Hello Everyone!
I am thinking about getting a GSD, but I know they are notorious shedders - and I am a bit of clean freak.
A family friend has a beautiful White German/Swiss Shepherd, and every time I visit, it looks like a small animal has been massacred in the living room (due to all the hair).
I've been reading up and I found this post about how to "manage" GSD shedding - here were the tips:
"So, how do you manage this? Well, here are our top 4 rules for managing GSD shedding:
If I were to follow these 'rules', how manageable is the shedding really? Keen to hear from all you experienced GSD owners!
Thanks everyone![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
I am thinking about getting a GSD, but I know they are notorious shedders - and I am a bit of clean freak.
A family friend has a beautiful White German/Swiss Shepherd, and every time I visit, it looks like a small animal has been massacred in the living room (due to all the hair).
I've been reading up and I found this post about how to "manage" GSD shedding - here were the tips:
"So, how do you manage this? Well, here are our top 4 rules for managing GSD shedding:
- Daily brushing is a must. I know, “daily“ sounds exhausting - but it makes a huge difference. Just 5 minutes a day is all it takes. The idea is to catch the dead undercoat hairs with your brush before they fall out all over the floor and on your clothes.
- Keep your GSD indoors as much as possible. This is particularly true if you live in a cold climate. The longer they are outside, the more their body’s responds to the adverse weather, the thicker their coat will grow, and the more shedding they will do at the seasonal change.
- If your GSD is a female, consider spay surgery. Female GSDs shed like crazy after they’ve been in heat, so spay surgery is a good idea to reduce shedding. In fact, there are no health benefits in not having spay surgery done (at the appropriate age), as long as you do not plan to breed your female, of course.
- Book a professional groomer! Set up a regular grooming cadence. I recommend every 4 - 6 weeks. Washing their coat is a major de-hairing process that is key to keeping the shedding down. The washing and drying part of grooming is one of the messiest (and often most difficult) parts of grooming, so let a professional do it. Try to introduce professional grooming as young as possible."
If I were to follow these 'rules', how manageable is the shedding really? Keen to hear from all you experienced GSD owners!
Thanks everyone