Dog Shedding! Oh my goodness, do your dogs give you lots of work due to hair shedding? If yes, welcome to my world!
Many years ago, I bred Maltese dogs, and as they have single hair like us, their hair loss is at a minimum. Of course, some hair that is a bit ragged will fall out!
My next pack of dogs were Shetland Sheepdogs, known as Shelties for short. I would often see strands of hair floating down my hallway and think to myself, looks like I need to vacuum or sweep more often.
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The different breeds that I raised which were not part of a same breed pack, I really did not notice what went on with the hair for some reason.
I now have Australian Kelpies and I am amazed at the amount of hair they seem to continually shed. Yes, they do seem to quieten down for short periods with hair loss, then… oh dear! there is hair dropped everywhere, sometimes in small chunks.
Of course, initially, I started to stress, thinking ‘Am I feeding them well enough?’ Believe me, my dogs are sometimes fed better than myself, as I feed them a raw diet. I mix up lots of goodies to cover all dietary requirements that will keep them healthy and full of zest for life.
I asked my friends the question “Do your dogs give you lots of work due to hair shedding?” One of my friends who had a Labrador, said, ‘yes, yes, yes, I am in the same boat as you!’
Interestingly, one of my previous vets, said to me, “I hardly ever see you with any of your dogs, what do you feed them?” I eagerly told him my long list and he said that he would love other clients to chat with me about my feeding arrangements as a lot of the dogs that came to the clinic were not in the same shape as my dogs. This provided me with an extra push to continue with my feeding program knowing that my current vet at that time highly approved of my hard work to keep my animals fed as close to nature as I possibly could.
My three Australian Kelpies, who are from the Callicoma breeding line, are fortunately fed the same raw diet as close to nature as possible, which makes it so much easier when I bring my new puppy’s home, as the transition from the breeder’s food to my food is without concern.
Mind you, it is quite hilarious, as I do not enjoy being in the kitchen preparing food, and whilst my family got plain boring food in their eyes, I always knew my family was being fed what I considered to be a healthy diet. Of course, it would be so much easier to buy prepared food, and there are quite a few businesses in the marketplace that endeavour to offer food as close to nature as possible.
Back to my Kelpies, they mainly enjoy each other’s company outside during the day, unless it is too hot, too wet, too windy… and so the list goes on!
My girls come in just after dinner time, and we have a special room in our house where the dogs can relax with me.
The downside is, that the next morning, I have to vacuum up the hair, and vacuum where they may have walked, and certainly vacuum their sleeping quarters, otherwise, we are breathing up hair.
After making enquiries, I have discovered that Kelpies do shed lots of hair, as do quite a few of the other short-haired breeds, so my Kelpies are not the only hair shedders!
I know it is not their diet as they all have glowing, shiny coats that feel great, and when you think about it logically, we, ourselves shed our own hair each day. This is not as noticeable if the human males or females in my household have very short haircuts, but it is noticeable when the hair is worn in a longer style, as there is long hair on the bathroom floor.
Therefore, I do not stress about the question “Do your dogs give you lots of work due to hair shedding” as I now know this is part of their daily life.
Oh dear, it is time to vacuum once more!
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Until next time…
With Love, Success and Inspiration,
Robin Oliver, Robin Oliver Pet Dog Training
www.robinoliveronline.com/blog
