Fysha wrote:Cute dog.
For shedding, just keep up the grooming. I have found rubber curry brushes, like those use on horses, work great on double coated dogs. I also use a simple grooming comb, like a "greyhound comb". I have short coated border collies and a german shepard cross which have that double coat and the loose hairs "clump" but don't fall out. The comb works great and pulling everything out and is gentle on the guard hairs.
As for the extra shedding, it's probably due to a few things, a harsher winter and a change of environment and food. It can take awhile for a dogs body to adjust to new things. Adding salmon oil is also good for the coat.
Sorry, no amusing stories about my shedding dogs.
I was able to dig up a plastic human comb that seemed to definitely help with getting some of his undercoat out while being gentler on his guard hairs than the furmintator. Thank you very much for the advice
I'll definitely look into curry combs and the fish oil, they were awesome on the horses that I worked with especially with mud (among other things) in their coats. I definitely think it's a colder winter than he was used to, plus it being our first time going through the seasonal shedding together I wasn't expecting this much fur haha!
eleutheromania wrote:Shedding is completely normal this time a year. most tend to have two major sheds and just normal shedding throughout the year. A simple brushing a few times a day should help. It’s a seasonal thing for some mixed and breeds. I would suggest not giving rawhide chews, they aren’t healthy for a dog and sometimes cause blockages. Definitely look up how they are made for further information.
shedding wide, i deal with it non stop with my eskimo. Definitely don’t over do baths as you can dry out their skin if it’s natural oils. Krill/Salmon Oil, generally any fishy oil additive to their food will help with coat health. depending on how sensitive his skin is, maybe a regular steel grooming comb or brush over the furminator if it’s damaging his healthy fur. Kasper pretty much has enough hair to make a second him whenever we comb through him. he’s tends to have a lot of undercoat to get through and we don’t groom him daily. he leaves long strands just about everywhere even after our groomer gives him a deshedding scrub and trim.
Oh boy you definitely have a lot more fluff to deal with than me haha. Do you have any pictures of Kasper to share? Since my dog has dandruff we've been sticking with one bath every 2-4 weeks, depending on how grimy/dirty he gets to try and minimize any issues on his end. Thanks for the heads up about the rawhides as well, I was initially concerned about the chemicals used in them/glued on ends, but I was able to find a roll style that wasn't chemically treated. When they get small enough for him to fit inside his mouth, I take them away to avoid him ingesting large pieces of the rawhide. I really wish I could get him to chew on something else, but rawhides are the only thing that I've found that he'll chew/play with. He has to be bribed to 'play' with toys for 3 seconds and he doesn't chew on anything else we've offered him (other than shoes). Do you have any recommendations for rawhide alternatives? We've tried kongs, braided ropes/tugs, playology toys, plush toys, etc. Bones/antlers are off the table because of his chipped teeth. Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it!
mierose wrote:What thoughts do you guys have on the furminator? I know they’re good, but I’ve also heard that in long-haired dogs they trim the hair and make shedding happen more. Does anyone know anything about this or has anyone used one?
Furminators are amazing-I have one that I've been using on my short-furred (but double coated) dog and it does a great job of getting all the loose fur from the undercoat off of him. They can be a little rough on his guard hairs as a heads up, causing a few to break, but I haven't noticed any increase in shedding from normal use.
