Mumsnet Talk

Lots of other dog breeds get clipped so can I do my lab? He can wear a rug like my horse does if it gets cold. That way I can rid my house of the evil white hairs that cling to every item in my house (well for a while anyway).

Has anyone clipped a labrador? Is it morally wrong?

How is it morally wrong?

I have my cocker spaniel shorn of all his feathering which is completely the opposite of the "breed standard".

I can sympathise - black lab in this house. Oddly enough I did threaten to shave her bald the other day.

Have always had several dogs so am used to living with dog hair, but god does she shed... And how the hell does her hair get inside new packs of butter or unopened tins of paint?

Have told DH that next dog is either a poodle or one of those Chinese hairless things.

I have a black lab, and my goodness is he moulting. I swear I could coat at Least 2 of those Chinese hairless dogs just by what I Hoover up in a day.
I think a lab would look funny clipped, but because they are a breed that sheds fur (rather than has hair, eg a poodle) you may just end up with alot of tiny hairs everywhere.
If your lab likes hoovers, dyson do an attachment dog brush that sucks up the hair as you brush them.

Morally wrong was said a little tongue in cheek! Not sure how to do smileys.

I did buy an attachment for my hoover (hetty) but it didn't stay on very well. Would the dyson attachment fit on a hetty?

His hairs get everywhere- my poor kids end up covered before they go to school and all my visitors go away with a coating of white hair.

Just want a break from it!!! ARGGGGGHHH!

He is 6 now so not a new thing I know, but we are decorating today so I know that our freshly painted walls will also have added extras too- they would love that on those home decorating shows!! It might catch on!

Ooh I don't know if it would fit on a Hetty.
I think it is a particularly bad winter for it though, radid changes of temperature outside, mixed in with heating on inside, etc,

We could swap dogs for a week, then we could have zebra children and walls?

Yes, I knew that really. I just have to deal with disapproving looks when I have my cocker spaniel shorn (which reminds me, he needs doing again. He is fluffy and stinks!)

Why don't you get it done and see what happens? You may think he looks ridiculous and it may make no difference to the amount of hair but it grows back pretty quickly anyway.

You see I envy you with your single colour dog... As well as the lab we have three greyhounds, and two of them leave light colour hair everywhere.

Whatever colour we wear, we're always smothered!

All of mine hate the vacuum, so there's no way I'd get anywhere near them with an attachment.

I must be lucky in that mine loves the Hoover, I've been hooving him since he started humping the Hoover he was a few months old.

Maybe I could dye him multi-coloured so he matches my outfits?

The reason they moult so much is that they are not designed by nature to live in a centrally-heated house. They have a double layered coat to keep them warm in a cold climate and moult as the temperature rises. Try turning your heating down, or at least keeping the dog's sleeping area colder (I know, mine sleeps by the radiator if you let him), brush daily with a furminator type brush, and add Yumega oil to food. It won't stop all the shedding but it does cut it down.

How will you be able to tell if Dog has been sleeping on your bed while you're out if he doesn't leave a halo of white hairs?

So the mass of grey hair on my pillow is nothing to do with me, it's my blue merle, long haired border collie then?

I shall go and point a very stern finger at him now

How can you clip a Lab when they're already short haired? Would they have to be shorn like a sheep? And would it not bugger up their double coat doodah which keeps them warm in water etc?

I do sympathise, we have a Goldie who leaves tumbleweed clumps of hair ALL OVER the place. There's a Goldie near us who gets clipped with only the feathering left on his tail and he looks really odd.

I would say YABU to do it to your Lab, sorry. Off to Google the Yamuba whatsit mentioned by pp.

We have a retriever cross, and we do get him clipped. Not bald though. I'm not sure about a lab though, as they have short hair anyway. You would be better off by buying a decent brush and really brushing his/ her hair out twice a day as this will get rid of most of the excess hair. That and hoovering the carpet every day.

I bought a furminator from Amazon for my golden lab, just doing it once a week has made a big difference to the amount of hair I wear on my black trousers when I go to work!

I have a small brown dog and a ginger cat, I also have a black pony! A variety of hair colours in this house! I don't think I will clip him, it would look very silly. I will just have to put up with it I think!

Or buy him an outside kennel!!

We have a lab who doesn't have a double coat (puppy farm dog we rescued) and she STILL sheds. Hang on to it, we say, you need it. But does she listen? No.

Some lab owners where we used to live used to strip out some of the coat with some sort of wonder comb. Never tried it on ours as we didn't fancy a bald dog.

My Goldie looks a bit like the Specsavers dog at the moment. With all the bloody mud she is permanently matted underneath in winter so this year I cut her undercarriage & thinned out her tail which always comes home with briars or twigs in.

I hate the fluff too, I do find a furminator helps that & daily hoover round.

The furminator is meant to be amazing. Sadly, current dog doesn't shed enough to warrant one. I'm happy for you all to bring your hairy dogs over for thorough brushing, if you like. (I just really like grooming pets.)

I've clipped my black Lab

(but in fairness he does have another bout of wet eczema and I haven't clipped him all over yet)

I second the advice to get a furminator, I didn't believe how good they were till I got one. We have chocolate labs and it has really decreased the amount of hair on clothes/furniture/floating around! I have lent ours to a few friends to try out and they've all gone on to get one.

This thread has made me smile, I was just thinking about clipping my Flat Coat retrievers as their coats are no longer flat but thick. One had an Op last month and the short hair on the op site is soft and lovely

So tempted

Another Furminator vote here. They do a deshedding shampoo and conditioner too, think Pets at Home sell it, or buy it online.

Also there is Yumega Plus oil, from Amazon, which can reduce the loss of hair, its meant to be very good for it, a teaspoon or 2 in the dogs food every day.

As an owner of two Labradors, one yellow, one black, I feel your pain. I have threatened to get them both laminated so they can't shed and all the muddy gunge slides off..... BUT the reality is this:

They have a double coat, which is important for swimming and heat regulation.
They are NOT a breed that needs or benefits from clipping or shaving. The whole point of their coat is that you leave it alone. I think you would probably struggle to find a dog groomers prepared to do it.

The problem is the density of their coats, not the length.

The ONLY realistic way to bring their shedding under control is regular brushing (we use a pin slicker brush, very effective) or something like the furminator suggested above.

Anything else could cause problems for your dog in cold/hot weather and when swimming.

And once it's done, it will take a long time to correct itself if it is an issue.

It really wouldn't do it.

I appreciate though that there are times when you need to, like HellHath - wet ezcema sounds bad