Getting A Handle On Your Pet's Shedding

A few years ago it was easy to stay on top of the dog hair in the house because we had two black dogs, mostly dark-colored clothes and light carpet. As soon as I saw black lab fur on the cream carpet, I would pull out the vacuum cleaner and take care of it. Part of our evening routine included grooming the girls and getting rid of all that excess fur.

Then along came Molly. Where the girls had black fur, Molly has light brown fur that shows up like neon lights on our dark clothing. Black labs have a dense undercoat that combs out easily, but Great Danes have this fluffy hair that falls out if you look at it funny. Everything we had done before to control the shedding situation went out the window because Molly is apparently the exception to all rules - in more ways than one.

So here is my arsenal of fur fighting tools. It takes some time and effort, but it's worth it for humans and puppy alike.

* Fur brush: It doesn't pick up and hold her fur, but it loosens it and makes it easier to comb. She also likes that it's a mini-massage while getting groomed.

* Fur comb: We used to use this to get Bailey's undercoat cleaned out because she had that thick water-dog fur. On Molly, it locks onto the fur loosened by the brush. They're both big enough to cover a Dane in a relatively short amount of time.

* Lint roller: We probably should have invested in the company's stock years ago, thanks to the amount we go through. Since we couldn't buy whole new wardrobes to coordinate with our dog, these come in handy, especially on Sunday mornings.

* Furniture roller: This amazing little tool has two rotating brushes on the bottom that trap hair as you rub it back and forth over your furniture. And when your very large dog has claimed your chair as her favorite place to curl up when she thinks you're not looking, it's well worth it.

* Shower squeegee. This may be a new concept to some, but I use this on the carpet on a regular basis. Pull against the grain of your carpet to make the threads stand upright and you'll be shocked at the amount of fur you'll pull up. This is a life saver on carpet that is almost the same color as your dog, trust me. Keep a plastic trash bag handy to drop the fur into so it doesn't fly away after you do all that work to clean it up.

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