How often do I hear this? or “Its only a wash”. Just imagine all that hair rinsed out around your bath. This my new mate George, who I have been fortunate enough to adopt. That loose hair is just from one side of him, no wonder he is smiling.
Dependant on the thickness of coat, depends on what tools we recommend to brush through the coat. Those that come in handy are a slicker, a deshedding tool and a rubber curry brush. A blaster in the right space comes in handy as well!
I tend to start at the base of one of the rear legs and gently work up the leg and then over the back towards the head, this way you are pulling less hair through the body. This is repeated both sides, and is the same process for each of the aforementioned tools. The idea been to remove all loose hair.
If you are worried about dog hairs around your house, either be prepared to brush daily, or dont have a lab!
When your grooming, its an ideal time to check your dogs nails, pay particular attention to the dew claws (those at the side of the leg in the thumb position). These should be neatly trimmed, and never allowed to grow long enough to curl back on themselves. If your lab gets lots of pavement work, you should find these pretty much look after themselves
George has been with us a month, and this weekend will be his third bath, as he does like getting muddy. The products we use are naturally or organically based. Please dont use Human Shampoos and conditioners on your dog, as these are formulated differently and are not good for their coat.
I know there are those that will say the less they are washed the better, but George shares our home, frequently trys to sit on my lap. I love having him in, and I love his coat been in good condition, with the right products I believe they can be bathed frequently.
This is a very brief overview, and for those who want more detailed info there are quite a few sources online.
If your a fan of labs, you may want to join like minded owners at Love Labradors UK on facebook.
I like to be brushed and get rid of some hair – I always have plenty to go round. My bipeds got a professional groomer to show them how to brush my coat when I was a puppy. They are glad they did because it would be really difficult to get into my undercoat now, if they didn’t know how to lift my coat and work in sections.
I hope you are more tolerant than the young lady of your breed I used to do. Snowy was a lovely girl, but would inist on lying in an attempt not to be brushed. It always used to look like an explosion in a candy floss factory after she had been groomed
Ha ha, we always have lots of hair to spare! I’ve been to professionals a few times and they have said I behave very well.
I enjoy being brushed, but they say I took a bit of convincing of that when I was a pup! At home I usually lie down while they do my sides. They kneel down on the floor with me so it’s easier that way.
They said they wouldn’t want to lean over and do more than one dog that way though – they’d get a suitable table!