Moulting Labrador - how to get rid of the hair

[3LittleMonkeys]

Hi

I have a 6mth old black labrador which seems to moult all the time, my floors are covered with hairs permantly! Can anyone give me some hints on how to clean them up properly as all i seem to do is clean - which is not good I hate cleaning. I currently brush with a cloth (on a long handle), the vacumn, then use a clean cloth on long handle and wash the floor, but i still have hairs on the floor.

Sorry to tell you this but we have a 7yr old black lab and have hoovered everyday since we first got her, sometimes twice. We find her hairs on everything. I brush her a lot which helps but I have resigned myself to the fact that it is part of having a dog.

Keenly observing any ideas anyone else comes up with.

Sometimes what you feed them affects their coats and moulting. I feed mine Burns and their coats are beautiful and apart from their twice yearly moult there's not really much hair - I Hoover a couple of times a week max. You could also try a furminator to groom with, just excellent at getting out lab fur!

What are you feeding and how much? Moulting that much is unusual, especially in such a young pup. Has the dog been moulting like that since she very first came home? Is the coat shiny? Does the dog smell doggy? Are her ears itchy?

Having said that, it's unlikely you'll ever get rid of every last bit of hair, that'd be impossible.

A fulminator used once a week or so will make quite a difference to the amount that's dropped on the floor though.

I am feeding her Wrainwrights puppy food and now feeding her 2 x a day 359gms (was 3 times until 2 weeks ago) Her coat is really shiny and she does smell a bit doggy they do (don't they as they have two coats to keep them dry?)

At 6 months my non shedding my arse labradoodle cast more than usual, I presumed it was the puppy coat changing? His grown up coat is 'looser' scruffy waves, (he's nearly 7 months now) does cast a bit, mainly when he's damp. So it might settle down. Saying that my old dog (lab x very hairy thing) had baby clumps of hair still falling off when he was PTS at 17! Sorry!

Get a really good Hoover and lower your standards!

Is that 359g twice a day, or 359g split over 2 meals?

I might be totally wrong, but it seems with mine that temperature plays a part in moulting. My yellow dog has started to moult which I reckon is due to it having been relatively warm until recently. Way too early for a spring moult and if it carries on being chilly, he'll grow some more and do another moult come "proper" spring.
Trying to have a dog hair free house with labradors is impossible.
Grooming does help as Daisy said.
Lowering your standards and wearing only black clothes and having black floors will help even more

Thanks for all your replies it would seem I will have to lower my already very low standards! She is fed 359 over two meals.

My pal grooms her lab in the park - keeps some of the hair out of the house and gives the birds something for their nests

I wonder if you're overfeeding. That'd cause excess moulting. Their intake is greater than they can process and they get rid of the excess by moulting hair, filling anal glands and sometimes being itchy.

The feedguides for Wainwrights puppy food work on anticipated adult weight; so for a lab who is likely to reach 25-30ish kg (mine are all between 23 and 27kg) their suggested feed rate is 275 - 500g per day.

So - labs are at the bottom end of that, and I would say should be on in the region of 300g a day. Give it a go. 359g is quite a lot of food, especially as she's only 6 months. Overfeeding doesn't immediately result in overweight dogs, especially as puppies - it can cause different problems.

I expect she's getting training treats/titbits too which will add to her overall intake.

I have a 3 year old yellow lab and she moults all the time. She is a healthy weight and very fit. I walk her a lot and brush her once a day in the garden BUT the fur!! I do think temperature has a lot to do with it and central heating. I vacuum every day, twice a day when she moults proper.

I think everybody I know with a lab will tell you how much they moult!

Hi daisydotandgertie, my bag of Wrainwrights has said for 12kg - 25kg 260gms - 370gms for the puppy food so as i expect her to be about 25kgs i thought i was ball park, she is about 19kg now. Thanks for the advice I will speak to the vet next week to check on this as i would never want to over feed her as I know how quickly they put on weight.

Another Lab owner here, and this is what I do/know.
When out with dog hold her collar and rub your hand roughly along coat- this gets rid of all the loose hair and deposits it outdoors.
When you get home brush with any brush that gets both undercoat and topcoat. The Furminator is just one option, but only do this if she is dry.
Get a rubber brush to sweep hard floors, as these don't let the finer hairs fly around.
The dogs do moult a lot because of central heating. Just as they grow their winter coat we whack up the heat in the house, so they moult some more. This cannot be avoided.
The vet may not be able to advise you what is the right amount to feed your dog as they are not experts on every type of food. Be sure that you know what type of Lab yours is ie show dog or working type. The show dogs are much bigger so will have a different expected adult weight.
We use a breed specific food for ours and he has a terrific coat. If you are happy with your current food just try decreasing it slowly. The dog will tell you when you have gone too far. At 6 mths she shouldn't really be moulting as much as you say so a trip to the vet is a good idea.
Hope this helps.

3 little - it does. But look at the next weight band up which has different amounts recommended.

Try knocking her feed down by 30g a day to start with and see if it makes a difference. It might well do.

Oh and I've always fed a wee bit less than the guidelines. Hate seeing fat labs.

Thank you for your replies I will look into the feeding as like you Labradorlover I also hate to see fat labs, I have also started to groom outside after her walk - fingers crossed it will result in a lot less hair in the house!