Tips On Living with a Large Breed Dog and Keeping Your House Clean

Hi Everyone!  So for all those who have been following our blog, you know the Streit family consists of me, my hubby Rob, our adorable son Luke, and our 150 pound Saint Bernard, Dory!  Dory is a rescue pup that we adopted 4 years ago.  She plays many roles in our lives.  She is Luke’s best friend “Dodi”, she is Victoria Park Animal Hospital’s mascot, she is Rob’s blanket, and she is my daily clean up duty!  As you can imagine, having a 150 pound long haired, drooling dog, that belongs in the Arctic, in South Florida has it’s challenges.  Now combine that with an obsessive compulsive clean freak (me) and it definitely makes for an interesting combination.  Dory sheds like you couldn’t even imagine, she drools like nobody’s business, and I’m just going to be honest, she smells, despite her weekly baths (sorry Dory, you know we love you).  So as you can imagine, I have come up with some interesting techniques over the years to maintain a very clean house, and enjoy our big bear. I hope my trials and errors will help my fellow large breed dog owners with keeping their house clean.

SHEDDING

I am the most excited about discussing this.  I have tried every single tool, technique, and strategy over the years.  If a product is advertised that it could help with shedding, I’ve tried it. NOTHING WORKED.  We learned in veterinary school that Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids help considerably with hair coat, skin, and shedding.  I have placed my dog on omega supplements in the past and have seen a softer, shinier haircoat, but not a great response with the shedding.  Recently, I came across the product, SHED-X.  This product is pure omega 3 and 6 in an oil form that you place on top of your pet’s food daily.  What is different with this product than other supplements, is that it is an oil and allows you to dose your dog with the highest, yet safest, omega 3 and 6 fatty acid supplement advised.  The higher dosing is what significantly decreases the shedding.  The oil form allows you to give the highest dose. Dory’s shedding has decreased by 80% using Shed-X.  It’s truly amazing!  It takes about 3 to 4 weeks to see results so be patient.  We are breathing better, using the lint brush less, and I am vacuuming less frequently.  Oh, and Dory’s hair has never looked better!

DROOL

Did you know that these large breed dogs don’t actually salivate more than other dogs?  Their anatomy creates a dip on each side of their lower lip which causes saliva to pool up and excessive drooling.  Other dogs have lips that keep their saliva in their mouths.  But not Dory!  No!  All her saliva flies out of her mouth and onto the walls, TV, paintings, floor, couch, Luke….you get the point!  The best most efficient way to get the drool off the walls, is the MAGIC ERASER.  It’s my savior and is great, not only for getting drool off the walls, but for scuff marks and other markings as well.

CARPET

Dory smells! She gets bathed at least once a week, but after a day or 2 she starts to smell again.  Again, having a 150 pound bear that belongs in snow, doesn’t fare well in South Florida (although she is used to the higher temperatures and absolutely loves the outdoors).  I found ZORB, made by Dyson, which is an amazing product for keeping the dog smell out of your carpets.  Simply spread the Zorb on the carpet and vacuum.  It should help with any pet odor or other odor you may have in your carpets.

I hope these tips help with keeping your home clean without sacrificing the love and company of a large breed dog.  We love Dory, and although she definitely gives us some extra chores, we wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Plus Luke just wouldn’t be ok without his best friend “Dodi”!  Have a great weekend everyone!