Any tips to limit Labrador shedding?

[bbcessex]

My beautiful one year old boy is totally gorgeous and we love him to pieces.

Would love to have just a little less fur all over the downstairs if possible.

We use a furminator regularly (so therapeutic), we wash him weekly with a 'shed reducing' shampoo, and he is lovely condition, but there is hair EVERYWHERE downstairs (he doesn't go upstairs). We have a G-Tech cordless & handheld which we use all the time but it's just holding back the tide.

It may just be something we have to live with, which is fine, he's worth it.. just wondering if anyone has any top tips we haven't thought of?

[SaxxedtotheMax]

I would probably brush him every day. We use a furminator on the cat weekly, but also use a human Tangle Teezer brush daily.

It was DDs, but it now belongs to Dcat.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

I wouldn't wash his weekly, isn't that a bit too much?

A supplement for skin/coat added to his food, maybe?

[Pipandmum]

Just brush him regularly.

[Jaffacakebeast]

You shouldn’t wash a dog that much, that’s probably causing the shedding

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

Definitely get used to it I'm afraid! They're recognised as a heavily shedding breed due to their double coat.

For that same reason you shouldn't use a furminator as you're effectively shearing the coat which really irritates the dog's skin.

[bbcessex]

Thanks all.

He doesn't seem worried by the furminator - really seem to enjoy it and doesn't seem itchy or bothered.


We hose him down regularly because of muddy walks and use shampoo when we do - didn't realise that was a no no.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

Well, mud that is a bit of problem with Labs, I understand your reason.

[Jaffacakebeast]

Rinsing mud off is 1 thing, but shampoo etc strips the oils from their skin and coat, def not good for them

[sillysmiles]

I never wash my lab unless he is acutally stinky. After muddy walks I just dry him off with a towel (he has his own towels). I lift his soft bed off the floor so he can only lie on the vet bed and he'll clean himself off. During the summer he swims a lot. Again he get dried off after this but not washed.

[HairyDogsInUnusualPlaces]

If he sheds a lot, you might try changing his food, but at the end of the day...labs do shed a lot.

[bbcessex]

thanks all.

He's lovely and sweet smelling today after a good brush and a wipe over with a tumble drier sheet!!

Have done a lot more online reading; we will definitely shampoo him less, and use a good brush daily (took one out with me in the forest this morning and gave him a good brush there - more fur in for the birds!).

Am still going to use the Furminator too - he's got no patches etc. on his and it only takes off dead fur if you do it gently, so all good there.

Dog + hair house = much better than clean house, no dog, so will live with it happily :-)

thanks again.

[Almostflownthenest]

You have a Labrador - they shed ++++ .

[loobylou44]

Try using a rubber curry comb (black one, should cost a couple of pounds). I found that the furminator is great for getting the undercoat out and the curry comb gets rid of the loose hair on the top coat. I've got 2 labs and they shed constantly so I feel your pain!

[Bubblysqueak]

The only thing you can do is brush regularly, or if you get really fed up like us get a robot hoover. House gets hoovered multiple times a day so no hair but also no work!

[TheFaerieQueene]

You can’t stop a lab shedding. 😁

[Toooldtobearsed2]

Yep. Two labs here - live with it!
I use a furminator. I stop when i realise they are likely to be bald if i keep going. They are brushed every other day, roughly speaking. Hosed off when particularly crappy, otherwise just dried and cleaned.
Tomato sauced on regular occasions and sternly talked to ( as in ' if i could find someone to take you i'd fucking pay them' ) on a daily basis 😂

[Honeyroar]

A tumble dryer sheet!😳. Why??

We have two labs, they shed non stop. That's just life with a lab. Regular brushes and lots of hoovering or you get the Labrador tumbleweed everywhere. We hardly ever wash ours. I don't think they smell much at all. Our little fluffball gets smellier.

[Moondust001]

My BC sheds for England. He gets shampooed once a year - unless he's had a close encounter with fox poo. Furminator, yes. But my secret weapon, and for me it really has worked - Lintbells YuMega Dog. It's designed to condition the coat and skin to reduce shedding. I can now only knit a new dog every few weeks instead of every few days!