# Having regret getting a dog... especially one that sheds!!



## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

I have a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix dog about 40 pounds (won't get any bigger). He's 8 months old and has consumed my life day and night for the last 6 months. I, my husband and kids love him very much and overall he's a sweet loving dog, but I wish we didn't get him or at least not gotten one that sheds like crazy. I knew he would shed, but not like this! I brush him 4x a day and leave the vacuum out because I'm constantly using it. I feel like my house is never clean anymore. He's not allowed in the bedrooms upstairs or our new basement. But is allowed on the main level (about 1,000 square feet of hard wood) and in our lower level which is carpeted. Thinking about not letting him on the carpeted level due to the dirt, drool, dirty paws, etc. that I can't get out of carpet, but my husband feels he needs to "be by us" all the time. 

Has anyone else had these feelings of regret? I wish I could find a loving home for him, but my kids are too attached to him and we've already spent a boat load on the dog, underground fencing, etc., not to mention all the items he's already destroyed!

I know he's still a puppy and once he matures a little things will get better, but I'm exhausted! I'm starting to get the kids involved with picking up his poop in the yard (we tried to get him to go in one spot for a few months, but didn't work so he poops/pees everywhere) and helping me clean the house. 

What do you feel on having a dog stay in one area of the house? Like I said, the area I would like him is about 1,000 square feet (kitchen, mudroom, dining area and sunroom.. it's all open concept). 

Also, any tips on keeping your house clean? I did order a deshedding tool that I hope helps out with his constant shedding. 

He scratches at our doors to get back in the house so our doors are beat up. any advice on training a dog not to do that?

I know I'm all over the place with questions, but I have quite a few issues. 

Thanks for your advice!


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## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

I wouldn't say that an 8 month old of that mix isn't going to get any bigger. Even he he doesnt get much (or any) taller, he is likely to bulk out a fair bit as he ages (I believe goldens can grow to well over 60lbs?). There is no way to guarantee the size of a dog, especially a mix 

What are you feeding him? Diet can sometimes affect how much they shed.
Is he losing hair as in bald patches or just shedding? He may be going through a big shed at the moment with the changing of seasons/his age, if not a medical issue.

There is nothing wrong with keeping a dog in a certain area of the house, providing he has company as he would if he was allowed in the rest of the house. Dog in a room with people also in that room for the majority of the time = ok. Dog in a room with 20 minutes of attention = definitely not ok.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm sorry you regret getting your puppy! He's at a particularly tough age and I'm sure things will get better.

For shedding - what are you feeding him? A high quality food can do a lot to reduce shedding. Also, you might consider taking him to the groomer, as they can bathe and blow dry him and get out much more undercoat than you can at home. Finally, he's at the right age to be shedding the last of his puppy coat and growing in his adult coat, so the amount of shedding may reduce. I know my pup shed like crazy at that age, and now hardly sheds at all.

For the poop in the yard, can you take him out on leash and clean up after him immediately? I grew up letting the dogs out in the yard and picking up the poop once a week, and there was always some that we missed and it was such a chore. Now I just pick it up right away and it's so much easier in the long run.

Have you taken him to obedience classes? I think a trainer could help solve some of your issues, and working together with him in a class would be a great bonding experience.

ETA: There's also nothing wrong with keeping a dog in a certain area. Personally, I want my dog with me because that's the reason I got a dog, but I know others who have kept the dog in one area and it worked well for their family.


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

Foxes&Hounds said:


> I wouldn't say that an 8 month old of that mix isn't going to get any bigger. Even he he doesnt get much (or any) taller, he is likely to bulk out a fair bit as he ages (I believe goldens can grow to well over 60lbs?). There is no way to guarantee the size of a dog, especially a mix
> 
> What are you feeding him? Diet can sometimes affect how much they shed.
> Is he losing hair as in bald patches or just shedding? He may be going through a big shed at the moment with the changing of seasons/his age, if not a medical issue.
> ...


We feed him Nature's Variety Instinct grain-free and their Raw Bites.. We also give him raw hides 1-2 a day (small thin ones). 

I don't think he'll be any bigger as he father was 27 lbs and his mom 35 lbs... he has some small poodle in him as well. But you are right, who knows what genes he got. Just hopeful, he'll stay the size he is.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

The shedding could be age related then. Different dogs do well on different foods, but my dog's coat has always been very nice on that brand (I'm actually feeding it now, minus the raw bites). 

Either 27 or 35lbs is very small for a golden retriever, so I would guess the parents are purebred, so it's hard to say how much shedding is part of the breed traits. Different breeds can shed at very different rates. I've found spaniels generally on the low end of shedding, but I know goldens are fairly high.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

We have 6 humans (myself, husband & our 4 daughters) and a 154.5lb (as of mid Feb.) Saint Bernard in a house just shy of 1,000 square feet. Buster does not get full access to the house. He's allowed on the main floor and in the basement, but not the 2nd floor (bedrooms for my oldest 2). My husband would prefer him to not be allowed in any bedroom...but I enjoy snuggling with the beast (especially on cold winter days!) so we compromise...and Bus still sneaks up onto the bed to snuggle with my husband LOL 

I'd go with a trip to the groomer. They will be able to get a whole lot more undercoat (whats shedding) out than what you can...and possibly show you some tricks to help handle it at home. I handle all of Busters grooming myself (he has allergies and all it takes is a kibble sized piece of treat containing an allergen to make us all far more miserable than fur does). I take him outside (do this inside and I risk coating my whole house in fur!) and brush. First with an undercoat rake, then a comb, pin brush, and even run a flea comp through him. While he's blowing coat I will also bathe him every 2-3 weeks, drying with a clean shop vac on reverse (no where near as good as the groomers dryers...) which also blows out a lot more loose coat...brushing with the pin brush or rake while using the shop vac gets us dry a little faster and helps remove MORE coat. Lets just say we joke that Buster "had puppies" after grooming during coat blowing... That or a whole bunch of bunnies exploded (my teenager has a warped sense of humor)

My yard is unfenced so we take Buster out on a leash for all of his potty walks. Inconvenient in foul weather, when Im ill or caring for a sick child (or husband)...but it has to be done. The benefit to this is that I can easily direct him to an appropriate place to potty (not where the children play or under my hanging plants...), clean up after he poops, and he doesnt have a chance to practice unwanted behaviors.


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> I'm sorry you regret getting your puppy! He's at a particularly tough age and I'm sure things will get better.
> 
> For shedding - what are you feeding him? A high quality food can do a lot to reduce shedding. Also, you might consider taking him to the groomer, as they can bathe and blow dry him and get out much more undercoat than you can at home. Finally, he's at the right age to be shedding the last of his puppy coat and growing in his adult coat, so the amount of shedding may reduce. I know my pup shed like crazy at that age, and now hardly sheds at all.
> 
> ...


I think we feed him a pretty healthy diet. I posted in previous reply what we feed him. I thought he lost all his puppy hair because it grew in longer and thicker, but he may still have some underneath and yes, it's that time of year. He's been shedding super heavy for about 3 weeks now.

We go out once a day or every other day to pick up poop. We have a fairly large yard so we miss some usually as well.

We've watched training videos, but that's it. For him scratching at door we may need to find a trainer. I also want him to ring a bell if he needs to go outside.

Do you let your dog chew bones or raw hides in the house? I don't mind the fur or dirt on my carpet as much as his slobber when he's chewing bones, etc. We bought him a couple doggy beds/pillows, but he's chewed them up.


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> The shedding could be age related then. Different dogs do well on different foods, but my dog's coat has always been very nice on that brand (I'm actually feeding it now, minus the raw bites).
> 
> Either 27 or 35lbs is very small for a golden retriever, so I would guess the parents are purebred, so it's hard to say how much shedding is part of the breed traits. Different breeds can shed at very different rates. I've found spaniels generally on the low end of shedding, but I know goldens are fairly high.


His parents aren't purebreds. He's a mix of golden, cocker and small poodle. For some reason I thought goldens were moderate shedders, but now I read that they are heavy shedders. Ugh, I was warned by a few people that I would not like the shedding. I just thought I'd vacuum a little more and it'd be fine. Boy, was I wrong! Not thrilled when I find dog hair on my kitchen counters.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm so used to shedding I consider dog hair a decoration and a condiment. Everyone has their flaws. I can have my husband or no clothes on the floor and cabinets closed. I chose the husband. I can have kids or relaxed evenings after work. I chose the relaxed evenings. You can have a dog or a perfectly clean home. I'm not judging what you choose, but it is a choice.

As for the training, buy a clicker and watch kikopup or zak George on YouTube. Goldens and poodles are so, so smart. They need their minds worked. You need him trained. It's a match made in heaven! And, when you spend 20-30 minutes a day training (in 5 minute sessions) you'll wear him out mentally and have a better behaved dog. 

Time will help, too. He's a teenager, teenagers are annoying. It's what they do. It'll pass.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Goldens are heavy shedders, it is possible that he is having a food allergy or something but more likely he is just shedding because it is that time of year. My Carolina dog has been blowing coat for a month, it finally slowed way down (in time for my GSD/husky mix to start losing her puppy coat). I am lucky that my guy only blows coat once a year but my girl will probably do it twice, all of our other dogs are either non-shedding or short single coated (Duke still sheds it just isn't particularly noticeable). Non-shedding dogs have their own issues, like specialized grooming. A trip to the groomers for a special coat blow out and de-shedding might help with the fur. How much is he drooling? A dog like that really shouldn't drool much, I mean my Carolina dog does this thing where he licks the floor a good bit but drool wise only the American Bulldog is slobbery (and Blue when she sleeps, and the one cat, sort of weird). My younger dogs chew in the house but I don't allow anyone to have edible toys at all. Raw hides can be dangerous if digested so we avoid those, Duke can't have bully sticks (he is allergic to beef) so we stick exclusively to nylabones and some of the puzzle toys. So far no one but Duke is sloppy chewing and he is required to chew outside. Four other dogs chew in the house no problem, the cats are far messier than the dogs. Our dogs are restricted to the living area when we are all awake but that is all there really is to our house and everyone is in the living areas together or at the very least I am with them which is what they really want anyway. They are gated in the living areas because a couple of them are younger and I need to keep an eye on them. Just keeps them from meandering down the hallway and into the bathroom (plus out of the library where the cats have all their stuff). At night the dogs split into different rooms. 

I think obedience classes or one on one with a trainer would help you. I did train all of my dogs to use one area of the yard. It makes me feel better knowing my kids can go out and play in the clean yard (Remus does pee around the yard to mark, we are working on it and he is mostly over it now). It takes a bit of time but most of them catch on pretty quickly if you are consistent. The puppies are usually trained to use the corner by the time they are fully housebroken and I find that it doesn't take young adults more than a month or two to catch on if I make it so they can't fail and reward every time they use it correctly. I do not leave my young dogs out alone for several reasons so door scratching has never been an issue for me. My youngest puppy does lunge at the door on the inside if some one is outside, we are still working on training her to lay down instead (or sit quietly or really anything other than lunge at the door). Dogs do settle as they age but they learn and develop good manners through training.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

You could get a Roomba  We have three cats who shed a lot, and a short haired small dog who doesn't shed much at all. I've been robot-vacuum tempted, though the fur-tumbleweed doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother you! 

Our dog knows to ring a bell if he wants to go out. We take him out on a schedule, but sometimes he has to go out in between or there's something he needs to chase in the yard. We taught him as a young puppy. First we taught the "touch" command, and then we had him "touch" the bell every time we went out. It didn't take too long before he'd go knock it around with his nose when he wanted to go out. For coming back in though? Hm. My dog just barks once and we go open the door. Does your dog know "Speak"? If so, you could ask him to speak before you let him back in, and he might start to associate the two. You could also put a low battery-operated doorbell and teach him to "touch" that to come back in! I don't know if you'd hear a bell from inside if he's outside.


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## Brooklynsmom (Mar 19, 2014)

In what way does he consume your life? We have a 7 month old puppy who does demand a lot of our attention and requires a lot of exercise. Through speaking with trainers and the helpful people on here, we have really worked on "go to your bed". She lays in her crate or a mat on the floor and either settles there/sleeps or chews on a bully stick. It takes training but it is doable. If she is being especially annoying she gets crated for a bit. 

As far as the shedding- it comes with the territory of having a dog. It sucks but you deal with it as a dog owner. 

I do understand that dogs at this age can be a pain but try to enjoy the good things. If you feel overwhelmed get the kids and husband involved in training, playing, walking. I'm training fun tricks as well as basic obedience because it gives a goal to focus on- both me and the dog. She is also focused on the trick rather than trying to chew my couch.


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

Brooklynsmom said:


> In what way does he consume your life? We have a 7 month old puppy who does demand a lot of our attention and requires a lot of exercise. Through speaking with trainers and the helpful people on here, we have really worked on "go to your bed". She lays in her crate or a mat on the floor and either settles there/sleeps or chews on a bully stick. It takes training but it is doable. If she is being especially annoying she gets crated for a bit.
> 
> As far as the shedding- it comes with the territory of having a dog. It sucks but you deal with it as a dog owner.
> 
> I do understand that dogs at this age can be a pain but try to enjoy the good things. If you feel overwhelmed get the kids and husband involved in training, playing, walking. I'm training fun tricks as well as basic obedience because it gives a goal to focus on- both me and the dog. She is also focused on the trick rather than trying to chew my couch.


Well, right before I read your post my dog tried to bite my hand when I took his raw hide away! So, still working on his bone aggressive issues. I get so many mixed opinions I don't know what to do about that. But other than that, from 5a until 9pm it's worrying/thinking about the dog. (he gets up at 5am every morning).


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## fourdogs (Feb 3, 2014)

I have an "improperly coated" Portuguese Water Dog. Her coat grows just like a golden, with the short face hair and front of legs and tons of shedding. She doesn't have seasonal shedding, she sheds daily and tons of hair, in my food, in my fridge, it's everywhere and it drives me crazy. 
If you use a furminator, it actually cuts and ruins the coat so keep that one to once a week, otherwise use a slicker brush daily. Every time I vacuum, I end up so mad about the hair! I always tell dh that I'm never getting a shedding dog again! We keep the dogs on the main level only so never up or downstairs on the carpet but it even finds it's way there! 

It's a pain in the butt, really. Her puppyhood was a whirlwind but she has settled down into a calm, happy, sweet girl who I would miss terribly. Give it some time, allow yourself to complain about the hair... I do lol. Ad dh giggles when I'm in my tizzy lol. I vacuum every other day, but that's ok. 
Hang in there!!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Undercoat rake ftw. Even for the cats. I can't get any sort of decent results with anything else, maybe I'm just bad at grooming or my pets have weird coats or whatever, but slicker brushes and bristle brushes are especially useless, IMO. A steel-toothed comb is good too but not as good as an undercoat rake.

A Furminator (when I use it anyway; not guaranteeing I use it correctly) gets some fur stuck in it in one half-pass and then you have to clear it before it does anything more. That takes WAY too long for me.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

renjbaker said:


> Well, right before I read your post my dog tried to bite my hand when I took his raw hide away! So, still working on his bone aggressive issues. I get so many mixed opinions I don't know what to do about that. But other than that, from 5a until 9pm it's worrying/thinking about the dog. (he gets up at 5am every morning).


Why are you worrying/thinking about the dog all day long? What in particular? Clearly you are experiencing some resource guarding issues, is it just general behavioral and training issues that are getting you down? Those can be addressed. If it is the general mess and stress of living with a dog I am afraid that does not improve. They do house train eventually with proper training (stop eating things around your house, usually) but when they get older sometimes things go down hill. I can relate, I'm in a similar position with my cats.


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## BedlingtonGirl (Jun 16, 2014)

FURminator works well. Does your dog have a double coat? If so, that may be a reason for all of the shedding.

A trainer might work well, and as for the poop in the yard, you may want to go outside with him and then pick up the poop right away. I don't have much more information to talk to you about, and if I find any I will let you know.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

renjbaker said:


> Well, right before I read your post my dog tried to bite my hand when I took his raw hide away! So, still working on his bone aggressive issues. I get so many mixed opinions I don't know what to do about that. But other than that, from 5a until 9pm it's worrying/thinking about the dog. (he gets up at 5am every morning).


Resource guarding is pretty normal. It freaked me out at first, but now he only does it with food with other animals. Try trading for something better than what he currently has. Unless you can offer something better, don't take away something of high value because it will reinforce that if he doesn't guard his stuff, someone is going to take it away! 

I spent months doing nothing but staring at the puppy, and it was exhausting. Now he's 2 1/2 and I really don't have to keep a close eye on him. The other night I fell asleep upstairs while he was eating dinner (he eats a frozen kong for dinner every night so it takes him a while) and woke up a few hours later and he was... curled up in his bed in the living room sleeping. It's rewarding when you get to a point where you don't have to think about the dog all the time, and you can see how all the time you spent training and working with the dog paid off! 5 am is pretty early though - what time is last walk/bedtime?


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## Brooklynsmom (Mar 19, 2014)

renjbaker said:


> Well, right before I read your post my dog tried to bite my hand when I took his raw hide away! So, still working on his bone aggressive issues. I get so many mixed opinions I don't know what to do about that. But other than that, from 5a until 9pm it's worrying/thinking about the dog. (he gets up at 5am every morning).


Do you work away from your house or are you home during the day? I find that my dog is used to sleeping during the day a lot while I am at work. So days that I am home and she doesn't have that time to rest she gets super overstimulated. She doesn't seem to know how to flip her off switch so I have to do it for her. 

As far as bone aggression- I would work with a trainer- I wouldn't know how to fix it and it seems like the longer you let it go on, the worse it gets. 

Try not to worry about the dog so much (easier said than done I know!). I'm sure you guys are doing great and the pup is happy. I tend to forget that my dog is not in fact my child. She is a dog and although I love her and treat her as a child, I need to remember that my needs matter as well.


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

BedlingtonGirl said:


> FURminator works well. Does your dog have a double coat? If so, that may be a reason for all of the shedding.
> 
> A trainer might work well, and as for the poop in the yard, you may want to go outside with him and then pick up the poop right away. I don't have much more information to talk to you about, and if I find any I will let you know.


Yep, he has a double coat. Currently I use a bristle and slicker brush. It helps but I still vacuum often. My furminator tool should be arriving this week so I'll see how that works! 

I


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I wouldn't recommend the furminator. It can destroy the coat pretty easily. I would look into an undercoat rake and a stripping knife (like this brand: http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Products-Select-Coarse-Stripping/dp/B00DQS3EK6). You basically rake the knife through the coat, like you are brushing, and it pulls out undercoat (you don't actually use it to strip or cut the coat like on some breeds). Look online for videos on carding undercoat - it's pretty common in spaniels and goldens.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

I don't know the turn over time for a golden's coat...if it is any different then a GSD...??? having a pack of them I understand the fur everywhere.. once every 3 or 3 weeks during the summer I would spray mist the coats and use a (cool temp) dog dryer to blow their coats out.... needs some training time to condition the dogs for grooming with the dryer. a moist wash cloth does wonders for collecting fur off of furniture and carpet areas.. Takes practice but you do get organized with a system. Lots of normal puppy stuff to get through in the beginning... I like the trade up game to teach give...


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I have some small non-shedding dogs and I clip them down short myself but I also have a Bernese Mtn. dog cross that can really shed. She stays in my kitchen most of the time because that is where I am and where I have my computer. At night the little dogs sleep with me and even though I have a carpet on the floor where I sleep and could make her stay in the kitchen she sleeps on the carpet at night beside the bed. I went and bought a good vacuum and I just vacuum it every few days. It has plugged up some days with her hair.

When she if really shedding in the spring (late this year) I take her up to the Doggy Wash and use their tub and high velocity blower to get rid of most of her loose hair.

I also have a Doberman and sometimes I think her short hairs are even harder to keep track of so any dog you get will either shed or need to be clipped.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

I admit I skimmed a little, so I apologize if I missed it, but is he crate trained at all? Being able to (calmly) put Sam in his crate with a yummy chew for a little while was a lifesaver, especially when he hit the butthead teenager stage. He's safe, contained, and I can relax for a bit.

I also support the suggestions about training. The right trainer and/or class isn't just good for socialization and manners - it can do wonders for your bond and communication, too. I took my first class with Samwise this winter (erratic work schedule, so my partner had always done it before), and I really feel like it allowed things to click between us better, and smoothed out some of the rough patches.

As for the size thing... you never know! If his paperwork can be believed, Sam's father was a mini poodle (under 15 inches), and his mother was a toy (under 10 inches). He's an oversized mini at 16 inches and a lean 17 lbs! You just never know what genetics will throw at you. Afraid I don't have advice for the shedding, but it sounds like you've got a lot of experienced owners chiming in. I hope you find something that works out for you!


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Willowy said:


> Undercoat rake ftw. Even for the cats. I can't get any sort of decent results with anything else, maybe I'm just bad at grooming or my pets have weird coats or whatever, but slicker brushes and bristle brushes are especially useless, IMO. A steel-toothed comb is good too but not as good as an undercoat rake.
> 
> A Furminator (when I use it anyway; not guaranteeing I use it correctly) gets some fur stuck in it in one half-pass and then you have to clear it before it does anything more. That takes WAY too long for me.


I like my furminator if I'm line-brushing for flea dirt and such... but yea, I wouldn't use it all the time, has to be emptied a lot..


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

Remaru said:


> Goldens are heavy shedders, it is possible that he is having a food allergy or something but more likely he is just shedding because it is that time of year. My Carolina dog has been blowing coat for a month, it finally slowed way down (in time for my GSD/husky mix to start losing her puppy coat). I am lucky that my guy only blows coat once a year but my girl will probably do it twice, all of our other dogs are either non-shedding or short single coated (Duke still sheds it just isn't particularly noticeable). Non-shedding dogs have their own issues, like specialized grooming. A trip to the groomers for a special coat blow out and de-shedding might help with the fur. How much is he drooling? A dog like that really shouldn't drool much, I mean my Carolina dog does this thing where he licks the floor a good bit but drool wise only the American Bulldog is slobbery (and Blue when she sleeps, and the one cat, sort of weird). My younger dogs chew in the house but I don't allow anyone to have edible toys at all. Raw hides can be dangerous if digested so we avoid those, Duke can't have bully sticks (he is allergic to beef) so we stick exclusively to nylabones and some of the puzzle toys. So far no one but Duke is sloppy chewing and he is required to chew outside. Four other dogs chew in the house no problem, the cats are far messier than the dogs. Our dogs are restricted to the living area when we are all awake but that is all there really is to our house and everyone is in the living areas together or at the very least I am with them which is what they really want anyway. They are gated in the living areas because a couple of them are younger and I need to keep an eye on them. Just keeps them from meandering down the hallway and into the bathroom (plus out of the library where the cats have all their stuff). At night the dogs split into different rooms.
> 
> I think obedience classes or one on one with a trainer would help you. I did train all of my dogs to use one area of the yard. It makes me feel better knowing my kids can go out and play in the clean yard (Remus does pee around the yard to mark, we are working on it and he is mostly over it now). It takes a bit of time but most of them catch on pretty quickly if you are consistent. The puppies are usually trained to use the corner by the time they are fully housebroken and I find that it doesn't take young adults more than a month or two to catch on if I make it so they can't fail and reward every time they use it correctly. I do not leave my young dogs out alone for several reasons so door scratching has never been an issue for me. My youngest puppy does lunge at the door on the inside if some one is outside, we are still working on training her to lay down instead (or sit quietly or really anything other than lunge at the door). Dogs do settle as they age but they learn and develop good manners through training.


He doesn't really drool.. what I meant was when he's chewing on toys or bones he gets slobber all over things, as in my carpet! 

For three months straight, starting when he was 9 weeks old, we brought him every hour to a corner in our yard to go potty. We then would let him off his leash, telling him to go potty and he would not go in the corner on his own. We gave up on that. Maybe now that he's older (8 months) we should try it again. I have young kids and it would be nice for them not to have to watch out for the poo all the time. How often did you bring your dogs out to that certain area? And did you mark the area with a fence or something so they knew where to go? Like I said, we did it, but gave up after a few months. It got very exhausting and frustrating!


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## renjbaker (Oct 7, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> I wouldn't recommend the furminator. It can destroy the coat pretty easily. I would look into an undercoat rake and a stripping knife (like this brand: http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Products-Select-Coarse-Stripping/dp/B00DQS3EK6). You basically rake the knife through the coat, like you are brushing, and it pulls out undercoat (you don't actually use it to strip or cut the coat like on some breeds). Look online for videos on carding undercoat - it's pretty common in spaniels and goldens.


Thanks! I'll look into this.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

renjbaker said:


> He doesn't really drool.. what I meant was when he's chewing on toys or bones he gets slobber all over things, as in my carpet!
> 
> For three months straight, starting when he was 9 weeks old, we brought him every hour to a corner in our yard to go potty. We then would let him off his leash, telling him to go potty and he would not go in the corner on his own. We gave up on that. Maybe now that he's older (8 months) we should try it again. I have young kids and it would be nice for them not to have to watch out for the poo all the time. How often did you bring your dogs out to that certain area? And did you mark the area with a fence or something so they knew where to go? Like I said, we did it, but gave up after a few months. It got very exhausting and frustrating!


Don't let him off leash and make sure you are rewarding when he goes where you want. I have the dogs going in a side yard. Our yard is fenced down the side of the house, sort of hard to explain but there is an area that is open to the rest of the yard but it extends down the side of the house so it is obviously sort of set off from the yard a bit. That is where I always take the dogs to go do their business. We built a path to the area (along the other side of the house from the porch) with paver stones, and would walk along the same path every time then release them to go into the area with the words "go potty". Until they were well trained to do it on their own we kept them on leash. With the younger dogs I did put up and Ex-pen from one fence post across and then made it so I could open and close it like a gate across the little paver stone path at the side of the house. So the puppies could be shut in when they needed to go, I would wait for as long as it took until they went on their own, then click and treat. It took Freyja until she was maybe 4 months to learn to go on her own and she came here at 8 weeks old. I think Remus took 3 months to learn (but he will pee around the yard and when he is in a real huff he will poo at the edges of the fence to "mark" his territory, he is a primitive dog breed though). Duke only took a few weeks to learn but he was a year old when we adopted him. Blue took 4 or 5 months but she was a sickly puppy. Dove has only been here a month and she already has it down, she was 7 months when we adopted her. 

You could buy an ex-pen like thishttp://www.amazon.com/Playpen-Crate-Fence-Kennel-Exercise/dp/B00IX6S8YI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FA8S80XPVB8DNPW5TG7 and use it to gate off a corner of your yard. I set it up open so it covers slightly more area. Wire it to a fence post then open it and run it along parallel to the fence and turn it back to make a door. Open it and close it as needed. You will have to stand at the "door" to keep the puppy in but eventually he should catch on. The other option is to build a dog run or kennel. I ultimately want to do this. I only need to build one fence with a gate because of the way our yard is set up. I don't need to do it because our dogs are trained but I want to anyway, it would just be nice to have. You can buy dog kennels or build a chain link fencing. Farm fencing is an option (I think we are going to go with that). I just like the idea of having a line of fence from the porch all the way to their actual corner, particularly if I ever have a puppy again. I will most likely have a puppy again in the future. 


this is sort of what the set up looks like in my yard (this pic is actually 7 years old, that is the original plastic ex-pen I used when we first moved in and we used it more to keep our foster pup from escaping before we fixed one of the fences than anything). So that is the back of the house and then the side of the house has fencing that runs for about 18-20 feet and that area is where the dogs do their thing. We added paving stones from the porch to the pen and a little area of stones at the entrance of the pen. It helps set the pen apart from the rest of the yard. 


I've never noticed an excessive amount of slobber when chewing bones in the house and we have wood floors but I don't do edible chews so that may make a difference. I do notice a ton of fur, it blows around badly on hard floors, and the dirt is more noticeable, but I know it is coming clean because hard floors are easy to clean so it doesn't bother me that much. I also just really love having dogs. I would love to have all stained and sealed cement floors, would make cleaning sooooo easy. I'm a weirdo that way though.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Rehome him and just get a different dog. Tell the kids they can out another puppy. No big deal. Find one that doesn't shed.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

seaboxador said:


> Rehome him and just get a different dog. Tell the kids they can out another puppy. No big deal. Find one that doesn't shed.


Now there's a valuable lesson for kids. Teach them that living things are disposable and if something is inconvenient they can just give up. Yep, just what everyone wants to teach their kids.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

seaboxador said:


> Rehome him and just get a different dog. Tell the kids they can out another puppy. No big deal. Find one that doesn't shed.


Ahh you have returned with more bad advice and I'm sure more insensitive comments to follow here and else where. *sigh*


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## Brooklynsmom (Mar 19, 2014)

seaboxador said:


> Rehome him and just get a different dog. Tell the kids they can out another puppy. No big deal. Find one that doesn't shed.


Wow that's rude and not helpful.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Ok well I responded to this 2 days ago and apparently it disapeared into the abyss of moderation land because it had a link to amazon in it or perhaps it will pop up later. 

The gist of the post was that my dogs are trained to use a particular area of the yard and it is sort of half fenced off which does probably help in the training process. Let me try to describe it for you. My yard is entirely fenced in and it is essentially a large rectangle on the back of my house (so the back of my houses faces the yard). One little strip of yard runs down the side of the house, it is probably 21x12 ft give or take, I've never measured it and it really isn't good for anything as far as useable yard space goes. It is perfect as an area for the dogs to use though. So you go out our back door onto the patio, then we laid some paving stones from the patio down the length of the back of the house to that little area that runs the side of the house (it is also fenced). We added two rows of paving stones to the entry of that little area to make a real division and we used to mulch the area to keep it from being muddy but we don't bother anymore, it seems to stay grassy. To make training easier we took an exercise pen, opened it up and tied it off to the fence post on one side then ran it all the way across the opening of the area and made a sort of gate turning back to the house. I only did that for the new puppies, never needed it for Duke or the others but Freyja was stubborn and Dove did take to the pen super quickly. I would say that Duke didn't take more than a month to take to the pen, he was a year old when we adopted him. I don't remember how long it took with Blue but she was a sickly puppy (we fostered the entire litter from 1week old) and she wasn't going outside until she was probably closer to 10weeks old. I don't think it took long after that though. Remus used the pen quickly though he will mark around the yard from time to time, he is an intact male of a primitive breed. Freyja uses the pen on her own with no issue and has since probably 4 months, about the time I would have called her reliably house broken. I you want your dog to use one area it wouldn't be hard to buy an exercise pen and gate off one corner of your yard. Either just set up the ex-pen or open the pen and wire it to the fence post on one side and run it parallel to the fence (in a corner) to give a bit more area. Eventually your dog will catch on if that is the only place he can go. It shouldn't take too long but make sure to be heavy with the praise and treats. 

I have never had an issue with slobber when chewing but I don't give rawhides. With nylabones on wood floor I don't notice anything. Duke isn't allowed to chew in the house because he does slobber but he is a bulldog and he slobbers anyway. I like having wood floors because even though I notice the dirt and hair more I know I am getting it cleaner all I have to do is mop. I hate carpet. I would have all stained and sealed concrete if I could.


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## mcdavis (May 1, 2012)

When you have a puppy a frozen kong is your best friend. Our dog is a fast eater so I always like him to have a sleep after he has eaten - when he was a puppy I'd pop him into a crate in a quiet part of the house at mealtimes, give him a frozen kong and leave him for 1-2 hours. I'd often use the time to catch up on jobs I couldn't do whilst he was around, but sometimes I'd use it to relax / take some time out.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

seaboxador said:


> Rehome him and just get a different dog. Tell the kids they can out another puppy. No big deal. Find one that doesn't shed.


That's a good lesson for when the children are teenagers. That way, they will be extra careful about not leaving any messes around, any hair in the shower drain, or just generally being less than perfect. 

To the OP- a good vacuum is your friend. A Shop-vac or similar is also very good because it can handle a lot of hair without clogging (no rotating brush) and gets under furniture well. 

When he's chewing on a toy, teach him to lay on a towel or stay in the kitchen (assuming the kitchen has tile/vinyl floor) so the drool isn't too messy. Or, when the weather and time permits, give chews outside or in a crate as appropriate.

Fencing an area might not be too hard. T-posts and woven wire fencing are cheap and easy to install. A 50 ft length of fence with the posts is under $100 from Lowes or Home Depot in most of the US. You lead the dog to that area and then let him loose in "his" area to do his business. Then pick it up daily as an additional cleanliness step.


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## RabbleFox (Jan 23, 2013)

renjbaker said:


> He doesn't really drool.. what I meant was when he's chewing on toys or bones he gets slobber all over things, as in my carpet!
> 
> For three months straight, starting when he was 9 weeks old, we brought him every hour to a corner in our yard to go potty. We then would let him off his leash, telling him to go potty and he would not go in the corner on his own. We gave up on that. Maybe now that he's older (8 months) we should try it again. I have young kids and it would be nice for them not to have to watch out for the poo all the time. How often did you bring your dogs out to that certain area? And did you mark the area with a fence or something so they knew where to go? Like I said, we did it, but gave up after a few months. It got very exhausting and frustrating!


You can definitely try again! I taught Merlin to go potty in a certain wooded patch in my dad's backyard (where we lived for a time) at a year old. Never too late to try again. 

What I did was never let him off the lead until I was sure he got where he was meant to go.  There were no other markers for him besides the nature around. Mainly, a specific pine tree. 

Use the lead to your advantage. I would walk him back to the spot, say "go potty", and wait. The area should be big enough for you to walk him back and forth a bit. Eventually, he will go. Lots of praise and maybe a treat or two the first couple times. Repeat for about a month and viola! A dog who only potties in a certain area.


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

i use an undercoat comb and a pin brush. i comb in all directions. i use the pin brush for his legs, head
and underneath him. i also use the pin brush to smooth him out. i brush my dog 2 to 3 times a week.
sometimes i brush him 4 times a week.

all dogs shed.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

It's a dog. They shed unless you get a breed that doesn't. To me, it's just dog hair, not a big deal but if a clean house is important to you, maybe a dog isn't your best pet.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

dagwall said:


> Ahh you have returned with more bad advice and I'm sure more insensitive comments to follow here and else where. *sigh*


I returned with the only real pragmatic advice here. If she's regretting it now, that's not going away and neither is the shedding. Finding the dog a home and getting a dog better suited to the family doesn't hurt the dog and they end up with what they want. It's a win win.



> That's a good lesson for when the children are teenagers. That way, they will be extra careful about not leaving any messes around, any hair in the shower drain, or just generally being less than perfect.


Once you give them a puppy they won't really care and I'm sure they could find someone who'll let them visit the old dog. It'll teach them that it doesn't matter where a dog is as long as it has a good home and that they make good choices in life and find people in their life that suit their needs.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

seaboxador said:


> I returned with the only real pragmatic advice here. If she's regretting it now, that's not going away and neither is the shedding. Finding the dog a home and getting a dog better suited to the family doesn't hurt the dog and they end up with what they want. It's a win win.
> 
> Once you give them a puppy they won't really care and I'm sure they could find someone who'll let them visit the old dog. It'll teach them that it doesn't matter where a dog is as long as it has a good home and that they make good choices in life and find people in their life that suit their needs.


So training and cleaning advice isn't pragmatic? Since the behavior issues are normal for dogs and the shedding is only a minor part of the new dog "OMG" stage and as such, none of it should be over-reacted to. It is normal for people to stress out with a new dog because it is a major life change. Unless the dog is truly unsuited for them--- such as major aggression towards another pet or household member-- then it is very worth taking the time to do some training and routine adjustment before even considering rehoming. Rehoming is a HUGE decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. 

Visiting...
what about when the "old" dog that was gotten rid of ends up dead in a shelter, the kids won't be visiting then. Or when it ends up tied out with a minimal dog house, the kids won't be visiting then.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

That's nice and all except she's brushing the dog 4 times a day and vacuums so much that the vacuum doesn't even get put away and it's been six months. Thus, none of your points above are really applicable.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

renjbaker said:


> I have a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix dog about 40 pounds (won't get any bigger). He's 8 months old and has consumed my life day and night for the last 6 months. *I, my husband and kids love him very much and overall he's a sweet loving dog,* Thinking about not letting him on the carpeted level due to the dirt, drool, dirty paws, etc. that I can't get out of carpet, but my husband feels he needs to "be by us" all the time.
> 
> Has anyone else had these feelings of regret? I wish I could find a loving home for him, but *my kids are too attached to him *and we've already spent a boat load on the dog, underground fencing, etc., not to mention all the items he's already destroyed!
> 
> ...





renjbaker said:


> I think we feed him a pretty healthy diet. I posted in previous reply what we feed him. I thought he lost all his puppy hair because it grew in longer and thicker, but he may still have some underneath and yes, it's that time of year. He's been shedding super heavy for about 3 weeks now.
> 
> We go out once a day or every other day to pick up poop. We have a fairly large yard so we miss some usually as well.
> 
> ...





renjbaker said:


> Well, right before I read your post my dog tried to bite my hand when I took his raw hide away! So, still working on his bone aggressive issues. I get so many mixed opinions I don't know what to do about that. But other than that, from 5a until 9pm it's worrying/thinking about the dog. (he gets up at 5am every morning).


The VAST majority of the issue that the OP is having with her dog are completely normal and completely unrelated to how much a dog sheds. If those very trainable issues are solved and the dog is put on a good grooming schedule, the shedding is likely to fade to the background as a minor issue. The family already loves this dog. To give up a dog because of the dog's fur (excluding severe allergy cases) is just kind of harsh on everyone. Fur isn't trainable, the dog cannot help it. When you adopt or buy a dog, you take that dog on for life barring something far more important that fur on the floor IMO. 




seaboxador said:


> That's nice and all except she's brushing the dog 4 times a day and vacuums so much that the vacuum doesn't even get put away and it's been six months. Thus, none of your points above are really applicable.


No, my points are very applicable. The shedding is ONE single part of the equation. The other parts are normal puppy/dog issues and are trainable. If they got "rid" of that dog and got another, really only the shedding may or may not be resolved due to dog breed selection. Another puppy will still drool, will still track mud inside. could still easily have minor resource guarding problems, will likely still chew on blankets or dog beds, may still scratch at the door etc. As in, a dog will still be a dog and TRAINING is the key to the majority of it.


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