# Winter shedding!!!



## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

I do a quick brush on Mei at least once a week, sometimes more. Today after the dog park she was a bit wet, from snow and drool of another dog, and I went to dry her with a towel and hair was going everywhere. 

Decided to brush her when we got home. 







So much! I've never taken out so much at a time with the undercoat brush. So much with the ferminator too!!
Is winter time big shedding months?? Last spring she was still pretty small so not a lot brushed out. But today, holy smokes!!
Should I get another grooming tool?? I have an undercoat rake and a "large dog short hair" furminator.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

Just got a de-shedding tool. Reviews looked good on chewy.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

If theres a "grooming" thread area, the mods can move this there if they like. Since I've got grooming specific questions now. 

So, that de-shedder tool is amazing too. I brushed her for a good 20 minutes or so and got what seems like endless hair. 







It looks like a dead animal in the trash can lol. If anyone is wondering how I got her to stay while I brushed I gave her a bully stick to chew on. 
I'm assuming all this hair is in prep for her winter coat? When will I know when this current coat I'm brushing out is fully blown out? Like I said, it seems endless. I'm going to take her to the dog wash now.


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## Dionne2u (Nov 5, 2018)

Wow! Yeah i always say i gain a new dog after a good coat brushing. 
I live in south texas and have seen a little fur this winter that needed brushing out but normally the heavy shedding happens in spring and during the late summer months up until late fall when they are preparing for winter coats to come in. 

I brush once a week during winter and wash once a month at which time i use a rubber brush to loosen any hair. I rarely use the furminator during the winter. 

Summer and spring i again wash once a month and wash with a rubber brush to get most of the hair off during the bath then follow with a rake and furminator once dry. In between washings i twice a week use rake, rubber brush, and furminator. I rarely have to vacuum for fur and my clothes/vehicles interior stay much cleaner. 
Enjoy your new fur puppy haha


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

Be careful using a furminator. The design is based off of a coat stripper which is used on none shedding breeds like terriers to pull out the dead coat that that does not drop out on its own. Used on breeds like a GSD it can remove coat prematurely and even cut and damage the top coat which is what protects a dogs from the rain, snow, ect... 



Shedding tends to happen around the solstices as days lengthen or shorten.


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## Dionne2u (Nov 5, 2018)

Agree bramble, lift the hair and only work the under coat and do that just a little in places not coming off well... forget to mention. It will cut the top coat for sure and pull it out as well if not done proper.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

All of my shepherds have had different coat types and lengths - I’m still using my tried and true all purpose undercoat rake (single row, 1” teeth) from 1999. It’s been surperior to any other tool I’ve tried, and it’s safe (I won’t go back to a furminator).

Keystone is my stock coat.... my new routine for when he’s blowing coat - I bath him at a self wash station (for the dryer which gets a ton of undercoat out), also using a rubber brush. I brush him daily for about 3 weeks, then weekly for about 3 weeks, bathe again and we’re typically done. I use the rake, followed up by a slicker brush to lay the hair back down and collect any fly aways.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

Ya, I have been careful with the furminator and aware of it ruining the top coat. I used the undercoat and de-shedder a lot more. 

I hope it's all out! She feels great after that wash!


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Fodder said:


> All of my shepherds have had different coat types and lengths - I’m still using my tried and true all purpose undercoat rake (single row, 1” teeth) from 1999. It’s been surperior to any other tool I’ve tried, and it’s safe (I won’t go back to a furminator).
> 
> Keystone is my stock coat.... my new routine for when he’s blowing coat - I bath him at a self wash station (for the dryer which gets a ton of undercoat out), also using a rubber brush. I brush him daily for about 3 weeks, then weekly for about 3 weeks, bathe again and we’re typically done. I use the rake, followed up by a slicker brush to lay the hair back down and collect any fly aways.


 I would like to see the under coat rake you use. 
Athena is blowing her coat again for some ungodly reason. I swear she blows her coat 4 times a year. She has a linger stock coat. Not quite a plush. But she is killing me with the shedding.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

Here's the undercoat rake I use...


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## Dionne2u (Nov 5, 2018)

That's the kinda rake i use too, I've had it about 15 years. Works great but my shepherds undercoat gets so thick i need the furminator as well.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

In the past I've used an air compressor to help blow out my dogs coat and it helps. Recently I was gifted an airforce dryer as an early Christmas present and finally decided to try it out. wow!! what a difference. It works great for both our coaties and stock coats. It is incredible how much hair and whatnot comes out so quickly and speeds up the whole grooming process, I should have gotten one sooner. I also use a simple wooden handled rake my wife picked up at a dog show to finish things up.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

Nigel said:


> In the past I've used an air compressor to help blow out my dogs coat and it helps. Recently I was gifted an airforce dryer as an early Christmas present and finally decided to try it out. wow!! what a difference. It works great for both our coaties and stock coats. It is incredible how much hair and whatnot comes out so quickly and speeds up the whole grooming process, I should have gotten one sooner. I also use a simple wooden handled rake my wife picked up at a dog show.


I have one of the airforce dryers too. Unfortunately she screams bloody murder when I've used it. I'm going to try it outside while she's eating a pig ear or something. Maybe keep the machine, it's not quite even on quite setting, inside and blow her on the porch.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Similar to the one pictured a couple posts up @cdwoodcox


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I have used the rake to works well along with a mat brush and rubber horse curry brush which is great to use for bathing to loosens dirt and fur. I’m still wanting a blower and need to get one. A quick break in shedding going into fall and stRted back up now again. I have not been getting to much fur out. I do not remember them shedding in the winter I think it’s winding down now hopefully.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

Wow , Ozzy has not had that much hair .....yet. At 10mo he has only had a small amount of fur after I brush him. Guess I should not complain


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

They don't call them German Shedders for nothing!


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I just recently said the heck with all of the tools to remove shedding hair. This morning I spent almost an hour plucking out hair with my hands then brushing. so far that seems to work the best. It takes a little while but effective.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

cdwoodcox said:


> I just recently said the heck with all of the tools to remove shedding hair. This morning I spent almost an hour plucking out hair with my hands then brushing. so far that seems to work the best. It takes a little while but effective.


Great idea! I plucked out a little from Mei's sides. The sides, where her hair is much shorter is still what seems to be shedding. Nothing plucks out on the top.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

cdwoodcox said:


> I just recently said the heck with all of the tools to remove shedding hair. This morning I spent almost an hour plucking out hair with my hands then brushing. so far that seems to work the best. It takes a little while but effective.


I used to do this with my girl Gia. She was predominately black and her back legs would push out these greyish brown tufts of undercoat. She’d look so bad. We’d relax in a park and I’d pick away. Nesting birds loved it. Neither of my current boys shed that way.

I’ve shared this pic on the forum many times.... but seriously, nothing but the rake has gotten me these results - at least for Tildens coat type.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Fodder said:


> I used to do this with my girl Gia. She was predominately black and her back legs would push out these greyish brown tufts of undercoat. She’d look so bad. We’d relax in a park and I’d pick away. Nesting birds loved it. Neither of my current boys shed that way.
> 
> I’ve shared this pic on the forum many times.... but seriously, nothing but the rake has gotten me these results - at least for Tildens coat type.


 Great pic. She looks pleased, like, " look what I helped make".


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

Wow @Fodder !!

I couldn't imagine have a long haired gsd!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Mei said:


> Wow @Fodder !!
> 
> I couldn't imagine have a long haired gsd!


More hair comes off of him during grooming but the cool thing about it is that the hair pretty much stays on him until then. Where as Keystone, my stock coat, sheds all over.

So honestly the long coat is easier for me.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Fodder said:


> More hair comes off of him during grooming but the cool thing about it is that the hair pretty much stays on him until then. Where as Keystone, my stock coat, sheds all over.
> 
> So honestly the long coat is easier for me.


This has been my experience with my long haired GSD and my Collies. They rarely shed throughout the house, not like the short haired GSDs. You had to brush them to get the hair off.

Not only that they don't grow as heavy a coat as the short haired dogs. Couple that with the natural hair growth cycle which is grow, rest, and shed and this is gold as the growth stage lasts for months compared to that of a short haired dog. SOOOOO much less shedding with the really long, thick coated dogs.


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## Mei (Mar 30, 2018)

That's good to know!


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

@Fodder
Wow, your "fur dog" sure has a nice collar to wear.


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