The Shedding Situation

Since we got to Louisiana, Ember's level of fur shed has reached epic proportions. She is an Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever mix, and her coat type is a blend of both breeds, and makes her more prone to shedding. In Minnesota it was bad, but we had carpet to 'trap' most of it for the weekly vacuuming. My aunt's house is all tile floor except for one room. The clumps of fur frolic and dance down the hall, mocking you as you chase after them.

I am having to vacuum every other day, sometimes every day, having to get behind nooks and crannies and finding 'dust bunnies' big enough to make new animals hiding. Even sometimes after I have just finished vacuuming, I will turn around and see a freshly shed clump fly off of her as she wags at me, and mock me as it rolls across the floor.

I have no problem with vacuuming, it's that I am not always able to do it as constantly as it needs to be done because my body can't keep up with the physical demand, which is making my body angry. Thus I am considering getting Ember a very short haircut, where she'll probably end up looking more like a lab. I hate doing this because I absolutely love her feathering, but there's not much else we can do. She gets regular baths and brushing at home ( normally bi-weekly ) with shed control and skin stuff to moisturize, she is on a healthy diet with fish oil, and she has gone to the groomers regularly for years.

I intend to have this done by a professional groomer. My concern is messing up the way the fur grows back out. I have heard and read some people with Goldens refuse to cut them short for a number of different reasons, but I have also seen people who decided to try it despite having the same worries as mine, finding once it was done, they had no problems at all and their dogs' fur grew back normal as ever afterwards if they decided to let it grow long again.

I was thinking more along the lines of a "puppy cut" or "summer cut", but I'm not sure if that's the correct way to word it. Ideally I'd like to get it as close to normal Labrador length as we can.


One comment I came across by a groomer said this:

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"In my area, a lot of Goldens are prone to hot spots in the summer, so a lot of owners have them shaved down. If you decide to do this, I usually find that a #4 or 4F blade works best on most Goldens, taking them short enough to avoid the hot spots but leaving them a little bit of fur for protection from sun and insects. I also use a #7F on the ears and a #1 or #0 clipper comb on the tail. The result is that he looks like a yellow Labrador. If you give these instructions to a groomer they should know exactly what to do."
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And this site showing before and after images and comments from the owners:

http://maxthegoldenretriever.com/2008/08/11/max-the-golden-retriever-summer-cut-before-and-after


So fellow dog people, thoughts or feedback on your own experiences with grooming Goldens, Aussies, or dogs with similar coat types?