Having a black dog just may drive me insane!

[momofkhm]

I am by no means a neat, tidy person but the black dog hair all over the floors may just be my undoing. I have a friend who would probably not have the same issues, but she likes jewel tones - you know dark. I like light bright colors. The tan dog hair doesn't show but the black dog hair, it's all I see! I want to get a "stick vac" but will it really work? I've gotten out our regular vacuum but on the "bare floor" setting it just pushes the fur around. I have to get out the hard straight wand thing. Which just seems harder bc then you are only getting fur from a 2" space at a time. to do the whole floor takes forever! I know sweeping the floor with a broom would work, but then when the kids do it, there will be fur all over the place. They won't do it well enough.

 

What do you use for the dog hair?

[Laura R (FL)]

My husband bought a sort of dust mop. It's about 2 ft long, 3" wide, and something like a soft, loose, berber. it works like a big Swiffer and hair just sticks to it. It doesn't pick up dirt, though. I use a hand broom and dust pan to sweep up the little pile of sand at the end of the sweeping routine.

[Oakblossoms]

I have a ticked Border Collie. This means he has lucious long white hair that lives under everything.

 

I try to brush often. But, that's easier with long hair. We have wood floors so I use the same type of stick mop. I try to sweep and mop daily. I have an old spray bottle that I put in some watered down Trader Joes spray cleaner in. I just spray a bit and mop the high traffic areas. It doesn't take too long and if I do it every other day then it's pretty tidy.

[Pajama Mama]

Yep, we have a black dog too. He's 1/2 Black Lab and 1/2 Australian Shepherd. So he's all black but bigger than a Lab which means even more fur:eek: We have hardwood floor in the living room/dining rooms and white tiles in the kitchen and hallway areas. When there's a breeze, I feel like I'm in the old west. Tumbleweeds of black fur will blow past me. It doesn't help that I'm allergic to said dog or that I have asthma.

 

We have a sweeper with a rechargable battery that we use. I need to use it 2 to 3 times a day. Oh, if I had the money, I'd buy a Roomba. It would be my best friend. I also use a Swiffer wet jet for the muddy pawprints.

[Sharon in SC]

These are the things that have gone a LONG way towards preserving my sanity in managing dog hair on my tile/hardwoods:

1) Brush dog daily

2) Use Swivel Sweeper daily. You'll find mixed reviews for this product but, honestly, it. is. my. lifesaver!!!! Mine went out after 3 months (my mom has given 4 as gifts and no one else has had this trouble). I could not get to the store fast enough to replace it. If I have to buy one every 3 months (which I trust I won't) it's worth every penny to me because it is 1) portable, no electric cord to constantly unplug/plug to make it through the house, 2) it is super light and a breeze to use, 3) the head swivels terrifically, 4) it gets edges and corners better than anything I've ever tried, and 5) it keeps my black Border Collie's hair tightly managed!! (BTW, prior to owning this I used electric stick vacs and would not go back to that at all. The Swivel sweeper is such a better option for when you have dog hair to contend with!)

 

For my carpeted areas, I like Roomba. I do not trust Roomba (beater brushes) to my new hardwoods and it does not get edges and corners as well as the Swivel Sweeper but it is great for the carpet. (I have Frieze and the SS does not do well with high pile carpeting).

 

Past that, I get out my rainbow weekly and mop.

 

This system is working well for me and I have lots to compare this system to 'cause before we had Lady (the Border Collie), we had a yellow lab. :-P

 

HTH,

Sharon

 

 

I am by no means a neat, tidy person but the black dog hair all over the floors may just be my undoing. I have a friend who would probably not have the same issues, but she likes jewel tones - you know dark. I like light bright colors. The tan dog hair doesn't show but the black dog hair, it's all I see! I want to get a "stick vac" but will it really work? I've gotten out our regular vacuum but on the "bare floor" setting it just pushes the fur around. I have to get out the hard straight wand thing. Which just seems harder bc then you are only getting fur from a 2" space at a time. to do the whole floor takes forever! I know sweeping the floor with a broom would work, but then when the kids do it, there will be fur all over the place. They won't do it well enough.

 

What do you use for the dog hair?

[RoughCollie]

One word. Furminator.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=furminator&x=0&y=0

[Rebecca in VA]

I read a news article a month or so ago about how black dogs are discriminated against. People don't want to adopt them. Black labs, especially, often have to be destroyed because people don't see how sweet they are -- they just see the black exterior, and it isn't as attractive as soft brown or white.

 

That article really made me sad, because we have two wonderful black dogs, a border collie/lab mix and a cocker spaniel. They couldn't be more faithful and loving. Black dogs rule!!

 

(I do understand about black fur everywhere, though. We have our cocker spaniel clipped a lot to avoid that.)

[In The Great White North]

I've been eyeing this for awhile but they are usually around $50. The Amazon prices are great. I've got a Bernese Mountain Dog and he puts out a copious amount of hair all year long.

 

So, is it worth it? Has it affected the amount of dog hair you have to vacuum daily? Do you use it daily?

 

Does the dog like it? My dog doesn't like wire brushes that get through to his skin. And he is dual coated so the brush he "likes" really seems to only brush the outer layer.

 

What size should I get? He's about 80lbs (smal for a Berner).

[RoughCollie]

I bought the large sized one for my 90 lb. collie. He doesn't mind the Furminator. We take our dog to the groomer about once a month. The Furminator works great for in between. If my dog would calmly let me groom him 100%, I'd quit taking him to the groomer.

 

The collie is supposedly the 7th hairiest breed, and mine sheds quite a bit. His undercoat is soft, furry, and so dense that it is difficult to see his skin. The Furminator removes the undercoat which would otherwise be shed soon.

 

It doesn't hurt him at all.

 

There is a video about using it here:

 

http://www.furminator.com/

 

I think it is worth it because it really does help when I use it several times a week, and it is the only grooming tool my dog does not hate. I threw away all my other grooming tools after I bought the Furminator.

 

I have no idea how it works to get the fur out because it doesn't look like it would do much, but it does. It is kind of fun to get a poodle's worth of fur off of him. Makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

 

RC

 

I've been eyeing this for awhile but they are usually around $50. The Amazon prices are great. I've got a Bernese Mountain Dog and he puts out a copious amount of hair all year long.

 

So, is it worth it? Has it affected the amount of dog hair you have to vacuum daily? Do you use it daily?

 

Does the dog like it? My dog doesn't like wire brushes that get through to his skin. And he is dual coated so the brush he "likes" really seems to only brush the outer layer.

 

What size should I get? He's about 80lbs (smal for a Berner).

[Laura R (FL)]

I have a 40 lb Australian Shepherd, but he's not really hairy. He's from working dog breeding vs AKC, so he's really lean and has the coat more like a Border Collie than a big, fluffy Aussie. If I Furminate him, will he disappear? I can brush him with a regular pet brush and get a small puppy off of him.

[unsinkable]

I read a news article a month or so ago about how black dogs are discriminated against. People don't want to adopt them. Black labs, especially, often have to be destroyed because people don't see how sweet they are -- they just see the black exterior, and it isn't as attractive as soft brown or white.

 

That article really made me sad, because we have two wonderful black dogs, a border collie/lab mix and a cocker spaniel. They couldn't be more faithful and loving. Black dogs rule!!

 

(I do understand about black fur everywhere, though. We have our cocker spaniel clipped a lot to avoid that.)

 

I have heard this, too. There is a rescue org. near here called Black Dog Rescue.

 

OTOH, when I was 19, I delibertely picked a black lab as my doggy b/c I mostly wore balck clothing and I didn't want the hair to show. :D

[momofkhm]

People don't want to adopt them. Black labs, especially, often have to be destroyed because people don't see how sweet they are -- they just see the black exterior, and it isn't as attractive as soft brown or white. (I do understand about black fur everywhere, though. We have our cocker spaniel clipped a lot to avoid that.)

 

I love my black dog. He is soo sweet. If we had wee ones, I would not worry about him - he just does not care what you do to him. It's the fur!

[LisaNY]

I have found that DIET plays a HUGE part in coat condition/shedding. We have a very large German Shepherd, who created tumbleweed within minutes of my vacuuming. :glare: We switched him to Innova Evo in combination with my homemade doggie stew, and use the Furminator every couple of weeks. The difference is amazing! He is not shedding anywhere near as much as he used to.