Why is my Labrador Shedding hair?

[amelia0401]

Hello there my 5 month old chocolate lab cocoa is shedding great amounts of hair. I have to vaccum the house nearly everyday and it seems that the hair fall has increased tremendously. The hair he sheds is not fluffy soft hair but its more thick hair. He is fit and fine no trouble with his diet or any other activity. He doesnt scratch or itch so i dont think its an allergy. He gives out a lot of dog dander though which is a worry as i am allergic to it. The vet recommended a supplement of cod liver or flaxseed oil to his food which we follow, but the dander hasnt stopped We give him a bath almost 1nce a week, but that hasnt helped a bit. PLEASE HELP!

[KABIRUL]

Hello there my 5 month old chocolate lab cocoa is shedding great amounts of hair. I have to vaccum the house nearly everyday and it seems that the hair fall has increased tremendously. The hair he sheds is not fluffy soft hair but its more thick hair. He is fit and fine no trouble with his diet or any other activity. He doesnt scratch or itch so i dont think its an allergy. He gives out a lot of dog dander though which is a worry as i am allergic to it. The vet recommended a supplement of cod liver or flaxseed oil to his food which we follow, but the dander hasnt stopped We give him a bath almost 1nce a week, but that hasnt helped a bit. PLEASE HELP!

[KABIRUL]

Hello there my 5 month old chocolate lab cocoa is shedding great amounts of hair. I have to vaccum the house nearly everyday and it seems that the hair fall has increased tremendously. The hair he sheds is not fluffy soft hair but its more thick hair. He is fit and fine no trouble with his diet or any other activity. He doesnt scratch or itch so i dont think its an allergy. He gives out a lot of dog dander though which is a worry as i am allergic to it. The vet recommended a supplement of cod liver or flaxseed oil to his food which we follow, but the dander hasnt stopped We give him a bath almost 1nce a week, but that hasnt helped a bit. PLEASE HELP!

[Margot49]

This is an old thread. She is talking about a make dog.  :-)
They usually blow coat after a season and after having a litter.

[todyye]

Is it true that labs sheads there hair while they are on heat (season of meating)

[Margot49]

LOL!!  Probably so.  You still might try some of my suggestions.  
I had Shelties for years and I swear it was a lot easier cleaning up dust bunnies then the short hair on this Greyhound!!  :-)

[amelia0401]

the dyson is on full blast, every week i keep emptying it...he hasnt had any probs whatsoever with the skin, i think its just the normal yearly shed...but i can hear the vaccum in my dreams now! LOL

[Margot49]

Yes, most dogs will do a twice a year shed and this would be the time as we are going into Summer although it is believed that the longer days and more sunlight triggers the dogs to shed (reverse for Winter months approaching).   Also, being in the house a lot, probably with the heat on, will often cause flaky skin.  Dogs that are in the house more, will often shed more as they don't really go through the Season changes dogs that spend more time outside do.  Our Greyhound, who is in the house most of the time, sheds year round.  Ugh!!!  Diet can be another issue. Feed a good food without grains in it/try a good premium or holistic food. If the food does not have essential fatty acids from fish, supplement with Omega 3 and Omega 6, which may help.  I would not bath that often.  When you do bath, try using an Oatmeal based shampoo.  Too much bathing removes essential oils from the skin.
Now, all that being said, I used to show Shelties (look like small Collies).  When the weather got warm and we had shows coming up, we would do what we could to try and get the dogs to hold coat!!!!  Many breeders have air conditioned rooms just for their dogs.  Misting daily with water helps the coat and skin.  
Has your dog been neutered recently? After and spay and/or neuter or anesthetic, a dog will often loose a lot of hair.
At 5 mos old, he could just be loosing his puppy coat and getting his adult coat.
All this, unfortunately, sounds pretty normal and you can try the suggestions given.  If you see a major skin problem or hair loss, then you should take the dog into the Vet.
Aside from that, happy vacuuming.  :-)
I recommend the Dyson.  LOL

[deadgamegrrl]

I don't know where you live but most dogs will 'blow coat' approximately twice a year, in addition to the regular year-round shedding.  The warmer weather typically triggers in the springtime.  If your lab is only 5 months you probably have not had him long enough to experience this before.

As far as the dander, the flaxseed is good, as is an oatmeal based natural shampoo.  Be careful not to bathe too often however, it can be counterproductive, especially in dogs like labs that have an oilier natural coat.  The skin can become too dry which causes more flaking and dander.  I would try brushing him every day if you don't already.  

Hope this helps!