Question for dog owners

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sarahp86
sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
in Chit-Chat
I spent the last two days cleaning the house to get ready for Christmas. I spent two hours vacuuming the house alone (I don't live in a big house) I realised I was fighting a losing battle because I ended up following the dog and vacuuming up his hairs.

They are EVERYWHERE! It's non stop shedding all year round! He's a 16 month fawn bullmastiff so there's a massive amount of blonde hairs and I'm at my wits end!!

Aside from strapping the vacuum cleaner to him what's the best way to deal with this. My boyfriend is oblivious to it. I keep threatening to shave the dog so my boyfriend will vacuum.

Does anyone else have this problem? He is mainly an indoor dog he's only outside when we're at work.
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Replies

  • alecta337
    alecta337 Posts: 622 Member
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    Brush your dogs. Depending on how much they shed you might have to do it every day. When you brush them all their loose hair will come off into the brush and not onto the floor.
  • RunLiftEat
    RunLiftEat Posts: 213 Member
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    Do you brush the dog at all?
  • wee_wolfie
    wee_wolfie Posts: 40 Member
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    Groom him regularly. That will reduce the amount he sheds around the house but it will not eliminate it completely. It's one of the joys of owning a dog! :D
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    The most practical answer: Match your carpet and couch to the dog.

    Regular brushing, especially with something like this: http://www.remmeer.com/dog-grooming-brush-glove-p-1482.html

    A mastiff is very short haired, so I'm surprised your noticing that much around the house. If it's excessive shedding, you might want to check with the vet. Sometimes tapeworm can cause hair loss.
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
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    yep brush brush brush. we have 3 and one is a bassett hound and sheds like a fiend. also if you find a good groomer that should help with the undercoat also.
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
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    Not a dog owner, but we have a cat. And yes, he sheds. We do vacuum but I don't make it my goal to get rid of his hairs. I know he sheds. My friends and family know we have a cat. They know that when they come over that they WILL get cat hairs on them. I don't try to clean to impress them or anything. It is what it is. Pets shed.

    I don't have any advice really. I know my mom keeps a towel on her couch where the dog lays. So then she just needs to take it off when people want to sit there.

    Also another thing...a dog's diet can affect the shedding.
  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
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    Brushing will help a lot with the shedding inside the house but do it outside or it defeats the purpose!! :D I learned that the hard way >.<
  • Pinkmaddycat
    Pinkmaddycat Posts: 175 Member
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    i have wooden flooring and tiling all in my downstairs.....i sweep daily and im surprised the dog has any fur left!!

    Just gotta clean up after him, even with brushing he;ll still shed some
  • Cinnamonie
    Cinnamonie Posts: 138
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    Trust me I have a long hair german shepherd mix who sheds year round and NO amount of brushing helps. We have tumbleweeds of her fur everywhere! Vacuums would die in our house just looking at the rug.

    The BEST one I ever tried I still have on recommendation from my mom who has a pack of shedders too...it's Hoover windtunnel P.A.W.S. and has these rubber nubs that really drag up the fur.

    We still have to vacuum weekly (2x per week really for the living room if we really want to be spotless) but that really helps with getting all the fur up.
  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 595 Member
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    Try this type of brush it has done wonders for me and my pup. It allows you to get the hair off the dog rather then finding it around the house. My brother has had good results also.

    Dogs used on
    Shepard wolf mix
    Pug
    Short hair mut

    http://www.amazon.com/FURminator-Large-Yellow-deShedding-4-Inch/dp/B000FSN0A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1322413813&sr=1-1
  • sarahp86
    sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
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    Sorry forgot to put that in, I do brush him daily and he's groomed once every two months. Even the dog groomer can't get over the amount of hair for a short haired dog
  • CouchSpud
    CouchSpud Posts: 557 Member
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    Parents have a rhodesian- labrador mix - he's short haired and loses lot of hair, neber mind though as carpet and couch match the dog lol. He also get's brushed daily. My sisters dog is a berge blanc - she needs brushing at least twice a day. There isn't much else you can do. Especially if the fur coat looks alright. If he shows bold patches... now that would be a different matter
  • cindymarguerite
    cindymarguerite Posts: 52
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    Get a brush that will get down to his undercoat, that's where all the hair is coming from!
  • Cinnamonie
    Cinnamonie Posts: 138
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    Try this type of brush it has done wonders for me and my pup. It allows you to get the hair off the dog rather then finding it around the house. My brother has had good results also.

    Dogs used on
    Shepard wolf mix
    Pug
    Short hair mut

    http://www.amazon.com/FURminator-Large-Yellow-deShedding-4-Inch/dp/B000FSN0A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1322413813&sr=1-1

    Good point. The furminator is great. I found that it really took off a LOT of fur and made my dog look scrawny and weird, so I don't use it but it definitely works great for fur. Since the mastiff is short hair anyway this should not make a difference in appearance for you so should be good!
  • surfrgrl1
    surfrgrl1 Posts: 1,464 Member
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    I have a corgi mix, He has a thick undercoat that requires a special type of brush (looks more like a comb). He is getting his winter coat in right now, so shedding is pretty bad. I could swiffer 3 times a day and still not be able to get it all. I have him bathed when I take him for day-care about once every couple of months and it helps keep the shedding down. I'm guilty for not brushing him like I should, completely my fault! My cat sheds too, so its just sooo much fun!
  • slicksps
    slicksps Posts: 33
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    Use a slicker brush which will help pull loose hairs from his undercoat, but you may also need to consider seeing a vet, particularly if the hair loss is resulting in bald patches. It could also be diet related.

    I've not used the furminator mentioned above but some people do swear by it.
  • sarahp86
    sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
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    Try this type of brush it has done wonders for me and my pup. It allows you to get the hair off the dog rather then finding it around the house. My brother has had good results also.

    Dogs used on
    Shepard wolf mix
    Pug
    Short hair mut

    http://www.amazon.com/FURminator-Large-Yellow-deShedding-4-Inch/dp/B000FSN0A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1322413813&sr=1-1

    My groomer told me not to use the furminator, we were using one but she said its main,y for long haired dogs, our vet said the same. He's completely healthy and has no bald spots. I use a flat brush, like the ones they use on horses but it's for dogs. I should have massive bicepsby now from all the brushing! He loves being brushed and will bring the brush toome. He loves being vacuumed too. I have to put him out the back when I'm cleaning because he will stand in my way until I use it on him

    Good point. The furminator is great. I found that it really took off a LOT of fur and made my dog look scrawny and weird, so I don't use it but it definitely works great for fur. Since the mastiff is short hair anyway this should not make a difference in appearance for you so should be good!
  • FatassFairy
    FatassFairy Posts: 166 Member
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    in one word Furminator!!


    http://www.furminator.com/?gclid=CLj2jeyo16wCFRAq7AodnEI0pw
  • Maryfullofgrace
    Maryfullofgrace Posts: 342 Member
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    I have Labradors. They constantly shed hair, and then seasonally the shed their winter or summer coats. (which is a hair festival around here!) Pet hair is part of owning a dog, cat, goat. Even people shed! There are a few breeds that don't shed. It is healthy for your dog to shed. If you shave them it does change their coat structure, at least with the Labrador, and makes it fluffier, which doesn't really solve the problem.

    I vacuum and sweep floors daily. I wash my dogs a little more frequently during the seasonal shedding time to speed the process along and harvest the hair in the tub with a drain cover that is mesh and snags the hair so it isn't going down the drain. During a bath I can get out hair the size of a cat! My dogs are both indoor dwellers. I have heard on a housekeeping website for every pair of legs in your house, that is as often as you should vacuum per week... so if you have you, your mate, and your dog... that is 4 sets of legs so you should vacuum 4 times a week. I hold with this rule in my house, so I vacuum daily and sometimes twice daily when company is staying with us.
  • themetra
    themetra Posts: 174 Member
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    I bought a shedding rake, and I take the dog outside to do this because once i'm done, there is easily enough fur to cover a whole other dog! Once i get him back inside, I use the vacuum hose, and vac him. He actually seems to like it.

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