WHY is my German Shepherd, Dakota, shedding now??

Is she basically an in-house dog? If so, the dry heat in the house can trigger a shed cycle. I used to have that problem with one of mine. If she’s out most of the time, then I have no idea and I’m just a useless lump. <hangs head>

The coat that is coming in at this time is heavier than the coat that it is replacing (I think).

I just sent this to Syz. She knows everything!!!

LOL! Well..I guess, yes, she spends more time in the house than outside. That probably explains it. Which MEANS you are not a useless lump! Pick your head up, girl!

@submariner Or….could be that too. I didn’t think of it. I so prefer that she shed in the spring and summer, because we spend most of our time outside, so most of her fur goes blowing in the wind, you know?

Thanks @JilltheTooth

Shepherds shed pretty much all the time, and no matter how many Furminators you buy, there’s just no stopping it. . . . . :)

@Taciturnu No…it’s twice a year, like clockwork. I mean, I have two dogs and two cats and one husband and one me, and all six of us shed to a certain extent throughout the year, but Dakota’s bi-yearly shed cycle is unreal. I swear, I could make a 60’ X 60’ blanket out of each of her shed cycles. Do you think there might ever be a market for white dog-hair sweaters??

A friend who is a hard-core knitter tells me that some people do knit with the fur of certain dogs. They call yarn made from dog fur “chiengora”—I swear I’m not making this up. Dog fur from certain thick-coated breeds is soft, warm, and repels dirt and moisture. Believe or not, dogs don’t produce enough fur for it to be commercially viable compared to sheep’s wool or angora rabbits, but if you like to knit, you could definitely turn lemons into lemonade here. One caveat—I’ve heard some funny stories about how dogs react to articles of clothing made from dog fur.

I like how Val included the name of her dog in the question title :)

We used to have a couple of Keeshonden and saved their undercoat from grooming, had some carded and spun and the soft hair made a lovely wooly soft yarn. We lost interest before we had enough for a sweater, though…

@FutureMemory She’s part of my family, not some random dog! And…I don’t have to worry about some internet doggiephile takinga shine to her and stalking her. Um. No, Not at all. First she’d smother him with friendly fur until she realized what he was after, at which point she’d take his head off! Ooops!

@submariner Gosh…I don’t knit, and I can’t for the life of me imagine how you could get all of those short pieces of fur into a cohesive ball of yarn. But…lord knows there’s enough of it, and cleaned up it would be super pretty. And soft, I think, since it’s the thick, soft underfur that she’s shedding. Any knitters out there want to help me out??

I have a lab Shepard cross I think he sheds constant! Every 2 days my carpet goes from neutral beige to marble! I have a rainbow vacuum it’s really good but if you know anything about the rainbow it has water where the dirt goes which totally helps and produces way less dust and dander than a regular vacuum, great for allergies! Pain in the butt to empty. But I had a Dyson bought it brand new when they came out paid 1000$ at that time about 5 yrs ago 6 months ago it busted!!!

@Meego I am so gonna get me one! They’re only about $350 – $500 now….so worth it.
Out of curiosity…how’d it break?

I think shepherds just shed continuously. Most dogs do to one degree or another, shepherds just moreso. If a dog has a curly coat then the hair mats around other hair instead of falling on the floor, thus the ridiculous claim that poodles don’t shed.

I have an akita and the best remedy for his shedding is a high volume blower/pet hair dryer. I just blast the dead hair out of him a couple of times a week and it really helps to keep the shedding at a minimum.

Well it won’t stay upright, that’s not so bad..but also you know how Dyson talks about never losing suction? It has lost suction! I have made sure there is no clogs anywhere also pulled it apart I cleaned it routinely that way. Nothing. Called Dyson they said not to use it until I can get it fixed.

@Meego….Maybe you could use it as a bong now…?

The rainbow vacuum has the water and is not broken if it was I suppose it could be used as a bong you would have to be really creative though. The Dyson vacuum is broken and the rainbow keeps the house way cleaner anyway.