German shepherds care

Our dogs are very soft and shiny. We know things are getting pretty soft in this pampered world, like blankets, they are so soft any more that you do not think blankets can get any softer until you touch the next one... Well, our dogs are just as soft as these blankets partially due to "silk gene" we got in Sparky's great gene pool, partially due to care. Here is what we use.

Who knew that the products created  to soften rough horse hair can work well for your dog? They do. We get them at D&B Supply, Tractor Supply or general farm supply store. Simply shampoo your dog, rinse, then apply conditioner, leave for few minutes, rinse again. Let them shake off excessive water and then spray some Shine-On before drying them, and if your puppy was lucky enough to inherit "silk gene" from Sparky, you won't want to stop petting him. Another plus of these products - they are farm supply products, not a "pet care" products, so you do not have to sell your kidney to afford it. Each bottle is little over $20 and lasts for a very long time.

Another thing that helps is Fish oil. You can either buy Salmon oil in a pump bottle, or fancier version called ShedEx - mix of oils and supplements. They have multiple brands, do your homework to find the right one for you. We came to conclusion that just Salmon oil works great: makes fur shinier, healthier looking and reduces shedding.

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Also it's not a secret that German Shepherds shed, we told you all about it, but it's not helping when your sweet puppy starts losing fur in clumps all over your carpet, furniture and clothes. Here are few options how to deal with it. If it worked for us, it should work for you.
Cheap, but laborous - brushing. It's close to a part-time job to brush your German Shepherd. So far the best brush we have found is Furminator double sided. 

One side soft long "needles" - it does not get much hair, but acts more like petting to get/keep your dog accustomed to brushing. Other side has bend spikes which pull out undercoat as well as top coat very well. Large surface of the brush covers large spaces on the fur of your dog, but design of the brush split in the middle allows for easy brushing, going around curves of your dog. Really good deal for it on Chewy.com right now.

Now, for those who got more than one GSD and realized that brushing more than one of them is a full-time job, here is more expensive but quick option - Animal blower. Honestly, it's the best investment we had even made and worth every penny. Right after washing, conditioning and spraying Shine-On, blow dry your doggy. Blow drying blows out all the loose fur (wear googles or you will be digging fur out of your eyeballs for a week), it blows away any dandruff, any weeds tangled up in your dog's fur, especially cheat grass seeds that drill into the skin and don't come out on their own. The most magical thing - your German Shepherd stops shedding for 3-4 weeks after being blown! Yes, German Shepherd that does not shed, it's possible. There are many cheaper animal blowers, and they may work fine for 1-2 dogs. We had a chance to try this one, and did not want to risk for amount of dogs we got, we bought this bulletproof one. Check it out here, but as always, do your homework, research all options to find the right one for you.
Or if you want to save your eyeballs, lungs and neighbors from all the fuzz flying around, groomers will do it for you for $50-70.