I know this sounds stupid, (remember I’m the woman who hasn’t had a dog since she was a girl) but I kind of forgot that at some point Hershey would start shedding. Yep, the brown fur is flying in our house.
I guess I thought since she’s a short-haired dog, it wouldn’t be a problem. That’s one of the reasons we got a chocolate lab instead of a golden retriever. All that long yellow fur—everywhere! It seemed a bit overwhelming. But short brown fur is a problem now. Her fur is showing up all over the place.
So, being the proactive girl I am, I bought a deshedding tool to pull off as much fur as I can before it hits my furniture, floors and clothes. I thought Hershey might enjoy it. We haven’t actually brushed her before, because she didn’t need it. It sort of seemed like brushing my son’s hair after he gets a brush cut. Pointless.
So, I was excited to brush her. I thought she might like it. Not so much. She tries to run away from me. So I follow her. Basically, I’m brushing her as I chase her around the room. Kind of hilarious. Then she tries to eat the hair I’ve combed off. Then she tries to eat the deshedding tool. (Is there anything she won’t eat?)
Why the resistance? I’d think it would feel good to get that extra fur off her. I envisioned her curled at me feet while I leisurely brushed her; not chasing her around the room to torture her. I guess I won’t be painting her toenails. Hershey doesn’t want to be a pampered pooch.
And I don’t know if it’s because of new fur growing in or because of the old fur coming off, but she’s got a new white spot on her side. At first I thought the kids dripped paint on her or something. Did a bird poop on her? I wondered. But then I realized our chocolate lab has some sprinkles on her. She’s got that tiny white stripe on her chest and this new little spot. I’m curious if it’ll be a seasonal thing, or if its here to stay.
So, six months later there are still surprises to be had with our new puppy. Some of them are good—she’s potty trained! She sleeps through the night! Some not so good—she’s leaving a trail of fur in her wake.
I suppose we’ll get used to it and I won’t even notice the fur until some well meaning friend picks it off my sweater for me. And it’s not a year round thing, so that’s good. I just wonder what surprise is waiting for us next. Life with a puppy is one big adventure.
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Have you missed any of the articles in this series?
If so, you can find them at:
The Bringing Up Puppy Series page.
Related posts:
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Potty Trained?
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Chew on This
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – A Big Oops
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Weird Dog Questions
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Hersheys New Trick
