the best way to prevent dander & hair shedding - Page 1

Hi,

Can anyone advise me of the best way to prevent dander & hair shedding in a german shepherd. My dog has been shedding his coat since a long time now & its very irritating. Is there any specific medicine? Should I be seeking my vet's advice?

Ha, did you miss that little tidbit of info when you were reading about the breed? Never heard them called German shedders before?

They are an undercoated breed who sheds everyday of their lives and ywice a year "blow" their coats to almost nothing.. it comes out in clumps, they lose pigment... look downright coyote-ish!!

Frequent brushing (daily would be nice but usually unreasonable.. couple times a week should help a lot) and removal of the undercoat is all that's needed, also helps with the dander.

There are a number of anti shedding products on the market.. I'm not real keen on them or anything that alters what their bodies are doing naturally, would have to look into it more.. They are supposed to shed it's what keep their coat thermal... keeps them warm when they need it and cool too!

I'd never recommend shaving them down.. that won't stop either problem.. just make shorterr harder to pickup hairs and embarass the poor dog to death.. although people insist it makes them cooler.. they are incorrect. It makes them prone to sunburn and they will absorb more heat..

Probably not what you wanted to hear..  all breeds shed, some just don't fall out... those need grooming every 4 weeks!!

I try and use a rake or slicker brush on mine daily.  They do get a bit of dander when they "chuck" their coat out but its rare.

I find swimming helps speed up the rate that the coat is shed and also I give vegetable oil with their feed to help their skin and coat.  This time of year all of mine are starting of finishing a moult - its just what they do.  I've friends with other breeds and they are all saying the same and that even the labrador's moult is horrid as that fine hair gets everywhere.

If the hair bothers you that much, get yourself a Mexican hairless!  The Shepherd is  nick-named the German Shedding Dog for a reason!

How old is your dog? Sometimes the shedding gets worse when a dog reaches old age.

When my girl Tasha reached her senior years, she seemed to shed nonstop. It was AWFUL!  What happens is an old dog's metabolism slows down, so it grows a heavier coat to make up for it. Nothing you can do about it other than put up with the mess. I found giving her Dr. Magee's (a special oil supplement ) helped improve the quality of her coat, but didn't do much for the shedding.

I tried to find a link for the supplement, but couldn't.  Problem is, I just call it Dr. Magee's, so I don't know the full name of the product. Maybe someone else can help here?  Thanks!

start by brushing the coat the wrong way using a rake then bathe him use conditioner something like mink oil dry him then brush the coat the right way using a slicker brush use more mink oil after you have done this brush twice a week swimming is great alternatively hose him down  there are products available as food supplements that work well moult formula is one of the best

i have a malamute x shepherd so i have an extreme shedderalso i have found a new gadget its an attachment for a hoover it works v. well

good luck

The best thing for brushing is a rake type brush called the "Furminator". Silly name I know, but this thing  works! It saves huge amounts of brushing time and really gets the dead hair off. It will look like you shaved the dog when you are done brushing, because of all the hair lying around. Best to do it outside. It's expensive, for a brush, but works so well and lasts so long, I really think it's well worth it.

rockinranch thanks for that i have just orderd one looks great but....£45 / $90 ish now thats expensive.

but if its as good as it looks i dont care!!!!

A species-appropriate diet helps TREMENDOUSLY.  Four dogs fed appropriately shed less than one dog that is fed kibble.  That's my observation so far.