Dog Community

Spring Blow

ron2

Posted : 3/28/2008 7:17:49 PM

Shadow is starting his spring blow, where he sheds his white and white-gray undercoat. I would invite others who have northern breed dogs to share theirs, too. This from today, not a lot. But other days, it's sticking out everywhere and you run hand across and pick up clumps of it. Enough fur to make another dog.

[IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc122/ronws_photos/fur1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc122/ronws_photos/fur2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc122/ronws_photos/fur3.jpg[/IMG]

FourIsCompany

Posted : 3/29/2008 8:05:14 AM

I don't have pictures of it on the dogs, but I could take a picture of the piles I get off my Shepherds. LOL Ugh! They are blowing machines!

dogslife

Posted : 3/29/2008 8:48:20 AM

Oh yes! Esp. my male. He hates it when you pull out those little white tufts sticking out. Looks like a wild wolf! And it is catching in corners of the floor in large amounts. I put it outside, the birds love to take it for their nests this time of year.

It is helpful to do a good brushing now and then, but it still is coming out! Lol.

snownose

Posted : 3/29/2008 9:53:01 AM

Ours started roughly two weeks ago......I used the blade several times and I am using the Dyson like a mad woman....lol

Here we have Rumour's butt fuzz on the left and Ronin's on the right.......still coming out like crazy......help....

ron2

Posted : 3/29/2008 5:40:12 PM

dogslife
put it outside, the birds love to take it for their nests this time of year

I prefer to groom him outside, as well. One time, we collected the fur and put it in a loose mesh bag and hung it on the clothes line for the birdies to take to their nests.

ron2

Posted : 3/29/2008 5:42:15 PM

snownose
still coming out like crazy......help....

I feel your pain.

And I should make a correction. It's not just northern breeds but probably any double-coated dog that will do it. From what I have read and learned, it's because dogs are photosensitive. As the daylight hours increase in spring, the body reacts by shedding the undercoat. Along about September, when the days start to shorten, even if it is still warm, Shadow will start to fur out.

FourIsCompany

Posted : 4/1/2008 4:22:47 PM

Ron, I thought of you today... Can't imagine why... Wink

And that's just 2 Shepherd hindquarters! Just the back legs/hips/tail. And I didn't even finish with that. I give them a 16-inch bully stick as I'm brushing and when that ran out, I stopped. LOL Besides, my arm couldn't take any more.