# Never ending hair



## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

Ok I know they shed ALL the time but......I bathed Athena last night,I was feeling lucky.The good news is I don't think any water got in the basement this time around...We brushed her out the best we could then and the fur was never ending.I again brushed her this AM and it is still coming out in bunches. My question is this. If I were to have her professionally groomed every so often then kept up with the brushing would the amount of fur shed or brushed lessen?


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

OMG I have been Brushing Brady same thing the hair coming out of him is ridiculous. Its winter not spring I swear I get a puppy everytime I brush him

I have him professionally groomed so that ain't the answer

Why are they shedding so bad NOW?


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## Daisy1986 (Jul 9, 2008)

Shadow sheds a little. Waiting to see how he does this spring. 

But since I put him on Longevity, by Springtime. It is so much better. 

The Salmon oil gives him the runs, but the Longevity works. 

Never took him to a groomer. We bath him, comb him out wet, then again dry.


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## Tina & Dave (Apr 19, 2004)

It may be the change in weather.. dry air from the furnace???? 
I am having the same problem with my male.. shedding constantly. Everytime he shakes he covers tables, couch and floor with hair. No amount of brushing seems to help right now. Wonder if my vacuum will last the season.. lol


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

Glad to see it wasn't just the bath.I thought I was going to have an asthma attack(and I don't have asthma) this AM trying to get her brushed out and I still need to get her hind end better even after what I have already done.The birds will have nice cozy nests this spring with all this hair she produces.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

they shed. i find that April thriugh August is the worst. my still sheds but it doesn't seem as much from September untill now. it's part of owning a dog. i brush mine a couple of times a week.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Having the "professionally" groomed will only cost you money, it won't make any other difference. A groomer does the EXACT same things you can do at home for FREE.

The only difference is that they likely have a force dryer which will blow a lot of the hair out and it will be in the grooming shop instead of your house! 

(This is NOT a "slam" of any sort against groomers. I used to be one myself. And even then, I often wondered why people didn't just brush and bathe their own dogs! Other than those that NEEED clipped.)


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## marksteven (Aug 2, 2008)

just get a good Vacuum and stock up on dry swifter clothes.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

Athena is deathly afraid of the vacuum or I would vacuum her when she is like this. I haven't been bathing her because she is so out of control and the last time we did at the end of summer,we had the bathroom so wet,hubby asked if we had a leak when he went down cellar the next day.Last night wasn't quit as bad but still needed 2 people to hold her in the tub.I was thinking next time I might try to put a toy in the tub and maybe she would do better thinking it was like her pool. Oh well I guess the days I vacuum I have to brush her out first.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

Do you have any good advice on getting her to like the tub.We've tried it filled ,not filled,hose,no hose. She will go in but as soon as water is there she books it out.She loved her pool this summer and she likes to go in rivers and such.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

The only resone why I have Brady and missy groomed professionally is I can't get either on in the Bath tub!!
I brush them and clip their nails 
Nothing like a fluffy GSD after they are groomed


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## cherishedchessie (Jan 8, 2009)

I have been a groomer for 30 years and the only thing I can come up with why dogs seem to be blowing coat more this year then previous years, is the nicer weather we have been having. Its not so much the temp that makes them shed it is the hours of available sunlight mother natures way of kicking animals into winter mode shorter days longer coats. We have had more days of sunlight then normal for this time of year. Labs boxers and short haired breeds like them go through a coat change about every 4 weeks they don't have the massive blowout twice a year as the double coated breeds do. Taking them to a groomer every 4-6 weeks helps keep the shedding to a minimal and you get to leave the bulk of the hair at the grooming shop. Whatever you do ask them not to use the shedding tool called the furminator it has been my experience that you can use it once in awhile but used to often you can damage the coat it thins and breaks and comes back in all nappy, as well as if it is used wrong or to harshly can cause the skin to bleed. That is just my opinion on using it. Shaving a short haired dog also does not mean it stops the shedding they still shed just shorter hair and eventually if done to often and to short will damamge the hair follicles and you run the risk of a bald dog as the age. A good coat condition sprayed on a wash cloth and ran over the dog in between baths will help cut down the hair all over the house as well as static. Hang in there summer is coming!


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

What do you recommend as a good coat conditioner to spray on them? Athena isn't really dirty this time of year she just gets that dog smell that I hate.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Unless they have an encounter with a skunk I only bathe my dogs in the summer. If they get muddy I wipe them off with a wet towel. 

I find that shedding is directly related to overall health. Obviously the double coated dogs blow coat a couple of times a year but beyond that if my dogs are healthy and happy (they shed when stressed as well) they don't shed that much. Keep in mind that "that much" is all relative--I've had gsds for more than 20 years now so I'm used to the shedding!









Rafi does some mini coat blows all through the winter, as the temperature changes. This winter has been strange with really cold temps and then warmer temps again and again so he has done several mini coat blows (usually just his skirt hair).


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

If your dog is getting that dog smell, then some of the smell and even the shedding may be related to diet.

Thyroid problems can also increase shedding.

Can't say that as skeptical as I was about the furminator, I love it.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: AllieGWhat do you recommend as a good coat conditioner to spray on them? Athena isn't really dirty this time of year she just gets that dog smell that I hate.


I love the "between bath" spray from Earthbath! I too, do not really give baths unless it is summer or there is some other reason to do so. I think the dogs always smell pretty good, but when I brush them I sometimes use this spray on that smells good and it actually lasts (the smell)! Also just gives an extra shine. Whenever I use it they get great comments on their "smell"









I do not use it alot, but really like this product and their others

I like the Mango Tango...

http://www.earthbath.com/between.html


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## ituneyou (Dec 20, 2008)

Ok next time i brush my Max in the summertime i'm going to post a picture of it, this past summer Max was shedding so bad that i fiiled 2 30 gal. trash bags, i would just grab his coat with my hand and chunks of hair would be coming out and then the wind started blowing hair all ovet the place, my front yard look like a cotton field.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

that's why i always tell people we have german shedders!


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

As of November she was OK.I had bloodwork done when she went in to get Spayed.I just have this thing with certain smells,dog being one of them.I think she is very healthy.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Is it that wet dog smell? I can't stand that either. Otto isn't too bad but Morgan just smells woofy - she likes to lay in the mud... loves to swim in the bay too. My car was just lovely smelling last summer, wet german shepherd at low tide combined with stinky boy shoes and slightly wiffy from potty training the twins.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

That too.I hate it when people or dogs come in from the cold.I tell my kids /hubby to get away because they have "that cold smell".It almost make me sick to my stomache.I was spoiled when I picked Athena up at Pam's she had just bathed her and the shampoo she used make her so yummy.I have the shampoo and conditioner,it's just getting her to let me bathe her.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Have you tried a warm washcloth with the soap on it? That's what I do with my pair when they're wiffy. Otto will stick his head in the shower when I'm in there and he'll jump in the sink but will he get in the tub? Nooo - that's what the Doggie Do is for $70 fluff and fold both dogs. They'll pick up and drop off for $10 more.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

what are you feeding her?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Me or Allie? Suppose it doesn't matter cuz it's the same thing (we have puppies the same breeder). Otto was Canidae then switched over to Fromm - Otto switched 2 months ago and I think Allie's girl was switched more recently.

What ever food she's been on her whole life, Morgan has just been a funky dirty dog. She lies in the mud, a spec of mud in the yard she'll find it. She likes to swim in upper Narragansett bay, which is much cleaner than it used to be but still not great. I love that fresh from the groomer smell, lol, I won't let her out for more than a few minutes for days after she's been groomed.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I'm sorry, I meant Allie. 

I get smelly dirty for an outside dog that lies in the mud, but in general, if a dog smells like well, uh, dog, I would look to other things. But I can't immediately point to anything with the Fromm.


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## Mandy'sMom (Feb 27, 2008)

I, too, have a German Shedder. We live in Seattle and with all our rain Mandy constantly has the doggy smell. I can't bathe her myself but I use a great groomer who only charges $30...a bargain! In between baths I use the furminator and swear by it. But the hair is still everywhere...part of owning a GSD.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

I switched to Fromm.It's just me I'm very sensitive to dog smells.I love her anyway..








Back to my original post, I think the shedding was aggrevated by the bath.I'm fine with it,I just have to vacuum after I brush her a few times a week.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

I tried the washcloth with her shampoo and got the wet dog smell.I bought some of those pet wiped at Petco/Petsmart and use them off and on.I used 3 this AM after I brushed her to try to pick up the loose hair that floats on her.If I can ever budget in the $50.00 I want to take her to a professional groomer so I know she gets super clean..
I didn't think this one question would stir up so many "health" questions........


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