Shedding question (clean, vet, barks, cleaning)

[DawnMTL]

I'm used to Artie shedding some of his fur-weight in the summer but, now that it's gotten quite cold, I'm perplexed about why he's shedding so much NOW.

My floors are, quite literally, COVERED in his fur, to the point where I have to (or, to be honest, SHOULD) sweep and vacuum every day. Up until we moved to MA, we had a cleaning woman every two weeks, so maybe I'm noticing it more now because it's now MY job to clean up his fur. I don't know. But he also has so many "tufts" of fur that I pinch and pull out of him in little chunks. He's always had that, but now it seems like there are MORE of them. And the floors. OMG, the floors.

Nothing in his diet has changed. He's acting his normal monster-like self. The only change is that we moved in mid-August and, since the end of November, his only exercise is in the back yard (I've mentioned this already -- house on a hill, broke leg last winter on flat ground, can't walk him on a hill that will be covered with snow/ice), so we're not going on walks. He adjusted to the new house on day ONE, we're together 24/7 so nothing's changed in that regard, nothing else is different.

Again, MAYBE it's because I'm the one cleaning it up now that I notice it. But I don't think so. I think I would have noticed two weeks of this sort of fur accumulation in our old house.

Is shedding in cold weather normal?

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

My yellow lab, Bailey, sheds a ridiculous amount this time of year, every year. We've always lived in cold, winter climates and like clockwork, my vacuum gets put in overdrive!

I believe he is losing his lighter, summer fur and growing in his winter coat.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by RedSoxFanGoingWest

My yellow lab, Bailey, sheds a ridiculous amount this time of year, every year. We've always lived in cold, winter climates and like clockwork, my vacuum gets put in overdrive!

I believe he is losing his lighter, summer fur and growing in his winter coat.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I don't really care about it -- although I'm frequently finding a strand of his fur in my mouth -- but my brain went into overdrive and I started worrying that it was a symptom of something terrible.

Thank you for putting my mind at ease.

[subject2change]

My chow mix did the same thing, and it was horrendous. The vet said the winter coat was growing in too thick. Pulling the clumps became like a hobby for me. To this day, if I see someone else's dog shedding like this I have to restrain myself from picking at the fur.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by subject2change

My chow mix did the same thing, and it was horrendous. The vet said the winter coat was growing in too thick. Pulling the clumps became like a hobby for me. To this day, if I see someone else's dog shedding like this I have to restrain myself from picking at the fur.

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Thou shalt not pull a stranger's clumps!

Oh, boy, Artie's going to be so peeved. He hates the vacuum. HATES! He gets in front of it and barks like a crazy person. "It's not coming after you! You're the ninny that keeps going in front of it and facing it!" It's like talking to a brick. Telling him that it's all his fault that I'm vacuuming every day will fall on deaf ears too.

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

Originally Posted by subject2change

My chow mix did the same thing, and it was horrendous. The vet said the winter coat was growing in too thick. Pulling the clumps became like a hobby for me. To this day, if I see someone else's dog shedding like this I have to restrain myself from picking at the fur.

I pull the clumps too!!! I look at him some times and his fur is so disheveled because it is growing in too quickly, I can't control myself!

[Fontucky]

Is your house kept hot?

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Is your house kept hot?

Nope. I'm too cheap for that nonsense. It's 65 degrees in here and I'm shivering as I type this.

[Fontucky]

My kinda gal.

[ReturningWest]

I got one word for yah....Furminator

I've had dogs that shed 24/7 year round and it's a dream.