Dog shedding and fur flying
Dear Fisher,
My pet-mate and I have a human who is not being fair. Cosmo, an allegedly “soft coated” Wheaten Terrier, is allowed on the couch, while I, a rat terrier, am not allowed on the couch. When my human is not home, you bet the first thing I do is jump right on that bad boy.
To be fair, my human has provided me with exclusive use of my own rocker recliner. Cosmo is not allowed to even sniff it, let alone sit on. Still, it seems unfair that just because I generously share my fur with everyone and everything, that this keeps me from being allowed on the couch. How can my human be so, um, inhumane?
Cookie – the davenport deprived dog
Dear Cookie,
Perhaps you are approaching this issue from the “glass is half empty” school of thought. It is probably not that your human likes Cosmo better than you, but more likely Cosmo’s occupancy of the sofa and your homesteading of the rocker recliner is simply because your human likes the sofa better than the recliner. Your “alleged” soft coated Wheaten Terrier pet-mate likely does very little shedding, unlike you, of the rat terrier breed. Rat terriers have a tendency toward profuse shedding. Your human seems to have come up with a no mess, no fuss solution and should be applauded.
Your first order of business is to accept you rocker recliner with dignity. Shedding is nothing to be ashamed of and if you are deemed healthy and fit, it is just a natural occurrence for your breed. However, I can disclose some helpful grooming tools others have used:
- recommended brushes such as a bristle brush and soft horse hair brush
- a glove with little nubs on it is helpful for removing hair and is soothing for you
- a nice bath with a natural ingredient shampoo and conditioner
- a vacuum cleaner (OK, do not panic! Must be done with care.)
You can read about other dog lovers and their solutions at
http:Wonder Puppy. Search for Helpful Hints for Shedding Problems. They even tell you how to introduce a dog to the vacuum cleaning method of hair removal. I am not necessarily recommending this, it is just an idea.
On another note, you might want to consider putting all that discarded fur to good use. Your human could gather it all up and create a pillow – or in your case, a doggy bed. Better yet, VIP Fibers can spin it into yarn. Perhaps your human would like to knit up some warm socks for friends and family living in the northern parts of the country. Maybe a doggy sweater for you made from your own fur would convince you that you really are quite special.
In the meantime, think of your rocker recliner as a throne. You might try to use that lever on the side and learn to pull it up, thus giving you more room to stretch out. Enjoy!
Your friend,
Fisher
5 Comments
1. Margaret Elmendorf replies at 30th September 2009, 10:43 AM :
Great post. Love the idea of making a pillow out of the dog hair and making the pillow into a dog bed.
And thanks Fisher so much for visiting my blog and saying such nice things. I really like your blog and need to visit more often.
2. Rebecca replies at 4th October 2009, 8:10 PM :
I used to have a friend that did home-spinning and knitting. One time she made a beautiful sweater out of doggy fur from her doggy who was also very generous with sharing his furs. The sweater was very nice, and warm too. But…it smelled just like a wet doggie if it got a bit damp!
3. fisher replies at 5th October 2009, 4:52 AM :
Hi Rebecca – it is nice to get a first-hand review. I never would have thought about the wet dog hair smell!
I guess it would still be a neat thing to do, just stay away from water! And, if given as a gift, people might want to put a little warning note with the gift.
4. Jarrett replies at 2nd November 2009, 5:53 AM :
There are so many different things that can affect how much a dog sheds including diet, exercise, and grooming. We try to combine bathing, brushing, and the use of a deshedding tool. Since we started it has dramatically reduced the amount of hair found in our home, vehicles, in our food, and just about everywhere.
Virtually Eliminate Dog Shedding
5. dog vacuum replies at 29th December 2010, 2:33 PM :
I’ll have to give the glove with little nubs a try. Vacuuming dog hair takes forever.