The shedding is killing me.

[PatchonGSD]

I vacuum twice a day, AND vacuum and brush Balen everyday but there is still hair everywhere! Our clothes are still covered in it, I have to be careful when I'm cooking not to get hair in our food- When I pet him, I can see the hair floating through the air -you get the idea.

I know he is a German Shepherd, but this seems excessive.

I have heard of supplements that are supposed to help decrease shedding such as fish oil.

Anyone have any suggestions or experience with supplements?

[TrickyShepherd]

We use fish oil, and regular full grooming. The quality of food helps as well. Lower the quality and less nutrition in the food, the more brittle their coats get. A good quality food will lessen the shedding, at least a fair amount.

We dropped down to California Natural from Orijen because of financial needs.... and boy do I see WAY more tumbleweeds in my house!!!

It's pretty bad right now, so I feel your pain! I'm pretty close to giving up on trying to keep things spotless here. It's that time of the year and with the food change... all the dogs are dropping hair like it's going out of style.

When I had them on Orijen, they still shed like GSDs (which is heavy still) but, it wasn't nearly like this... it was manageable with once a day vacuuming, and full grooming every 4-5 days. Not too bad. Oh how I MISS that!!!

There's a lot more I've heard of that works, but I've never really had to try any more then just the oil and grooming. However, until we switch back to Orijen.... I may have to look into it again!!

I'd definitely like to see some suggestions on this thread... I could use some new ideas as well!

[Kyleigh]

My last dog shed like crazy ... you should trade him in for a LC ha ha ha!!!

[Jax08]

Give him a good bath at a groomers with a dog blow dryer. That will get most of the loose hair out.

[ken k]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

My last dog shed like crazy ... you should trade him in for a LC ha ha ha!!!

lol, I thought i had a lot of dog hair with the 2, then the LC came, omg

[Kyleigh]

Ky barely sheds at all. I had her at the groomers at the beginning of Nov and she still didn't really shed ... there was some fur, sure, but nothing like my last dog ... I am eternally grateful!

[Jax08]

I think these up and down temperatures are making it worse this year. Poor animals don't know whether to grow their coats or blow them. I haven't even begun to put a blanket on my horse yet. One night it's 20 and the next it's 40.

[Marnie]

To me, the shedding is the biggest downside to the breed. My collies and shelties have not shed nearly as much. Collies have more coat and a denser undercoat, but it remains on the dog (and will mat) until you brush it out.

Bathing usually helps. A trip to a groomer will cut down on the problem for a while, especially seasonal shedding. Give yourself an early Christmas present and make an appointment with your groomer.

[Freestep]

Dogs that live primarily indoors shed constantly year-round, and GSDs are notorious for it. I have a GSD in my grooming shop right now, I just groomed him yesterday, blew and brushed out a TON of hair, and this morning he's still got loose hairs falling off. It just never ends.

Supplements like Fish Oil, Missing Link, etc. certainly won't hurt, but I'm not going to tell you that it makes shedding stop.

Daily brushing and vacuuming is all I can say... you have a GSD! Hair is just part of the deal.

I have to say, my own GSD doesn't shed all that much, as GSDs go. She has a short stock coat, relatively close-lying and very dense. When it does begin to shed in spring, it's unbelievable, but it's not too bad right now. I have no idea why, because I don't brush her very often (hey, I brush dogs all day long!) and she eats a good-quality grain free kibble, with a fish oil and glucosamine/chondriotin supplement. I raised her on raw until she was about 5 or 6 years old, and she didn't shed too badly then either. She's always been a housedog, but spends quite a bit of time outside as well. All I can figure is that some dogs naturally shed more than others.

[TimberGSD2]

With TJ the shedding was just about unbearable. I found that having him groomed 4 times a year with the furminator helped tremendously. With Kya I do it twice a year. It is amazing how much these dogs can shed!