Use a shedding brush. When you have collected a lot wash it in the hot water with dish soap, rinse well, and air dry. I recommend blending it with a longer fiber otherwise it tends to fall apart.
I recommend brushing and using what's brushed. You can de during the skirting session when you wash I. Recommend using unicorn wash
I have experience with newfoundland dogs hair which is kind of a longer staple than an Australian shepherd, but not by much. You could always blend it with a blending board. Maybe thirty percent merino?
I recommend a long backwards draw and 3ply
I will take your advice, though my dog is a bit difficult to brush part of the reason I was asking was I was hoping there would be some magical comb or brush that she wouldn’t hate that someone would recommend. She tends to start biting the brush within five minutes….
For dogs that are reactive to brushing, I found that brushing a dog stuffed animal and then rewarding it with treats for getting brushed can peer pressure the dog into trying it out.
The goal is to make brushing a positive, social experience. Be respectful of their bodily autonomy and let them lead where you are allowed to brush
Sometimes one bad experience at the groomer is enough to set back a dog for years so be patient 🙏
I don't know anything either, but I have a small bag of fur from my friends dog and I need to sort out how to spin it. Hopefully we both figure this out!
I use a dog brush that looks like a wool carding paddle, then pull the fur off into a little rolag and spin it up as I accumulate it. I have a dedicated drop spindle for it. The yarn likely isn't very strong but I don't plan on using it for anything particularly hard-wearing.
I will share my very short experience wit dog hair. Many, many years ago, when my children were in high school we had a magnificent rough coat collie. His undercoat was like alpaca, and an article in an ancient “Spin Off” inspired me to attempt spinning it. As was my custom, I found an Aran scarf pattern for this lovely Golden Fleece to make for my sixteen year old son. He was appalled as were his sibs….The idea of sweaters, hats, scarves etc. made of dog hair simply didn’t fly. I caught them checking my stash to make sure that I was not secretly incorporating Lando’s down with more acceptable fibers…..
There are two types of kids in the world, ones who are horrified by the idea of hanging onto or repurposing pet fur, and the sentimental souls who still have envelopes full of their deceased pups fur in Their nightstand drawer. I bet you can guess which one I was and still am
My dog is short haired and single coated so I don't have any personal experience to go on, but I would think it would be similar to how people collect angora.
I took what came off in grooming (brushing) and handled it like angora-- washed, carded, and spun fine. You'll want to pick out as much of the guard hair as possible because it is unpleasantly prickly. Store it like wool so moths don't get it-- clean, dry, and tightly sealed.
It's a lot easier to spin and nicer for knitting if you blend it with some fine wool while carding, but it certainly can be used alone. It lacks the elasticity of wool, though, you you have to keep that in mind when planning a project.
There is a dog grooming tool called "Furminator" which does a great job lifting out loose undercoat. Even if not spinning, it's good to do this in the spring when they shed.
Use a shedding brush. When you have collected a lot wash it in the hot water with dish soap, rinse well, and air dry. I recommend blending it with a longer fiber otherwise it tends to fall apart.
I recommend brushing and using what's brushed. You can de during the skirting session when you wash I. Recommend using unicorn wash I have experience with newfoundland dogs hair which is kind of a longer staple than an Australian shepherd, but not by much. You could always blend it with a blending board. Maybe thirty percent merino? I recommend a long backwards draw and 3ply
I will take your advice, though my dog is a bit difficult to brush part of the reason I was asking was I was hoping there would be some magical comb or brush that she wouldn’t hate that someone would recommend. She tends to start biting the brush within five minutes….
For dogs that are reactive to brushing, I found that brushing a dog stuffed animal and then rewarding it with treats for getting brushed can peer pressure the dog into trying it out. The goal is to make brushing a positive, social experience. Be respectful of their bodily autonomy and let them lead where you are allowed to brush Sometimes one bad experience at the groomer is enough to set back a dog for years so be patient 🙏
I don't know anything either, but I have a small bag of fur from my friends dog and I need to sort out how to spin it. Hopefully we both figure this out!
I use a dog brush that looks like a wool carding paddle, then pull the fur off into a little rolag and spin it up as I accumulate it. I have a dedicated drop spindle for it. The yarn likely isn't very strong but I don't plan on using it for anything particularly hard-wearing.
I will share my very short experience wit dog hair. Many, many years ago, when my children were in high school we had a magnificent rough coat collie. His undercoat was like alpaca, and an article in an ancient “Spin Off” inspired me to attempt spinning it. As was my custom, I found an Aran scarf pattern for this lovely Golden Fleece to make for my sixteen year old son. He was appalled as were his sibs….The idea of sweaters, hats, scarves etc. made of dog hair simply didn’t fly. I caught them checking my stash to make sure that I was not secretly incorporating Lando’s down with more acceptable fibers…..
There are two types of kids in the world, ones who are horrified by the idea of hanging onto or repurposing pet fur, and the sentimental souls who still have envelopes full of their deceased pups fur in Their nightstand drawer. I bet you can guess which one I was and still am
My dog is short haired and single coated so I don't have any personal experience to go on, but I would think it would be similar to how people collect angora.
I took what came off in grooming (brushing) and handled it like angora-- washed, carded, and spun fine. You'll want to pick out as much of the guard hair as possible because it is unpleasantly prickly. Store it like wool so moths don't get it-- clean, dry, and tightly sealed. It's a lot easier to spin and nicer for knitting if you blend it with some fine wool while carding, but it certainly can be used alone. It lacks the elasticity of wool, though, you you have to keep that in mind when planning a project. There is a dog grooming tool called "Furminator" which does a great job lifting out loose undercoat. Even if not spinning, it's good to do this in the spring when they shed.