It's that time of year again.... moulting!

Paradigm

I'm lucky in that my two are short haired but even so the amount of whispy, fluffy, fine "underhair", that blows around like tumbleweed, I'm finding is unbelievable.

It clogs the hoover so I try sweeping but as soon as it sees the brush it's off... rolling down the hallway like little furry marbles.

I reckon they've shed their own bodyweight in the last couple of weeks.

How are you lot coping?

Katiehound

My hound ( white with black spots & splodges) doesn't have an undercoat just slightly spiky top coat- mainly white ones which get everywhere and work their way into looser weave fabrics.
Okay there are black hairs too but they are not so noticeable. Saying that I think the bulk of the hair came out a few weeks ago because there were handfuls everywhere- that's why I love my original Dyson DC01! It does suck up the hairs!!

neveranymoney

Yup, black hairs on photo frames that are in no way reachable by Shadow. In my tea cup, in my bra. Thank heavens I am half blind and can only see them when I've my specs on or else when pointed out to me!

krlyr

Good diet (mine are raw-fed, I try to include oily fish in their diet at least once a week), oil supplements (mine are on a mix/rotation - fish oils & vitamin E, coconut oil, olive oil, rice bran oil), regular brushing with a normal pin brush to stimulate the skin, then a Furminator session every once in a while to get out all the dead undercoat. Once in a while I may give them a bath with the purpose of loosening all the undercoat that the brush isn't reaching, washing really gets lots of hair out of my shortcoated dog, but I try not to do it too often.

That, and the hoover is permanently on the highest setting at the moment, the lint brush in constant use, and my office chair at work covered in a fine layer of fur that's transferred off my clothes!

neveranymoney

Any tips on today's laundry conundrum? I have taken advantage of ot being a 'good drying day' today and washed all throws and dog bedding. All were shaken out thoroughly before being stuck in the machine. Bar smell and stains, they have come out worse than they went in! They are literally covered in a film of black hair, I've wiped as much off the door and rim of the washing machine as I can, but its not looking good for the white wash about to go in.

What do you do to de fuzz before laundering and with a washing machine that is no doubt clogged to the gills?

krlyr

I use wash bags - we have one for our stuff and one for the dog stuff. Stops the washing machine getting clogged, and the idea is that all the dirt and fur collects at the bottom of the bag. With the amount of hair that is on the stuff going in, it's not 100% effective, but it does seem a bit better than with no bag, it does still come out a bit hairy, but not completely covered like you might think with it all contained in a bag.

This is the sort of thing
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Horsewear-Rug-Numnah-Saddlecloth-Fly-sheet-Wash-Bag-/400584525497?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Steamers_Cookers_PP&var=&hash=item5d44b2c6b9

Paradigm

neveranymoney wrote: »

All were shaken out thoroughly before being stuck in the machine. Bar smell and stains, they have come out worse than they went in! They are literally covered in a film of black hair

Don't start me on that, I was given a black work fleece that my boy "adopted", he nicked it & lay all over it bless him... it's been brushed, washed, napalmed but still has the bloody dog hair that I can't get rid of.

Black with a subtle brown haze isn't a good look!

Katiehound

I have doggy duvets so the bedding itself is covered.
I wash the covers inside out- the hairs seem to cling to the corners (inside thankfully) and when I wash the bed part (as today) they are hairless.
When I wash the odd item as in acrylic crate blankets from car I shake first and wipe out the machine before using again. That said I don't get mountains of fur thankfully!

I do have black fleece gilets which appear to have permanent white hairs! I try to keep a couple for "best" but even they succumb. I have been known to sit in friends kitchen before departure to airport/port with sticky roller in hand trying to de-fur the garment before a dogless holiday!!!

neveranymoney

Cor, the things you can buy now! I have put that wash bag in my watch list, it will have to wait a while there, I've just bought a kong bounzer, chews, Easter eggs and a selection of gcse revision books for my daughter so I am broke. The odd shopping selections of parents and dog owners!

Katiehound

Just want to point out that my doggy duvets are very mse! Home made:- rejected duvets cut in half and hemmed with cut in half duvet covers made into giant pillow cases. I love them so much I have made literally several hundred and sold for charity!!!!
Seriously my dogs hate vet bed and love these- which go into the oval plastic beds (none of the plastic beds cost over £1!!)
No expense spared in this household!!!

krlyr

You could probably achieve a similar thing to the washbag using either a single duvet cover with a knot tied in the end before washing. We nabbed ours ages ago from a site that doesn't seem to exist anymore, at half the price of the eBay ones, so it just seemed easier. They're going strong about 4 years on so not bad for the money really.