Yes, they do. Despite their short hair, Labradors are notorious for shedding a lot of hair. Hence, it’s not surprising to find the fur of your pup on your carpet, floors, and literally everywhere. Keep reading to know why Labrador Retrievers shed so much and learn how you can minimize this problem.
Why Do Labrador Retrievers Shed?
The excessive shedding of Labs is completely natural and they do so throughout the year. For this reason, this beautiful breed is also known as a year-round shedding monster. In addition to their regular hair fall, some psychological and medical issues can also result in abnormal shedding. Some of the major reasons why Labs shed are explained below.
Double Coat
The coat of a canine is vital for determining its shedding pattern. Single-coat dogs tend to shed less while double-coat pups, such as Labs, lose a lot of hair. The presence of two layers of fur means more hair on your pooch’s body and around your house.
Molting
The extent of shedding increases significantly during the molting season. This is because Labs produce a new layer of fur to protect against the changing weather conditions. This process is called “blowing”, and it happens twice a year (usually during the spring and winter). The thick fur of winter is replaced with fine hair in spring. Similarly, the heavy fur grows back before winter to counter the cold weather.
Health Factors
Several skin conditions, like bacterial infections and allergies, can intensify the rate of shedding. Likewise, fleas and ticks can result in more hair loss due to inflamed skin. Poor nutrition and dehydration are also responsible for abnormal shedding. Lack of necessary nutrients affects the health of your dog’s hair while water deficiency reduces skin suppleness. Hence, the fur becomes more likely to fall out.
Several behavioral troubles, such as stress and separation anxiety, can also result in excessive shedding. This is because your pup will chew the hair (and skin) rigorously that will result in patches.
How to Reduce Labrador Shedding?
It’s imperative to cover all aspects of a Labrador retriever’s shedding to control it. For instance, you need to make sure that the fur of your pooch is clean and well-brushed. Brush your pooch daily and use a de-shedding tool at least twice per week. In molting seasons, you may increase the frequency of de-shedding brush.
Other than that, you need a regular inspection of the fur of your dog to find any parasites and fleas. This will allow you to control the problem in the early stages and the damage will be minimized. Last but not least, feed high-quality food (that provides essential nutrients) to your canines and keep them hydrated.
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