Question
Sawyer
My 13 month old black lab is shedding uncontrollably. He is brush and combed daily but with no end in sight. Having owned labs all my life I now this is a natural cycle to get rid of the heavy winter coat. He does not tolerate heat or sun well. My question... is there any other ways of being more efficient in removing the hair such as as a good bath or do I just need to keep the vacuum attached to my belt loop? Sawyer is now at the 117lb mark and eats 3 cups of Iams total per day. He has a nice waist and his ribs can be found under all the extra skin he still has. He has a powerful build and a beautiful block head, gorgeous if I must say so myself. :) How much longer might his growth period be. His has to duck in his ex-large crate at this point! Sawyer has had constant training since his arrival as a 3 month old. He has passed successfully through 2 levels of proffessional training and is a true gentleman with manners. My biggest problem at this point is that when out on lease (he heals beautifully on and off) and he encounters another dog (always on lease) I am unable to break his attention and he has actually dragged me across the ground and torn my rotator cuff to meet and greet this potential (or maybe not) friend. He is never aggressive and if he senses an unwelcome response he is submissive and backs off. Unfortunately no amount of stain remover for my grass stained clothes or physical therapy is going to solve this problem! At his size I am no match for his will which saddens me greatly as it keeps us from enjoying him in appropriate outtings and we love to have him with us whenever possible. HELP. From, Mom in a sling :) P.S. He was neutered at 7 months of age.
AnswerHi Brenda,
Some labs are just BIG, and looks like you got one of them. He is beautiful and what a nice coat! He should be done growing TALL but could possibly still fill out more. You may even be able to slowly cut him down to 2 cups a day. We have 5 adults in the house, and they all eat 2 cups each, regardless of age, activity level, male/female. It seems to suit them well and also allows for some treats.
Shedding seems bad this year, we are having a terrible time with one of our males. You could try what show folks try when they are trying to blow out a coat faster, rinse him with warm water daily and brush him out, until the majority of the shed is gone. This should remove the dead coat faster than just plain brushing. You could also try a Furminator brush. I don't recommend it for regular daily brushing, but when they are really shedding, it helps to speed it up a bit. They even sell a Furminator shampoo which is supposed to help, though we have never tried that.
Young male labs can be super exuberant. It's just the way they are (we have 4 boys). Have you tried any type of training collar such as a prong or a gentle leader? We have always used prong collars and they seem to control the dogs a bit better when dealing with their head-strong ways. We use electronic collars with our dogs when we do more advanced training and I find it helps us alot when trying to condition out some bad behaviors...it might be something to look into with a trainer. And you may want to consider more training with him. Labs love routine and also need constant reinforcement with training. Maybe something that can engage his mind more...like some places offer nosework classes or maybe he'd be a candidate for something more formal like competetive obedience or rally. That kind of training really teaches them to focus on YOU and is alot of fun.
Also, I will suggest checking out www.lab-retrievers.net which is a very active chat board for Lab Owners. It's a great community with alot of helpful people.
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