Lab shedding question

[justfishingaround]

My wife and I are having an extended discussion, to Lab or not to Lab, I want one she says everybody she has talked to says they shed SO much. We had a Rottweiler for 11 years and that did not bother her, they have a double coat and do shed, do labs shed MORE than other large dogs such as a Rott?

[JayinMN]

I had a rott and currently have a yellow lab. I don't think one shed any more then the other but the yellow fur shows up on everything in my house. A black or chocolates fur my be less noticeable then a yellow depending on the decor. My lab really only sheds heavily once a year. For a couple weeks its hard to keep up with but after that she doesn't shed much. I was scared a lab would be a horrible shedder but it has not been too bad.

[foulpole18]

We have our yellow lab shaved at a kennel. She looks the same, just shorter hair.

[Bowfin]

Labs are great however they do shed - a lot! I have heard you can bring them in and have them vaccumed every few months and it helps with the shedding. A word of advice, if you get a Lab expect them to shed. I just bought my second lab about a year ago. One of the things I was not looking forward to was that I was expecting double the amount of hair from shedding however I was wrong as it seems we have 4X the amount of hair from shedding! Ya! - I don't get it either.

[jeffreyd]

Hair everywhere, placed you did not think hair would be. I have two yellow labs, and assure you that at minimum twice a year they will shed a lot. i get them professionally groom at least every other month, just to help with the amount of hair. i have asked about shaving them but the groomer advised against it, cant remember why tho. just like my bottletrees, the labs shed about the same time these things drop their leaves and then shed again when the leaves come back. oh well part of being a dog owner. i did buy a romba robot vacuum and that helps a ton with the floors, schedule to run everyday when we are gone and usually will be ok unless it has not run in a couple days then the basket gets full quick.

[Fins-n-feathers]

Labs do shed a lot... however they make up for it in other areas.

[CrazyLabs]

We invested in a FURminator...it made quite a difference.

[fivebucks]

Something I'ver heard but don't know if any truth to it. I've heard that black labs are more oily but shed less and yellows are not oily but shed more. I know my yellow is not oily and he sheds. My last was a black but with a mix so it would not be a good comparison.

[stifler51]

a lab will shed but like fins-n-feathers said, they more then make up for in other areas. A Lab will do whatever it takes to please the owner, labs have unconditional love.

[troutkingmaster]

+1 on the Furminator investment. 40 bucks seems like a lot but it is worth every penny. I brush my black lab with that every day before I bring her inside and it makes a huge difference.

[justfishingaround]

Thanks for all the in put.

[Todd Caswell]

They all shed and color doesn't matter, what you see depends on the color of your funishings. Having the dog on a high quality food and regular brushings and baths will help. Also suppliment a fish oil pill daily with food, keeps the coat shinny and the skin healthy.

[hanson]

Lint trap in my dryer is full of dog hair, still can't believe that one.

I don't have any carpet in my house, all hardwoods or tile and I have hair all over the place. You have to sweep weekly, if not more often. And it seams to all "blow" into the same places. Incredible...

[10,000 Casts]

I have 2 yellows. One reccomendation is to feed a little higher quality brand of dog food. For us, that cut down on the shedding tremendously.. They still shed just not as much. Now that I have owned these two, I really appreciate all the little things that I notice from other labs, like the ears, the way they look at you, the snorts they make and just their temperment. I think that there are smarter breeds out there overall but they are a great well rounded dog. I don't know if I will ever have any other breed..

[10,000 Casts]

hanson, will you post a couple pics of your lab grown up? That pic in your avatar is awesome!

[grousehunter]

Premo food and about 50lbs of hair loss the last couple weeks on my chessie..lol. Its only twice a year though, but petting him gets you a handful of hair right now unless I brush him a lot.

[no bait nate]

we feed our dog Nutro Max and it doesn't shed nearly as much as other labs i've seen. My friends lab shedded like crazy and he switched to the same food and has had much better results with her coat and shedding. My sister got a yellow that sheds worse than i've ever seen and definitely improved after switching also. just a thought and it's not to spendy for a very high quality food, (watch the weekly ads at FF), usually every other week it's on sale.

[10,000 Casts]

One of my Lab would only eat Kibbles and Bits.. which is the worst food for them, we have tried everythin from Royal Canine to Purina Proplan samples and she will only eat Beneful.. But since we switched our 2 dogs last year, the shedding has gone waaaaay down, infact right now they are hardly shedding at all.

Another thing is a good pet shampoo

[10,000 Casts]

One of my Lab would only eat Kibbles and Bits.. which is the worst food for them, we have tried everythin from Royal Canine to Purina Proplan samples and she will only eat Beneful.. But since we switched our 2 dogs last year, the shedding has gone waaaaay down, infact right now they are hardly shedding at all.

Another thing is a good pet shampoo

[jeffreyd]

I just did a change from iams which my newest pup was brought up on to blue buffalo. the shedding and also the hyperness has gone down some with the change. the thing that i like about the BB is that it has little to no corn in it. The iams was loaded with corn used for a sweetener. With the hot weather coming on now, they are shedding a bit more but getting kind of use to it. It did cost me 5 bucks more to have the car cleaned this am tho, as the hair was horrible. oh well better their vacuum get plugged then mine.