Hi,

This year we seem to really be struggling with grass seed.
I was wondering is anybody has any great ideas on how to reduce the amount especially between the toes!
I was thinking of cutting all the hair between the toes off but then thought maybe this will just give the seed "free access", has anybody have experience on this?
I'm checking and pulling the seeds out every day after the walks but the girlies still have red marks between their toes where the seed has been :(
They have webbed feet so seed just sits there like in a little pocket!
Also we are getting loads of round slightly sticky seed(no idea what plant it is from) stuck to their coats, now I realise we can not avoid this but would anybody have brilliant ideas on how to get the seed out the easiest?
I can spend over an hour a day de-seeding the girls after their main walk...

> I was thinking of cutting all the hair between the toes off but then thought maybe this will just give the seed "free access", has anybody have experience on this?

My recommendation would be to keep some hair on the feet. The only dog of mine I have problems with seed-wise is a Dobermann. Twice now she's had lumps come up which have been surgically removed, only to discover a grass seed imbedded. One between her toes and one on her knee joint, so I think what you say about "free access" is probably right.

> Also we are getting loads of round slightly sticky seed(no idea what plant it is from) stuck to their coats, now I realise we can not avoid this but would anybody have brilliant ideas on how to get the seed out the easiest?

A comb and fingers is the only way I find they can be removed. Coming back from walks at the moment invariably results in hours spent picking the darn things out of their coats.

The sticky ones are a blooming pain but a slicker seems to get rid of the worst of them. I find a quick dry blast helps a huge amount with dry seeds and I pick up each foot and blast between the toes, if it does not remove them it does at least show them up better for picking out. I can blast down my girls backs and only then do I realize how many seeds are there!!! I would leave the fluffy feet it gives a little more protection I find.
Aileen

oh yes thosse sticky seeds ugh everyone is covered in them. One labradoodle I walk with yesterday went burrowing in the hedge and came out with so many she looked like she had measles that took so getting out poor girly

Same here blinking things and now the sweet hearts are out. The only thing that helps is doing their coat with pamtene so its slippery and shiney, until they clog it up with rolling around.

Its a right pain I have a comb at home, in both cars and in the office.

> and now the sweet hearts are out.

How wonderful that someone else calls them sweethearts!  :-)

My dogs are coming in with the little blighters too.  When we were kids, we would throw the plants at each other - naturally it sticks to your clothes, and, kidlike, we used to shout "You've got a sweetheart."

Haven't heard the expression in years, and I can't even remember the proper name for the plant.  I've called them sweethearts for so long!

We're covered in them at the moment as well, will find the pesky plant, its in the garden.

only had one experience with grass seeds with my goldie.  She had a lump between her toes.  took her to the vets and he had a good ferk round her paw.  it was a big round lump but hollow and it didn't hurt her.  He made sure there was nothing there and gave me something to bathe her with twice a day to flush it out.  Apparently it travels up the leg if not found.  Thankgod that didn't happen.  The vet said its the spikey seeds that do it, on a stalk, and like darts.  Now i know that I'm aware of what they are romping in when out and about.

Do normal grassseeds do the same thing.  I reseeded this year and kept the dogs off as not sure if it would cause issues.  i remember someone telling me to put grass seed down where the girls have been to stop patches.

Not had any issue with grass seeds but those sticky balls, are they the same as sweethearts? I've always called them that and then wondered if i was correct..

They are the bane of my life, there are plants everywhere I walk and they are coming back looking like The Hulk!!

Slicker brush and then comb out works for me, for some reason the blaster doesn't knock the blighters out of my boys coats.

Had a blissful walk yesterday evening ion the woods, came home and spent 20 minutes each dog deseeding them and the ground alder is out Whistler was green!! Jakes bushy tail was full of sweethearts and I was hot and bothered when finished. I hate seed tome on the year. Whistler had an ear infection and had to be put to sleep (temporarily!!!) to get a seed out last year £200 expensive seed!

I groomed a Cavalier the other day and she had a dozen or more grass seeds between her toes and under her pads, poor girl. It was all matted and knotted into her feet, with seeds poking right into the flesh. I got several more out of her coat generally and found another one poking up into her throat feathering! Owner had never realised they were a problem for a dog so I was glad I'd saved one to show her and explain the trouble, she now knows to check and remove them. How she didn't have any in her ears is a total miracle!

The poor girl.  She was very lucky none travelled into her skin.  That many wouldn't be very nice.  Hope the owner took your advice.

> Not had any issue with grass seeds but those sticky balls, are they the same as sweethearts?

Yup!   They am they little blighters!  :-)

Up here they are known as sticky willies. Have to brush Flatties down everytime we come in as they get covered in them and the smaller hook type seeds.
The lab is lucky he doesn't gather them in the same way.
Evenings are spent stroking dogs and playing Tick, Tag, or seed!!!

I call them sweethearts as well :-) It's the thistle heads that are driving me mad at the moment - my GR collects them all over his coat and it can take hours to get them all out - and then I find another one.

>I call them sweethearts as well

I call it goosegrass. Luckily my dog's coat seems to be immune to such things, but when he had a fabric collar he used to come out of the undergrowth with a ruff of burrs clinging to it!