# ACD Losing Tons of Hair??



## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

My ACD mix has been losing a ton of hair since I got her, even more than my Golden Retriever. I brush her and get some hair out of her, although I get more when I use my ha nds and rub up and down her back. Today I gave her a bath because she was turning a yellow-ish tinge and I hadn't bathed her in a few weeks, and she is losing a ton more hair! I vacuum out her crate at least weekly, and did so before her bath. I put her in her crate about an hour after her bath since I had to go somewhere, and I was gone for about 45 minutes. When I got home, there were tufts of hair in her crate and hair all over the larger crate tray that I sit her crate on so she doesn't tear up the carpets with her claws. So, I took her outside with my needle brush and under coat rake and got some hair off of her, but not as much as she loses weekly throughout my house. 

I read that ACDs blow their coats about twice a year, is this what's happening? I have only had her for about 1.5 months, and she seems to have been losing hair in large quantities throughout the time I have had her, so I want to make sure this is normal? Do I need to add something to her food? She is on half SD Active Life and half TOTW High Prairie for now, she will eventually switch over to TOTW Pacific Stream. 

I am almost tempted to shave her down this spring once it gets warmer, but it is getting cold here already and I don't want her to freeze  Maybe that will loosen all of her hair??


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Don't shave her, she'll freeze! She's probably blowing coat. This is the right time of year for that. If you're really concerned about it, contact your vet.


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## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

Haha I wasn't planning on shaving her down until this spring, once it gets above 50 degrees for a low  Is there anything that I can do to speed up the process? I am used to a fair amount of hair in my house from the Golden, but vacuuming multiple times a week is getting old fast, and it's kind of gross when my parent's come over and within minutes of sitting on the furniture or floor they are covered in short white hair...


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Sassy had a dense short double coat and it never shed out the same way two years in a row. Very frustrating. It seems to have to do with health and stress. When she was dehydrated as she was coming down with kidney disease she left behind 'crime scene' outlines of herself and walking had a cloud of hair flying off her. When we went on a 3 week camping trip she shed completely and the house was fuzz free for several months. A furminator worked wonders on her coat. I thought her back had gone gray the year after the 'crime scene' shed out, nope - super shiny as the old dead fur was gone.

Give her that bath and brush/comb/rub her down every few minutes until she is completely dry. Don't stop when she is damp, it is right then that the most hair comes out. This is a feeble imitation of what professional groomers call a deshed treatment. If I did this then Sassy would be mostly fur free for a week or two. If I got lazy and let her air dry she was a fuzzy beast that shed all over the place!


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## wishiwas (Mar 3, 2008)

You may want to try a different brush. A simple rubber brush (I like the Zoom Groom) often works wonders on cattle dog types. A Furminator may work well too, but be careful if you try that. It's best used as a final brush to get that little bit of extra hair out. If you overdo it, you can brush burn the skin. On some coats, it will cut into the guard hairs or pull out too much and leave bald spots. It can be a great brush, you just have to be careful. I'd try the rubber brush first.

If you can use a self serve dog wash or something so that you can actually blow dry her until she's completely dry, that will help a lot, too.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Short haired dogs shed the worst, acds, labs, beagles, pugs ect
shaving will do nothing but take her protection away. it will just make teeny stubble like hair al over.

A goof brush, such as a zoom groom will help a ton. bathing dogs helps release hair.


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## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

Thanks for the help all! I will look into a zoom groom or similar brush (it looks similar to a horse brush that we use up north http://www.amazon.com/Oster-Equine-...38612&sr=8-1&keywords=rubber+brush+for+horses) and see if that works. After her bath and roughing up yesterday she hasn't lost that much hair today, at least in her crate.


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## wishiwas (Mar 3, 2008)

If you have one of the horse ones already, it might work. The Zoom Groom is just the only one I've used personally to recommend.


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## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

Just picked up the PetSmart version of the Zoom Groom. It's raining and dark out now, so I will have to see how it does in the morning, fingers crossed it will get some of this loose hair off of her!


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