Agh! Blowing Coats!
It is that time of year again! Time to put the vacuum into a more easily accessible area of the closet so that it can be pulled out every two days. Yep! The Lab Brats are blowing their coats and our house can easily turn into the Wild West of Labs, with dog fur tumbleweeds flowing around, if we aren't on top of things.
Funny how some time ago I heard a few people talking about Labrador Retrievers and they said how Labs hardly shed. My mind did a second take. What? Labs don't shed? No one explained this to our two chocolate Labrador Retrievers. They shed all year long and when spring comes around in the great state of Wisconsin, they blow their thick winter coats in no time. Why are ours so thick? Well, when you have -50 degree wind chills during the winter, the body of a Labrador Retriever knows to make sure it pads it on extra thick to keep them warm. So, when the Lab Brats blow - they BLOW!!
I have to say though - thank goodness for my Dyson Animal 17 vacuum. I read about it on the Labrador Retriever board right after we brought Dakota home and I wanted one so bad. Sure, they are expensive but when you have Labs, a strong bag-less vacuum made for animals is the way to go. If we had to replace bags all the time, we would go broke. Every 2 days I vacuum and have to empty the vacuum at least twice each time.
The running joke in our house is that one day we are going to make money on all that shedded fur! Yep! We are going to use it to clone puppies to help us keep up with the cost of cleaning up after the Lab Brats! *wink*
Labels: Featured Lab Product, Lab Life
posted by Shannon at
7:59 AM
7 Comments:
We added a second lab to our household a little over a month ago....wow the hair!!! It is every where. We thought we had a rough with a lab and a long haired cat. We try to vacuum every other day...love my dyson!!!
The two are really cute and look like good therapy dogs. I do lead a yello lab and she is a specialist in healing sad people or scarred children.
I love working with her and know that she is not only my dog but I have to "share" her
Okay I need your opinion on shaving. Last summer I came home to find my beloved yellow lab Atticus completely shaved (except his head) My hubby had taken him to his good friend who owns a grooming biz and labs and told him that her dogs love it! I admit it did give his coat a very cool feel but he looked a little funny. It all grew back in no time... but do you think this is a good option? Love you blog btw.. I write about atticus on mine all the time!
Angie,
For the love of Labs... please don't ever shave your Labrador Retriever's coat. Labs are not meant to be shaved and the coat acts not only a way to keep warm during the winter but it also cools the dog during the summer (allows for proper airflow) and keeps the coat oily (which is crucial for Lab health).
If it is just a question about keeping your Atticus cool during the summer then there are simply ways to do this including lots of cool water, frequent brushing with both the Furminator and Shedding blade (not more than one every couple of weeks for the Furminator or you can strip the fur), and a kiddie pool.
Please, whatever you do... do not shave your Lab again. Sure, it seems cooler but you make him vulnerable to health problems.
Hope that helps!
Lab smiles,
Shannon
PS - thanks for the kudos on the Lab Brats blog. :)
this is great info!!!
thanks so much for the advice. No more shaving for sure!
Speaking of the Furminator - when is a lab old enough to have the Furminator used? Our lab is about 6.5 mths old so the shedding has been minimal so far (although a little more this past month, "blowing" season I guess?)
Great blog!!
Snerk -
I would suggest the pup be at least a year old since you want to wait until after they lose their puppy fur. :)
Lab smiles!
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