Excessive shedding one yr old F1 Labradoodle

[jennfl]

Hello. Just joined the board and think it's great. I have a one year old Labradoodle who has always shed somewhat. For the last couple of months, he has been shedding like crazy!! Is this normal? Could it be his diet, or just an annual shedding ritual?

It's pretty excessive, especially when I brush him. And his fur pulls out really easily too.

[deepnite10]

there s a term called *blowing*..this is where the pup sheds his puppy coat..though the period usually cover s several months..in some cases
blowing period is closer together..

the adult coat could be very different from the original puppy coat..

[RubyDoo]

Right there with ya babe! My F1 has been shedding like crazy! She is shedding the long wiry coat on her back in patches. She has always had super soft hair on her head neck and chest, but her back was coarse and curly. Underneath is a soft, downy coat. I am not sure if I should buzz her or what... My husband is scared she will be too cold (we live in the UP Michigan). Our whole house (even though I vacuum every day) is covered in Ruby hair

I am hoping she will go back to being a minimal shedder! She NEVER used to shed this much. Unlike your pup - Ruby is only 5 1/2 months old. I've looked on old posts from this web site and have not seen any posts that say what kind of hair their doodles have after the hurricane of hair comes out. Anybody have a good tail of their doodles coming out of this shedding frenzy with a non or basically non-shedding coat??

We love our Ruby - so no amount of hair really matters - but this clean freak is looking for some good advice? To buzz or not to buzz??

[deepnite10]

is there any sign s of skin irritations?..if so then there could
be a diet issue..

[RubyDoo]

No sign of skin irritations here... She doesn't scratch at all, and seems comfortable enough. I have started giving her a daily vit with E, fish oil, and etc. Hopefully this will help the shedding. We love our pup - hate the vacuuming! Hopefully the shedding will slow down or stop all together once she has gotten over the coat change - at least I HOPE this is a coat change!!! Has anybody else had a minimal shedder become a crazy shedder and go back to being a minimal shedder once they got their adult coat??

[deepnite10]

seems the lab coat is dominant..and would shed as lab would..constantly, more so during the change of seasons..

to keep hair from getting all over the place..regular brushing with a rubber
brush and warm wipes every few days with a warm towel..

the other issue is the possibility of a thyroid problem..if the coat come s out in clumps then a vet visit might be needed..if its a thyroid problem there s really nothing you can do but, get treatment and medication from
your vet..

[RubyDoo]

Thanks for the good advice. I do brush her every day with the furmintor. I don't think she has a thyroid problem, but I guess it is a possibility. I think she (hope she) is just blowing her coat. Also, I know she sheds, but what I am saying is it was never near this much. Hopefully it subsides soon. Before this, the shedding was not really noticeable. We are one month in to the major shedding. The good thing is, her back is now totally different than what it used to be. So, I think we must be a ways through the coat blowing - if, in fact that is what this is...

[lindamarie]

I do brush her every day with the furmintor

It's my understanding that the furminator shouldn't be used everyday. Actually, this may be causing the patches.
Bogart blew his pupper coat until he was slightly over a year old as well. And yes, you may find a "new coat" under there. Not that much different but perhaps some color change.

Bogart is now 3 and although he sheds somewhat with what we call "tumbleweeds" as they gather in a soft hairball on the hardwoods....I don't know how they find each other ..........it's only periodically that we find his hair on clothes. Usually, it's just the tumbleweeds.

Long story short the blowing of the puppy coat is normal.

[RubyDoo]

Wow - I didn't know you weren't supposed to brush everyday with the furminator! I was recommended it by my brother and started every few days when she was younger, but as her shedding increased, I started brushing her more... I do want to clarify - I didn't brush all of her hair off She just had short hair underneath where the long hair used to be. Her back is almost all free of the long wiry coat that she had as a puppy, and now it is baby fine, super soft and slightly darker than the original coat. She used to be red-tinted... Now it is much more brown. I remember somebody telling me how fun it was to see their hair change - it is for sure.

Wow - you said Bogart shed until he was over a year old! Do you recall when he started blowing his puppy coat? I guessed it would take a while - but was expecting more like 2-3 months... Do you think Bogart was well over that? By the way - Bogart is SO darn handsome!

[lindamarie]

It's my understanding that the tool should be used once or twice a week.
It's meant to dig down and grab that undercoat.
Using it everyday may even have the effect of a more coarse coat. Shedding can be reduced about 90% if used this way and not harm the coat.
In fact, I don't use it often enough!
Don't think you did any harm, but I guess it's not totally recommended everyday. I ince heard from a knowlegeable pet store owner that once a month is sufficient, but I can see how at least once a week would be best.

Thanks for the compliment on Bogart. He really is a hottie!
It's so difficult to see him in his pictures because he's so BLACK, but he's always getting the oooooo's and aaaaaa's when we're out.
His face is adorable mainly because his eyes have such tremendous expression! Plus,his walk is just cool.........
Tail up high and prancing........and an honest to goodness SMILE!!

Yes, I'd say he started to blow his puppy coat at around 3 months. It may not have taken until he was over a year if I HAD used the Furminator more!
When we got him, the breeder assured us of a great, shiny and beautiful coat.It really is! Pictures don't do him justice and he always shys away from a camera or cellphone. It's rare to get a good picture of him.........the little brat!

[deepnite10]

when Toby was younger..me too we started out with a furminator..only cuz i did nt know of anything else to use..since then i ve changed over to the Coat King...

though a furminator will thin the undercoat, it will also get more of the main coat than desired..whereas the Coat King is designed to dig down to the undercoat..even then i only use it on Toby when i notice the undercoat getting too thick..or when i begin to see some tangles after their monthly bath..

[lindamarie]

Hmmmmm...........now ya got me googling the Coat King and thinkin'......
I may look into this at our local pet specialty store.
I don't think I do this enough for Bogart!

[RubyDoo]

Okay, you convinced me. I'm going to cut down on the furminator-ing... Will keep you posted on the results. Funny enough - she came over and cuddled me this morning and when she jumped off - hardly any hair on my clothes... Needless to say - I'm hoping we are through the worst of it

[lindamarie]

I MADE ANOTHER DOG!

I haven't used the Furminator in so long that I practically filled a grocery bag with dog hair! It was about the size of Bogart when he was a puppy
Okay.......now one of us is convinced of doing it less and the other more!

[deepnite10]

coat kings are quite expensive..i have a large coat king for the body..but, i just noticed this one on Ebay..
Oster Dog Undercoat Grooming Rake COARSE Wide 18 TEETH - eBay (item 350310216738 end time Feb-21-11 11:08:43 PST)

but, i did get one of these to use on his face, head, face ears and legs..it works great..Pet Grooming Cat Dog Hair Stripper Blade Thinning Rake - eBay (item 270557012156 end time Feb-25-11 13:25:55 PST)

like the fuminator..don t over use it or your going to end up with a
bald doodle.. ..

i have the 18 blade coat king and a 8 blade small one..

my difficulty was making sure each side is equal..what works best with Toby is using 5 strokes in each area starting behind the neck till im done..then for next few days while combing him out i ll look for thick spots and go over them with the rake..for our guys i recommend the course on the body and the med on the head and legs..