To shed or not to shed....that is the question

[mcguiregirl2248]

My parents have a lab/hound mix and I am so allergic to him that I dare not even pet him! Stroking his back - anytime of year - raises so much dander and fur that I suffer for hours!

Labs are the worst for shedding!! I will never ever get a Lab for that reason! They shed constantly and the hair sticks in couches unlike the Shelties because it is short and course. Some of my friends have labs and I love their disposition but not the hair! I will take a Golden Retriever and a Sheltie any day over a Lab!

 

[JessicaR]

Labs are the worst for shedding!! I will never ever get a Lab for that reason! They shed constantly and the hair sticks in couches unlike the Shelties because it is short and course. Some of my friends have labs and I love their disposition but not the hair! I will take a Golden Retriever and a Sheltie any day over a Lab!

oh great just what I have to look foreward to so far sam (lab) isnt a big shedder but he is only 4 months old. I know my parents great danes are terrible shedders!!

 

[crazy's mom]

Crazy doesn't shed that much. Only around October, but I brush him alot and that seems to keep it under control.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

Sadie sheds a lot. My clothes are always covered with her fur and there are always little tumble weeds floating around on the floor. Sadie came from a reputable breeder and excellent blood lines.

My parent's sheltie sheds very little. He came from a pet store and we have no idea about his background.

So from what I've experienced good breeding isn't everything when it comes to shedding

 

[k9kreationz]

From what I was told, dogs that stay indoors more, tend to shed year-round more. And my dogs definitely let it all out after a bath (again, I'm told baths do that too).

So, with that thought. The fact that I don't brush my dogs very often (line brushed about twice a year), and that they don't get many baths (maybe twice a year), and that they don't go outside except to potty, um, they shed a lot. I have to vacuum once a week minimum. I'm sure if I brushed them more (esp now), it'd be less.

Miko has always shed like this (aka a lot), so I cant' say it's diet. Koji's only 1.5 years old, so his coat is still coming in, but I'm guessing he'll be a shedder too.

I just assumed they shed a lot. Although, everything I've read says if you give them a decent brush once a week, there'll be minimal shedding. Maybe I should give that a whirl. lol.

Oh, I know all about the hair stuck around the wires, under the fridge, in corners, up against corners, and boy oh boy, I could have 100 Shelties if rebuilt them after a good vacuum or brush. lol. But I still love them.

 

[HopeShelties]

Could be worse... At least with shelties, you end up with big pieces forming which makes it easy to pick up around the house :x Unlike short haired dogs who shed like cats. I'd much rather have the long hair to clean up.

 

[ruckusluvr]

Ruckus shed year around. But he sheds BAD during the spring. No mater what season I have dog hear all over me and even dig it out of food and my mouth.

Lynn is 8 mos old now and has not started shedding.

 

[BarbV]

Ginnie (the pup I had to return) was a horrible shedder! Mounds of the stuff everywhere! I was picking it out of my own hair! (Imagine looking in the mirror and see grey hair on my head....and then realizing it was the blue merles! )

Neither Bacca or Indy appear to be shedders, but neither are a year old yet. I suppose it could still happen, especially when I get them neutered? Indy is pretty poofy already though so I think he's further into his full coat than Bacca. Bacca just has a lovely soft, silky coat that is a joy to sink your hands into...and he's never had a bath!

We'll see what happens when they are both neutered and bathed....

 

[Lahree]

Ginnie (the pup I had to return) was a horrible shedder! Mounds of the stuff everywhere! I was picking it out of my own hair! (Imagine looking in the mirror and see grey hair on my head....and then realizing it was the blue merles!

I wish I had a grey dog in the house to blame when I see grey hair on my head.

 

[Lahree]

Both Honey and Jazz (from the same line) kept their coats really well until they were brushed or had a bath and then, oh man, was there a lot of hair! I would literally get a big paper grocery stack filled with hair when I brushed them. There never appeared to be that much hair floating around inbetween times, however, the rolling brushes inside my vacuum told a whole different story.