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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Minimizing the crazy shedding? (24 replies)
Minimizing the crazy shedding? by minro on 11 June 2012 - 14:34 |
| We all know that GSD's shed like crazy... my question to everyone is how do you keep your house from becoming overrun with dog fur? I own two GSD's and an Aussie mix and I feel like I am constantly dusting, sweeping, vaccuming and to no avail. I own two "Furminator" brushes - the expensive brushes that reach all the way to the undercoat - and I still feel so overwhelmed. I have no idea how owners with 3+ indoor GSD's survive! I know there are numerous pills, shampoos, etc, and am curious as to whether anyone has tried them out and gotten results. Thank you, everyone! |
by stary_eyed_angel on 11 June 2012 - 14:40 |
| I have less shedding on a raw diet but they're still gonna shed. I swear it's a hobby for this breed. I just sweep, vacuum, and learn to deal with it. I love my dogs so what's a little fur between friends? :) |
by EddaSG on 11 June 2012 - 15:15 |
I also wonder if there is something other than the obvious. The dust bunnies here have become large and reproduce out of control. With one white cat, one gsd, and now I have added another gsd. Fortunately my house is on the smaller side, so it is somewhat controllable if I keep at it. Even with the extra time and work, I would not trade them in for anything. Children are positively alot of work in other ways.  |
EddaSG by Conspicuous on 11 June 2012 - 15:18 |
| I actually am not convinced Furminators work that well. I mean, yes you end up with a huge pile of hair, but I have one that I use on my rabbit and I'm pretty sure it just scrapes the top hairs off, the teeth don't seem long enough to get right down. I really like the rakes for loosening hair and then the slicker brushes which seem to get obscene amounts of fur off! |
Conspicuous by Blitzen on 11 June 2012 - 16:38 |
My current female is intact; she sheds very little between the fall and spring seasonal sheds. My spayed female and neutered males shed 24/7. |
Blitzen by stary_eyed_angel on 11 June 2012 - 16:42 |
| I'm not too fond of the Furminators either. They say it doesn't strip the coat. The hell it doesn't! Ended up giving mine away. I'll stick to my undercoat rake and a bristle brush for finishing. Most of the shedding is only during heat cycles and seasonal coat changes anyway. I can reach down and tug my girls' coats right now and nothing even comes out. The boy hasn't quite finished blowing his all over the place but he's almost done thankfully. I just take the vacuum to him while doing the floors. LOL |
by SummertimeGSD on 11 June 2012 - 17:06 |
| When I had mine on a monthly bathing schedule it really kept the hair down to a minimum, and during the summer they swim in our pool so that takes care of a lot of the hair, although I just end up cleaning it out of the pool filter instead of off the floors! |
by Blitzen on 11 June 2012 - 20:07 |
LOL, SummertimeGSD. I am lucky, a friend owns a waterfront lot on the Gulf and I can take my GSD there to swim. No filters to clean  . |
by Niesia on 11 June 2012 - 21:58 |
| 2 kids, husband, 2 cats and 2 GSDs - I feel your pain... My solution: 1) raw/home cooked diet. I still have to put up with them blowing their coat twice a year but at least it's not a constant shedding. I do not know a pill/ supplement that would really work... 2.) no wall-to-wall carpeting: only tile and wood/laminate flooring (laminate is better as their nails don't scratch it). Carpeting doubles the problem, hair gets inside and is almost impossible to remove. 3.) cheap, very light and portable, European style canister vacuum with a bag!!! (i.e. Eureka readyforce - approx. $50 ) keeps your floors hair bunnies free. Bagless will make your house stink like wet dog every time you vac (been there, done that). 4.) no dog play allowed inside the house - when they do it - the hair is just flying... On a positive side: my friends have a yellow lab and he sheds constantly ten times more than all my pets put together. I do have dust bunnies on the floors to deal with - but he's got yellow sharp hair stuck into every soft surface - almost irremovable - he is however on kibble... You don't want him to touch you or you will have his pin like hair stuck in your clothes and you will have to pluck them one by one... |
Niesia by Botanica37 on 12 June 2012 - 00:14 |
| Raw food, fish oil and Neato robotic vacuum :) |
Botanica37 by guddu on 12 June 2012 - 00:30 |
| Get the Dyson... |
guddu by SummertimeGSD on 12 June 2012 - 00:53 |
| A robotic vacuum would die very quickly at my house! |
by Blitzen on 12 June 2012 - 01:48 |
| Guddo, 3 months ago I'd have said the same thing until I purchased my 2nd Dyson Animal Vac. I used it 3 times and the brush stopped spinning. Dyson mailed me a new head and that one didn't work either. I returned it to Penneys and bought a Hoover Wind Tunnel animal vac for a fraction of the price of the Dyson. It works every bit as well as the Dyson. I later read some reviews on the Dyson and some other buyers had the same experience I had - their Dyson took a dump after only being used a few times. Not sure how long this Hoover will keep on trucking, but so far so good plus it is much more user friendly than the Dyson, easier to attach the tools, the hose isn't so "stiff" and best of all, the price is much easier on my pocketbook. |
by Niesia on 12 June 2012 - 03:23 |
| I've never had a Dyson but I think it's price is ridicules... I've tried several bagless upright vacs and I HATE them. They are good only for vacuuming carpets around furniture, too much hustle to put on attachments and try to vac under the bed. If you don't clean the canisters and filters after EVERY use, the vac will stink when you use it again. I believe it has something to do with all that pet hair. Maybe those bagless vacs work in houses with no pets... I was on the fence to splurge for Electrolux canister vaccum for about $300 when I saw a cheap Eureka vac with the same parameters. And this cheap vac is my favorite to date... However it won't work on wall-to-wall carpeting as it has no power nozzle, but it works just fine on my area rugs. No glory in cheap vac, but I haven't used any other vac more often. It's so light, portable and it's small nozzle and long handle fits just about anywhere and suck up all those d... hair like magic... |
by aceofspades on 12 June 2012 - 04:35 |
| Here are my tricks. 3 kids, 5 dogs 1 cat,1 husband in 1100 square feet. Undercoat rake, Furminator to finish off the top coat, no carpet and a dyson. |
aceofspades by aceofspades on 12 June 2012 - 04:37 |
| I never would have bought a Dyson but it was a gift. I had a dirt devil bag less canister prior to that that I loved. |
by Blitzen on 13 June 2012 - 00:01 |
| I think the only real way to know which vac does the better job on your rugs and carpet is to first use one and then the other so you can see how much is picked up by each vac. I got a ton of hair out of my area rugs when I first used the Hoover. It was left behind by the Eureka cannister I used for over a year. If you have wool rugs that are under a year old, they are probaby filled with wool residue that my Hoover took care of in 3, 4 vacuming filling the cannister many times. The Eureka didn't touch it. I have hardwood and wool area rugs and it only takes a second to tap the adjustment and switch from floor to rug to floor mode. I love my first Dyson AV, it worked great for years, gave it to my g-daughter, bought another and it died after 3 uses. I won't buy another, too expensive for something that only worked for 3 days and there are now other comparable brands for far less money. Plus a Dyson weighs a ton and is awkward to manipulate around furniture. I hated using the attachments too. |
by fawndallas on 13 June 2012 - 02:35 |
| Talk to vet about a B vita supplement. When not pregnant and breast feeding, I have my dogs on Niacinamide. It does wonders for their coat. Does not stop the shedding, but it helps a lot. |
fawndallas by brynjulf on 13 June 2012 - 04:31 |
| We bath and force dry them out once a month just keeps the hair under contol. Quicker Slicker is a very important too :) |
by Nellie on 13 June 2012 - 10:17 |
| Best to invest in a blaster ,I use a greman undercoat rake, slicker brush and a zoom groom, these tools work the best on normal or long coated shepherds, worked this out after 20 yrs of grooming as a business, Furminators are rubbish they cut the coat giving the illusion that it has done a good job. My dogs are rearly bathed but i do take them swimming, 1 unspayed female sheds twice a year, 1 neutered male sheds constantly and a ragdoll cat (same equipment used on him). I used the same equipment when i had 3 long coats that all had thick undercoats too |
Nellie
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