German
Shepherds shed only once a year -- for 365 days. In other words, they
shed constantly. You'll find hair and fur all over your clothing,
upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even
in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life.
Actually, the GSD is a double coated dog with and
undercoat that sheds twice yearly (we refer to this as "blowing their
coat") and guard hairs that shed all year.
Here are some tips for grooming:
Regular
brushing and combing twice a week will help remove the wooly shedding
hair of the dense undercoat. This is essential in order to managed
the double coat of the German Shepherd.
Seasonal
shedding or "blowing coat" is normal. To reduce shedding woes during
this time, I usually recommend bathing the dog to assist in ridding
yourself and house of all of the unwanted hair. I will bathe my
Shepherds (before brushing) rinse and re-lather. (The first time
that you wet down a shepherd, it seems that all of the water just runs
off without even wetting the coat.) I, then, will suds him up!
The more lather, the better! While he is still sudsy, take a metal
hair rake and rake the excess undercoat out. This technique will
keep the hair off your nose and out of your mouth. It works
extremely well. Follow up the hair stripping with a conditioning
shampoo and dry with a power dryer. I use a professional dryer to force
all the remaining shedding hair out. Then keep up with it by brushing
and combing a few times a week. It should take less time than vacuuming
the house.