The last little while, Blitzen has been a shedding machine and it's driving me crazy! I sweep bc the swifer doesn't do **** with the balls of fur rolling around my place (not literally lol). I sweep EVERY single night after he goes to bed and I swear I could make a very long wig with all his fur. lol. Is there anything I could do to make my life a little easier? Besides brushing and giving him baths? Now he gets a bath almost every 3 days instead of the once a week he used to get. Will it always be like this or get a little better as he gets older?
Shedding machine!!!
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Most vets and trainers and groomers recommend bathing a dog once every two weeks but alot of people do it once a week with no ill side effects. The reason it is every two weeks is that the soaps and frequent washing can strip their body of their natural oils as well as cause skin and fur irritation and problems.
I have a dog that has allergies and loses alot of hair. You can try to vacuum you pet with a pet brush attachment or those round brush attacments. I usually vacuum my dogs once a day to every other day in high shedding season. Then vacuum the house after wards. It really does reduce the amount of hair every where. then if you want you can donate the fur to the oil spill clean ups to make booms.
if you dog is afraid of the vacuum then you might need lot sof treats and love while they get use to the sound and then eventually the vacuuming of fur.
It's best to get one that doesnt clog easily. I use a small 2 gallon shop vac. plus the smaller ones isnt as loud as the other bigger ones.
I have a dog that has allergies and loses alot of hair. You can try to vacuum you pet with a pet brush attachment or those round brush attacments. I usually vacuum my dogs once a day to every other day in high shedding season. Then vacuum the house after wards. It really does reduce the amount of hair every where. then if you want you can donate the fur to the oil spill clean ups to make booms.
if you dog is afraid of the vacuum then you might need lot sof treats and love while they get use to the sound and then eventually the vacuuming of fur.
It's best to get one that doesnt clog easily. I use a small 2 gallon shop vac. plus the smaller ones isnt as loud as the other bigger ones.
Oh I didn't know that about the fur. He tends to stink after a week of not bathing...is that normal? I'm going to try to get a good vacuum...most of the stuff we need for our apartment is provided for us by my hubby's work, so the vacuum could be not as good but I'm gonna try. Thanks
try to be sure its a vacuum that doesn't clog easily with hair. or you'll have a mess in the tubes and clog spots.
You can try some natural dog sprays. I make my own by buying dog-safe non toxic essential oils. You can get them in rosemary, vanilla etc. You can add a few drops (5-10)per small spray bottle (filled with distilled water) and a teaspoon of witch hazel. The witch hazel isn't a must but it keeps the mixture from separating. If you don't mind shaking the bottle before spraying it the essential oil and water will do. Make sure it is essential oil and not fragrance as fragrance oils are synthetic and essential oils are natural. Or you can buy them in a pet store premade. I like to make my own and use them to freshen the house.
You can try some natural dog sprays. I make my own by buying dog-safe non toxic essential oils. You can get them in rosemary, vanilla etc. You can add a few drops (5-10)per small spray bottle (filled with distilled water) and a teaspoon of witch hazel. The witch hazel isn't a must but it keeps the mixture from separating. If you don't mind shaking the bottle before spraying it the essential oil and water will do. Make sure it is essential oil and not fragrance as fragrance oils are synthetic and essential oils are natural. Or you can buy them in a pet store premade. I like to make my own and use them to freshen the house.
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Bathing once a week I think is okay as long as you are using a good dog shampoo. Usually high quality dog shampoos aren't as harsh and don't usually damage the fur/skin. Since my dog was 9 weeks old we've been bathing him about once a week because we have family members with dog allergies and keeping our dog nice and clean keeps their allergies down enough that they can visit us without being too bothered. I buy him nice dog shampoo (we like "Buddy Wash" and/or "Tropiclean" best out of the shampoos we've tried so far) and we've never had any problems with it drying out his skin or fur or causing any kind of irritation. He has really insanely soft fur too, we always get complimented on how soft his fur is
I don't know any solutions to reduce shedding other than what you already mentioned. If I don't clean a lot I get the little fur tumbleweeds rolling around on our floors, lol. I just try to really keep on top of cleaning the house as well as bathing and brushing the dog frequently.
I don't know any solutions to reduce shedding other than what you already mentioned. If I don't clean a lot I get the little fur tumbleweeds rolling around on our floors, lol. I just try to really keep on top of cleaning the house as well as bathing and brushing the dog frequently.
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Look up your dogs breed to see if you should use a furminator on them - they aren't recommended for all coat types.
I have a papillon and it's not recommended you use furminators on them because they don't have an undercoat and brusing with a furminator can damage their long hair. Furminators where designed and work best for removing shedding undercoat.
I have a papillon and it's not recommended you use furminators on them because they don't have an undercoat and brusing with a furminator can damage their long hair. Furminators where designed and work best for removing shedding undercoat.
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I believe that Blitzen is a cross of shephard and husky? Or am I totally off? And yesterday at the pet store they were advertising furminator and showed me the demo, it seems to be awesome! ^^ I couldn't believe the fur that came off! Would I be wrong in assuming that perhaps the smell coming off him once a week is caused by frequent bathing? I bathe Coco maybe three times a year (today being his first for 2011 ) but he's got a different coat type. Anyway, smelly dog could also mean diet? I'm not an expert.
) but he's got a different coat type. Anyway, smelly dog could also mean diet? I'm not an expert.
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Furminator does work great! I have one that I use on my rabbits and it's insane how much fur it gets off them when they are shedding.
I think, with the type of dog Blitzen is, it would probably be fine to use it on him. I just wanted to point out for other people who might come across this tread that furminators aren't recommended for all coat types.
Frequent bathing doesn't cause my dog to smell at all. He always smells so good Diet can cause them to smell from what I hear.
I think, with the type of dog Blitzen is, it would probably be fine to use it on him. I just wanted to point out for other people who might come across this tread that furminators aren't recommended for all coat types.
Frequent bathing doesn't cause my dog to smell at all. He always smells so good
Diet can cause them to smell from what I hear.We were told that he's husky/ border collie. We haven't met his parents owners yet..don't think we will. But from what we have heard about how dogs are bred up here...his parents may not be pure bred.
I use Johnson's regular baby shampoo on him. My mother-in-law has been using baby shampoo on her dogs since they were little pups and she's had no problems with them. They are now 8 and 3.
I give him about 1 1/2 cup of Purina puppy chow and I mix one boiled egg in it once a week for his dinner. And he also get carrots sometimes and for treats he gets Beggin Strips, Marrobone, Purina Alpo Brand dog treats, Milkbone different flavored dog biscuits, Harts rawhide munchy sticks and the dog chips which is supposed to be good for his breath and teeth.
Are furminators expensive? I doubt it the only pet store up would have any as most people leave their dogs outside so shedding isn't really a problem for them. I'm gonna look them up online and see if I can order one.
I use Johnson's regular baby shampoo on him. My mother-in-law has been using baby shampoo on her dogs since they were little pups and she's had no problems with them. They are now 8 and 3.
I give him about 1 1/2 cup of Purina puppy chow and I mix one boiled egg in it once a week for his dinner. And he also get carrots sometimes and for treats he gets Beggin Strips, Marrobone, Purina Alpo Brand dog treats, Milkbone different flavored dog biscuits, Harts rawhide munchy sticks and the dog chips which is supposed to be good for his breath and teeth.
Are furminators expensive? I doubt it the only pet store up would have any as most people leave their dogs outside so shedding isn't really a problem for them. I'm gonna look them up online and see if I can order one.
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You're problem may be the shampoo. Human shampoos are meant to wash human hair. It can irritate and dry out dog skin and since you're washing him so frequently I would almost bet on it. Even though the food and treats are full of fillers I've fed them and my dog(s) never smelled. Try getting some shampoo specially formulated for dog skin, the Ph levels are WAY different. Even though ppl say to use it bc "they've used it without problems" I would do imdependant research. If we always went by what others said we would never advance as a species!
Baby shampoo is supposed to be ok for dogs according to some sources. I ended up giving Noah a rash bathing him too often which was once a week. White dogs get dirty. Now, it's a bath once every other month and they do fine and don't smell. Try a enzymatic type shampoo to see if that helps. It did great for me when I was trying to get rid of the skin issues.
What does he smell like?
Getting the undercoat thinned out will help his coat breath if he is having some sort of skin funk going on. I use an undercoat rake and a large pin brush on mine. I also use a slicker brush for their tail and lightly on the outer coat. The furminator works great on my cat but I don't like it for my Pyrs.
Now, it's a bath once every other month and they do fine and don't smell. Try a enzymatic type shampoo to see if that helps. It did great for me when I was trying to get rid of the skin issues. What does he smell like?
Getting the undercoat thinned out will help his coat breath if he is having some sort of skin funk going on. I use an undercoat rake and a large pin brush on mine. I also use a slicker brush for their tail and lightly on the outer coat. The furminator works great on my cat but I don't like it for my Pyrs.
Baby shampoo is supposed to be ok for dogs according to some sources. I ended up giving Noah a rash bathing him too often which was once a week. White dogs get dirty.
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He may look good on the outside but he may be lacking something like vit k or e. I'm not an expert on it but I would not trust pills to make my dog shiny! Diet is a good enough indication for me whether or not Coco's fur stays shiny = healthy.
I think it may have been the eggs?? I didn't give him an egg this week in his kibble and the smell is gone. And I also started giving him adult dog food (vet said it was OK). Tonight was the first time for the adult food and he ate the same amount and he seemed to like it better than the puppy food. I really don't know how I would describe the smell...it just made me not want him near me. I would never give him a pill to make his fur shiny. His fur is I don't know if getting his fur thinned out is a good idea because of where we live. We sometimes get -60 weather...but once the weather gets better, I might do it. Thanks everybody.
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If you use a good shampoo, have decent (not hard) water, and rinse 100% (this is the hardest part) you can bathe everyday if you want to. My show dogs get bathed everyday they are shown, sometimes this is 2 weeks in a row. I have used Esprit's shed less shampoo and conditioner and is the best I've seen. I would post a link but I am new and they wont let me.
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