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Breed guide
Labrador retrievers on Cape Ann: shedding seasons and the pool
There is a Lab in most Gloucester neighborhoods and a ring of yellow or black hair around most Gloucester couches. This guide covers the shed and how to stay ahead of it, the pool that Labs treat as the point of the day, the cold-water habit, and what our handlers watch in a dog that will eat anything and swim anywhere.
The shed
Short coat, constant shed, two blows a year: the Labrador calendar
The Lab's coat is short, dense and double, with a coarse outer layer that sheds water and a soft undercoat that sheds onto everything else. It drops hair every day of the year and blows the whole undercoat twice, as the days lengthen in spring and again as they shorten in fall. Owners new to the breed assume something is wrong the first April. Nothing is wrong; a Lab in a blow can fill a brush every day for three weeks.
There is no haircut for this. What works is a bath that loosens the undercoat, a Shed Release treatment at $10 that lifts it, and a high-velocity dry that blows out what a brush would take a week to reach. A bath is $65 for a Lab of 26 to 50 pounds and $75 for the common 51-to-90-pound dog, so a de-shed visit is $75 or $85 all in, every six to eight weeks as a rule and monthly during a blow.
| Season | What the coat is doing | What to book |
|---|---|---|
| Spring, March to May | The winter undercoat blows out in sheets | Bath with Shed Release, $10, roughly monthly through the blow |
| Summer, June to August | Steady light shed, pool days, salt on the coat | Bath every six to eight weeks, ears checked after water |
| Fall, September to November | The summer coat blows as the winter one comes in | A second round of Shed Release visits |
| Winter, December to February | Dense coat, light shed, cold-water swims | Bath as needed, nails at $16 as the pavement gets icy |
The pool
First in, last out: what a Lab does with a playgroup and a pool
Labs play with their shoulders. The classic Lab game is a body-check, a chase and a plunge into the pool, on repeat. In a group of 7 to 10 our handlers place Labs with dogs of similar weight who enjoy contact, because a Lab does not notice that it has flattened a spaniel. They also ration the pool: a Lab would swim until it fell asleep in the water, so the pool is a block in the day, not the whole day.
The Lab that struggles in a group is the ball guard. Retrieving is in the genes, and some Labs decide that every ball on the turf is theirs, which is where scraps start. That dog moves to Dogtown Academy days at $89 full or $69 half, where a trainer teaches a drop and a wait and a supervised treadmill session burns the energy the pool would have taken. A Lab wary of other dogs starts on the Adventure Academy path.
- Placed with sturdy playmates of similar weight who like to be body-checked
- The pool rationed as a block in the day rather than left open all afternoon
- Ball guarding handled on Academy days with a trainer, not in the playgroup
This coast
Cold water, salt water and puddles: the Lab's three Cape Ann habits
A Lab will swim in February. The coat was built for cold water, and the off-season beaches, Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days and the neighborhood beaches at Plum Cove and Cressy from October to April, are where Gloucester Labs spend their winters. Short swims in a fit dog are fine; the two things to manage are the ice at the edge and the drive home in a wet coat, and a towel in the car is enough for a coat this short.
Salt water is the second habit, because Labs drink it. A Lab retrieving in the surf swallows more than it means to, so bring fresh water and break every few retrieves. The third habit is puddles. The AVMA places the risk of leptospirosis in exactly the woodland puddles and slow streams a Lab drinks from, so ask your vet whether the vaccine belongs in your dog's schedule. Ticks, at least, are easy to find on a short coat from April through November.
- 01
Bathe with a de-shedding shampoo in warm water and let it sit for a few minutes to loosen the undercoat
- 02
Rinse until the water runs clear, then towel hard in the direction the coat grows
- 03
Blow-dry on a cool setting outdoors if you can; the undercoat leaves in clouds, which is the point
- 04
Rake the undercoat with a short-toothed de-shedding tool, working from the neck back in short strokes
- 05
Finish with a rubber curry brush in circles, and repeat weekly through the blow or book a Shed Release bath and skip the cloud in your yard
Health notes
Weight, joints and ears: what a daycare team sees in a Lab
A Lab eats everything and the extra weight lands on the joints. Our handlers see the difference between a fit Lab and a heavy one at the pool edge, where the heavy dog hesitates before the jump and stiffens on the way out. We keep young Labs off the tallest platforms while they grow and mention a stiff walk at pick-up. How much a Lab should weigh is a question for your vet, and the American Kennel Club's breed guidance says the same.
The ears are the other thing. A Lab's ear flap seals a canal that has just been in the pool, and a dog who shakes its head walking out of the water or rubs an ear on the turf gets noted on the report card, so your vet can decide whether it needs drying, cleaning or looking at. A short coat means the skin itself is easy to check, and our groomers look over a Lab's belly and armpits for ticks and irritation on every bath.
- Hesitating before the pool jump or stiff on the way out: mentioned at pick-up, decided by your vet
- Growing Labs kept off the tallest platforms
- Head shaking or ear rubbing after water: noted on the report card
- A skin and tick look-over on every bath, because a short coat hides nothing
Dogtown for this breed
A Lab's day at 210 Eastern Ave: pool, group, lick mat, bath, home
The Lab's day at Dogtown runs on food and water. A full day is $42, the pool gets filled on warm mornings, and a lick mat at $5 or a frozen Kong at $6 booked onto the day gives the appetite a job during the rest block, which settles a dog who would otherwise pace at the fence. The unlimited membership at $700 a month suits the Lab that comes four or five days a week and includes 15 percent off grooming.
Book the bath and Shed Release onto a daycare day and collect a dog that has left its undercoat in our studio instead of your car. Everything but grooming begins with the free evaluation, weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 by appointment, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city license. The Pup Van runs to Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 each way, and a wet Lab is the best argument for it.
At Dogtown
The Lab's three services
A playgroup with a pool, a Shed Release bath for the blow, and the lick mats and Kongs that give a Lab's appetite something to do.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How often should a Labrador be bathed and de-shed?
Can my Lab swim in the ocean in winter on Cape Ann?
Is daycare good for a Labrador's weight?
Why does my Lab shed so much more in April?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Get your Lab into the pool.
Book the free weekday evaluation, then a first daycare day with FIRST15 for 15 percent off. Add a Shed Release bath onto any day when the coat starts to blow.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
