View Full Version : How do GSD's shed??
My GSD is 7 months old now and in the last couple of days I have noticed that there is an excessive amount of little black chunks of his hair that keep ending up on my carpet. I vacuum it up 3 times a day and then it is back again. I brush him everyday and have tried to go around his body and find out where the patches are coming off of, but when I pull a little at his fur, not a lot come out at all..just a few hairs. Is this a normal thing that happens with these dogs? I just switched over from Iam's large breed puppy food because of the corn product and his itchy skin to California Natural....is this hair loss maybe due to all his itching before maybe?
Sugardog
02-09-2007, 01:53 AM
Chunks as in tufts of hair?
I know with my dogs I can pull their fur and a few hairs come out, but I don't find tufts of hair on the carpet. We only vacuum once a week.
My 10 month old GSD actually sheds pretty minimally. I would normally say that perhaps yours is blowing his coat, but I didn't go through something like that with Rose.
Was he shedding like this before you switched? Or was this recent?
He could just be blowing his coat, but it may be a good idea to get him checked by a vet just in case. Some dogs can develop allergies to chicken and wheat as well, not just corn.
I have my GSD pup on Ultra, which is a holistic kibble made by Nutro. I've had incredible results with it regarding condition of the coat and skin.
http://www.docsblend.com/H-Info.html
I've heard some really great things about that stuff. It is supposedly the secret to a show dog's luxerious coat and many people who show their dog use it. A friend of mine had an abused Borzoi who had a bald spot on her head and the fur started growing back about a month after she started giving her dog that supplement. It is supposed to do wonders for skin as well.
Our GSD will shed tufts of hair but usually only when he's blowing out his coat, which happens 2 times a year. Your dog could be doing this as a result of the diet change.
Thanks guys...I started noticing the tufts the same day I started mixing in the switch over, but he has been itching for a while now. When they blow their coats do they tend to itch a lot?? The California Natural that I bought doesnt' have chicken or wheat, it has lamb, but maybe he could be allergic to lamb, or maybe its still the corn or chicken from the Iams.
Hopefully its just him blowing his coat!
When Gunnar blows his coat it's definitely big chunks. I don't notice him itching more or less though. Right now he's pretty itchy because it's so cold and the air is real dry inside. When he's not blowing his coat he doesn't shed much which I attribute to his diet. My daughter's boyfriend has a GSD that you can see hair flying off of all the time because they feed him crappy food.
Give yours some time. It will take several weeks, maybe a couple months, for him to show the results/benefits of the better food.
Renee750il
02-09-2007, 07:12 PM
Profusely ;)
Julie
02-10-2007, 11:32 PM
You vacuum three times a day?.........Wanna move in? :D
GSDluver4lyfe
02-11-2007, 01:23 AM
Ryot's coat is very thick and course and his fur coat for some reason catches all the dead fur so I rarely see clumps of hair in the house. I have to brush him to get the massive amount of dead hair out. And I pull out so much fur, enough to make a new GSD,:p .
I don't notice it in the winter, but in the spring..whoa! lol even with daily brushing, you should see what my vacuum picks up every day. Ham doesn't even seem to have that thick of fur, but those coarse ones love to attach to your clothes. :) I find him a breeze because my Addie DOES shed enough in the spring to fill bags.