Shedding

O.k. I have a beagle/cocker spaniel mix. She is about 6 months old and she is an indoor dog. I have never had an indoor dog before so that brings up my question. How do we control the shedding? Please help, if I lost that much hair everyday I would be bald in a week.

[ginger899]

Some dogs shed more than others. Right now I am living in a haze of dog-hair myself!! Pity me! My dog, bless her, sheds twice a year. This is natural for her, and not a sign of illness.
Regular grooming will help, but it's a bit of a thankless task. You get a good handful of hair on the comb, and think that's it. Then 15 minutes later there is another handful! I just got myself a good vacuum cleaner, and have to do that chore a little more regularly than I would prefer!
I am afraid you will have to learn to adapt to this.

Has your girl been spayed? Hormonal changes just before her 'season' or 'heat' can cause more shedding. And getting her spayed is a good idea generally for her future health.

Please excuse me, but I am not quite sure what you mean by her being an 'indoor dog'. At 6 months old and if she is in good health, it is a little early to tell...Her breed cross sounds to me like she will need a good amount of regular exercise, at least two decent walks a day, and some running-around time, to stay fit and well. I feel it might be wise to give this some good thought. Is it impossible to exercise her outdoors?
ALL dogs need some outdoor time, but especially her breed type. The exceptions (except for poop/pee breaks) are some kinds of lap-dogs, and those with severe arthritis or painful conditions, or when exercise is contra-indicated by a health condition.

If you want to have a healthy, fit dog who lives a good many years, she will need outdoor time.

[Ghilly]

Beagles and cocker spaniels both shed, and while you'd think it would be the other way around because the beagle is a short-haired dog, they actually shed even more than cockers do.

Ginger gave you some good, sound advice when it comes to vacuuming.  If you want to hasten the shedding process along, however, you can bathe her in warm water.  For some reason, bathing them in warm water will force out more of the ready-to-shed hair.  If you bathe them in cold or cool water, they will retain the coat for a longer period of time.  So to just get rid of it, bathe her in warm water and after she dries, you'll see the shedded hair sitting on top waiting to be taken off.  Comb her thoroughly and that should take care of a lot of the hair.

You can also do what I did and get her used to being vacuumed.  Many dogs love being vacuumed, and mine goes crazy when she sees the vacuum come out, as do my cats!  They know that after the rug is done, they're next, and they love it!  Sometimes they are so anxious to be vacuumed that it's difficult to do the floor ecause they keep running along in front of the vacuum and laying down like "do me next!"  LOL

Ghilly

[ginger899]

Thank you so much for those tips! Misty hates baths, but she is going to get a warm bath! She's not too keen on the vacuum cleaner either but might as well get all those dog hairs before they land up on the carpet! I think the reason she doesn't like the vacuum cleaner is she gets totally ignored, and it means 'I am busy' (ie no walkies for a while) if I got her involved, she might even get to like it.