labgirl
Forums Sage
Your grooming method is pretty much how I would do it
I can't manage with so much fur
- Thread starter alonsoe
- Start date
sable
Forums Enthusiast
We have four Shelties and a Corgi-Beagle. At our house, dog hair is a condiment. I only wear black when I'm all dressed up -- and I carry a lint roller in every car.
Too funny, but I do the same and carry a lint roller in every car. i brush my two all the time, but there is still a bit that floats. I run the sweeper all the time here. Lil' Lady grows hair where the breeder used fertilizer on her. Miracle Grow?
Every two weeks I clip her pads or she would look like she is on a skate board in the house. To be truthful I think short hair dogs are worse, their hair will go into material like needles. Shelties fur just blows around like tumble weed.
fur as an accessory
when you welcome shelties into your life, you quickly learn that additional fur on your person becomes standard and routine-best to treat it like an accessory as you will NEVER be without it. I brush my girls daily with comb and slicker, and they get a bath probably every two weeks or so depending where they have been or what they have gotten into. I prefer sweet smelling poofy girls. To keep up with the mt of fur mine create and blow regularly, vacuuming is constant to try to keep the fur from "winning". Oh, nothing beats the "zip it" drain cleaner tool for keeping the drains clear and hair free. 
It is warming up in the Rockies so I am gearing up for the spring molt/shed that is as timely as the crocus appearing. I love the full fur look in winter, but come summer, I shear them up so they aren't so hot & bothered by the heat. The birds in my yard use it in nest building. I add it to the bottom of my planters to take up space and lighten them. I am always trying to find ways to recycle it, ha...
when you welcome shelties into your life, you quickly learn that additional fur on your person becomes standard and routine-best to treat it like an accessory as you will NEVER be without it.
I brush my girls daily with comb and slicker, and they get a bath probably every two weeks or so depending where they have been or what they have gotten into. I prefer sweet smelling poofy girls. To keep up with the mt of fur mine create and blow regularly, vacuuming is constant to try to keep the fur from "winning". Oh, nothing beats the "zip it" drain cleaner tool for keeping the drains clear and hair free. It is warming up in the Rockies so I am gearing up for the spring molt/shed that is as timely as the crocus appearing. I love the full fur look in winter, but come summer, I shear them up so they aren't so hot & bothered by the heat. The birds in my yard use it in nest building. I add it to the bottom of my planters to take up space and lighten them. I am always trying to find ways to recycle it, ha...
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
When dogs are blowing coats, there is nothing like a good grooming at the salon. The wash loosens the coat, and the high velocity blow dryer blows it all away.
I used to only have my dogs professionally groomed maybe 3 or 4 times per year. But these days, I'm more on the 4-6 week schedule.
You can do baths yourself, of course, but the high velocity blow dryer really makes the difference.
I don't actually groom my dogs much between groomings. Not necessary.....but spring has yet to spring here, so the boys have not yet started blowing their coats.
I used to only have my dogs professionally groomed maybe 3 or 4 times per year. But these days, I'm more on the 4-6 week schedule.
You can do baths yourself, of course, but the high velocity blow dryer really makes the difference.
I don't actually groom my dogs much between groomings. Not necessary.....but spring has yet to spring here, so the boys have not yet started blowing their coats.
when you welcome shelties into your life, you quickly learn that additional fur on your person becomes standard and routine-best to treat it like an accessory as you will NEVER be without it.
I love the way you do it! I wish I could have more time to spend with them...but it's only half a morning....so I do the best I can.
I love your idea for the birds... I was thinking to recycle too and I think I'm making a bedspread handwoven wool...or maybe two!
Thanks to all of you, great ideas
I tried using the hair as a hanging basket liner for a couple of years. It worked very well except that the birds kept pinching it for their nests! They never took it from the special pile I put out especially for them so I guess just preferred it with a bit of compost!
I think the shedding will become less as they mature, my adult males don't shed anywhere near as much as they did when puppies. My youngest one is 11 months and I seem to be grooming on a daily basis almost as there is major shedding going on but hopefully
when the adult coat is finally through this will improve.
On a positive note though, having also lived with short coated dogs and cats, sheltie hair is at least very much easier to remove from clothes and furniture as it lifts off rather than sticking into it like Labrador or beagle hair.
I think the shedding will become less as they mature, my adult males don't shed anywhere near as much as they did when puppies. My youngest one is 11 months and I seem to be grooming on a daily basis almost as there is major shedding going on but hopefully
when the adult coat is finally through this will improve. On a positive note though, having also lived with short coated dogs and cats, sheltie hair is at least very much easier to remove from clothes and furniture as it lifts off rather than sticking into it like Labrador or beagle hair.
totally agree!!!!!
maybe the compost/hair combo smells better for nest building or provides more adhesion???? That is funny, I do put it in a wire basket for the birds to self-serve, ha. I grew up with fox hounds, and being short coated, they blew more fur than my shelties ever have, and that short hair has weaving capabilities, it would get imbedded in the craziest stuff, it has a mind of it's own.
I tried using the hair as a hanging basket liner for a couple of years. It worked very well except that the birds kept pinching it for their nests! They never took it from the special pile I put out especially for them so I guess just preferred it with a bit of compost!
I think the shedding will become less as they mature, my adult males don't shed anywhere near as much as they did when puppies. My youngest one is 11 months and I seem to be grooming on a daily basis almost as there is major shedding going on but hopefully
On a positive note though, having also lived with short coated dogs and cats, sheltie hair is at least very much easier to remove from clothes and furniture as it lifts off rather than sticking into it like Labrador or beagle hair.
maybe the compost/hair combo smells better for nest building or provides more adhesion???? That is funny, I do put it in a wire basket for the birds to self-serve, ha. I grew up with fox hounds, and being short coated, they blew more fur than my shelties ever have, and that short hair has weaving capabilities, it would get imbedded in the craziest stuff, it has a mind of it's own.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
You mentioned that you comb the dogs regularly.
Someone else posted about line brushing techniques.
You really need to line brush....it's the only thing that will get the loose clumps of undercoat. There are lots of threads on the forum on how to. I usually start with a damp coat and a slicker. Then I use a rake on shoulders and butt....that seems to be where most of build up is. The slicker again, and then finally pin brush.
The top coat of a Sheltie does not shed. It's the undercoat you want to get at. So if you just sweeping a comb over the coat, you are not getting close.
And like I said earlier in this post, when they are blowing coat......nothing better than a bath and high velocity dryer!
My bacca (now on the bridge) and indy are not huge shredders. Yes, they had lots of undercoat, but it mostly stayed in until I raked it out. But I've discovered that my 13 month old furballl is big time!!!! Or maybe it's not hair I'm picking up but the stuffing from all the toys he has destroyed! It's the same white colour!
Someone else posted about line brushing techniques.
You really need to line brush....it's the only thing that will get the loose clumps of undercoat. There are lots of threads on the forum on how to. I usually start with a damp coat and a slicker. Then I use a rake on shoulders and butt....that seems to be where most of build up is. The slicker again, and then finally pin brush.
The top coat of a Sheltie does not shed. It's the undercoat you want to get at. So if you just sweeping a comb over the coat, you are not getting close.
And like I said earlier in this post, when they are blowing coat......nothing better than a bath and high velocity dryer!
My bacca (now on the bridge) and indy are not huge shredders. Yes, they had lots of undercoat, but it mostly stayed in until I raked it out. But I've discovered that my 13 month old furballl is big time!!!! Or maybe it's not hair I'm picking up but the stuffing from all the toys he has destroyed! It's the same white colour!
My sheltie sheds year round. He's a big boy with a beautiful coat but the fur is never ending. I gave up black clothes about two years ago when we got him. The thing about sheltie hair is that they're super long too. The floorboards in my car even hair hair on them. There's no winning the shedding war with a sheltie but I wouldn't give him up for anything in the world.
VallejoSheltie
Forums Enthusiast
My sheltie is now just over 5 years, and the hair did slow down after about a year and a half or so, IIRC.
WHEN I use my shedmonster several times a week, it seems to do an excellent job of getting tons of undercoat out, without removing very much guard coat if any. These are usually $15-20, probably on sale for the holidays now.
I have even less when I make it a habit too use a comb or slicker every day for 4-5 minutes.
BTW, even though the new house we're in has a in-house vac system, we ended up getting the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner WindTunnel 3 Pro Pet Bagless Corded Upright Vacuum UH70935, for like $59-69.
Vacuumed the first floor with the in-house, and then several days later with the new one. Got like 1/2-3/4 full canister of hair and dust.
And the carpets looked perfectly fine beforehand too....
WHEN I use my shedmonster several times a week, it seems to do an excellent job of getting tons of undercoat out, without removing very much guard coat if any. These are usually $15-20, probably on sale for the holidays now.
I have even less when I make it a habit too use a comb or slicker every day for 4-5 minutes.
BTW, even though the new house we're in has a in-house vac system, we ended up getting the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner WindTunnel 3 Pro Pet Bagless Corded Upright Vacuum UH70935, for like $59-69.
Vacuumed the first floor with the in-house, and then several days later with the new one. Got like 1/2-3/4 full canister of hair and dust.
And the carpets looked perfectly fine beforehand too....