Dog Hair
I am a dog fan. The unconditional love, loyalty, and friendship that come with dog companionship are hard to beat. Along with that, though, comes dog hair which is going to fall out. After all, shedding is a natural process that allows the new coat to come in.
The German Shedder---er, Shepherd Dog is known for shedding LOTS of hair, second only to Malamutes. German Shepherds have a double coat—the outer layer sheds all year round while the under coat molts twice a year. The volume of hair that comes out during the molting periods is really quite impressive!
There are three stages of hair growth and shedding: Anagen (when the follicle is producing new hair), Catagen (hair growth is in a transitional phase), and Telogan (the hair is in its final position and stops growing). Dog hair goes through these stages constantly, so you can expect continuous shedding.
Regular grooming and vacuuming can help keep the dog hair under control. Some folks vacuum their dogs as well as their carpets and floors, but do so with caution as some vacuums, particularly Dyson models, have pretty powerful suction. Dog hair is a fact of life with dogs, and you can either brush or comb it out and toss it in the trash, or you can let it fall out naturally all over your house. Your choice!
My GSD, Sagan, delights in christening my freshly vacuumed carpet with clumps of black hair. I need to get a Furminator but I haven't had the money yet. I could easily build 2 more dogs with the amount I take off Sagan and his mix breed sister Pepper.
ReplyDeleteit IS amazing, isn't it? Some folks have spun their dog hair into yarn and knit all kinds of things including sweaters and leg warmers. An interesting way to make dog hair the gift that keeps on giving!
DeleteHi Dot, came to thank you for the post on my California blog and got side-tracked by the German Shedder. We have a shepherd/shar-pai who got the wrinkles from the shar-pai but the fur of the shepherd. When I am not brushing and/or vacuuming, I am pulling up clumps from the floor or out of her as she walks by. I totally get this.
ReplyDeleteneat post, looks like you have a couple cute dogs
ReplyDeleteI learned something new. Here we have chosen to match our carpet to our dog hair.
ReplyDeleteO my goodness - WHAT a LOT of hair! We have cats and when they shed there is so much fluff!
ReplyDeleteGerman Shedder - love it!
Oh, how I miss that unconditional love from a dog. However, I don't iss the hair which seems to work its way into everything--clothes, furniture and corners of the room.
ReplyDeleteWe absolutely adore our dog too. She doesn't shed; in fact, her fur just grows and grows and grows. I clip her at home about every five weeks and end up with enough fluff to stuff a cushion (not that I do). We really enjoyed your posting.
ReplyDeleteGerman Shedder! Good one! And the picture tells it all! I can so relate! Great post, as always!
ReplyDelete