day do NOT use the Furminator. It _breaks_ the hairs and your dog will end up with a thin, crappy coat.

Right now we have 1 GSD, 1 large mixed breed (hair like a GSD or Aussie) and 4 small dogs (1 shedder and 3 non-shedders).

I sweep the floors (hardwood) *maybe *once a week.

Back when we first moved in here we had 4 GSDs. Back then I think I swept the floor maybe TWICE a week??

All my dogs are raw fed and I firmly believe that it really cuts down on the shedding!


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## Runswithdogs (May 8, 2010)

^Laurie, if someone over-furminates the dog, will the coat grow back? My husband got a little overzealous with the furminator while I was gone over the summer and her top coat is a little short as a result. I'm only using the german rake and slicker on her and hoping it will come back...is that realistic?


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## Stogey (Jun 29, 2010)

I see alot of folks use a furminator. I found a Shedding Blade for horses works really, really well. Effectively removes the loose hair without a lot of effort.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Not much to manage...it falls off, we clean it up. 

In all seriousness...regular bathing and brushing is what makes the biggest difference for mine. When I take them into the petstore for a self wash, the force dryer blows all the undercoat out fabulously. I only do that in the winter though. Diet helps to some extent but not nearly the extent that some tote. The reality is that some GSD's shed more than others. Mine all eat the exact same food and get the exact same care otherwise, and yet I have one that doesn't shed hardly at all and another that sheds buckets daily. The other two are what I would consider average.


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

Oh, I just saw that picture posted here! Thought it was from my house! So comforting to know that I am not alone.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

I bath my dog with some frequency. No, it does not control shedding, but at least I eat clean dog hair.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Runswithdogs said:


> ^Laurie, if someone over-furminates the dog, will the coat grow back? My husband got a little overzealous with the furminator while I was gone over the summer and her top coat is a little short as a result. I'm only using the german rake and slicker on her and hoping it will come back...is that realistic?


It should come back eventually. The current hairs need to fall out and be replaced with new hairs. That may be as quick as a seasonal coat blow or may take over a year.


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## Keylogh (Jun 5, 2010)

I use dual K9 once weekly on mine(2 adults/4 pup's) and only go through 2 vacuum cleaners a year now. The blower is really the best way to go as it will also blow/remove the carpet fresh off their bodies. I call it a dry bath. Took a while
to get puppies acclamated to it.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I had a groomer at a self wash recommend a rubber brush. It actually grabs the hair and pulls it out. Put only the hair that is coming out. The nobby ends actually massage the dog as you brush. I found the ones in the horse area of the store cheaper than the fancier ones in the dog area. Go figure. I try to brush her every day this time of year when she is blowing her coat. You probably didnt realize they shed heavy twice a year. Once when the days get shorter (like now) and again when the days get longer (in the spring). My dog is on a raw diet and I have also given her supplements that seem to minimize the shedding. I like K9 Power Products Show Stopper. Helps with winter dryness too. I am trying to remove as much carpeting from my house too, switching to hardwood, so I just need to make a quick trip around with a dust mop and its done.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

I think we all agree, vacuuming is all we do! I think a good groomer a few times a year is a must, they have a knack for really getting all that undercoat out. Also food does matter, the better quality the less shedding. I used to feed my last dog raw and I could not believe he stopped shedding! (I feed because he had kidney issues but I do not do it with my current dog, his diet seems to suit him)

Get a Dyson animal vacuum (its the purple one), expensive but oh so worth it!


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