About 17 years ago, my younger son, KOTPE, got a what we thought was a lab mix puppy for Christmas. Shadow started off looking like any other lab mix puppy, went through that gangly stage and developed into an absolutely beautiful dog. We didn't realize at the time that we got her that her mother was something called a flat-coated retriever. They basically look like a black Irish setter. I'm not sure why they fell out of favor, but we'd never even heard of the breed until we were out walking her one day and neighbors asked if she was a flat-coated retriever. We looked up the breed online and found that she was a dead ringer for the breed that had been the most popular in the country 100 years ago.
Flat-coated retrievers have an extremely fine undercoat--baby fine. And after Shadow started shedding this undercoat--everywhere--we commented to one another about how soft it was and that it would make great yarn. Unfortunately, pets don't live forever, and Shadow lived out her life before we ever actually tried spinning her fiber.
We acquired for her backup/replacement our first Great Pyrenees, followed by another about 18 months later, as we needed guardian dogs for the girls' sheep. This second GP came to us as a puppy for QOTPE. As it turned out, Sadie's undercoat was almost as fine as Shadow's, and as I was already spinning fiber from the rabbits and sheep, I began toying with the idea of spinning Sadie's "wool" as well. The idea took firmer root after visiting the state fair a few years back, and one of the entries was a sweater knit with yarn made from the entrant's Great Pyrenees dog.
I finally turned those thoughts into action earlier this year, much to QOTPE's horror. No self-respecting person would ever wear clothing made from dog hair. What if you got wet? You'd smell like a wet dog! (Which is totally not true, as the first washing will remove the odor. Just like wool socks and sweaters don't smell like wet sheep--which also don't smell that great, in case you were wondering.)
But you know, I had to investigate the idea. Research showed that the soft undercoat fiber from many dog breeds is much warmer than wool. That was all I needed to know.
The official name for dog hair spun into yarn is chiengora (chien is French for dog). Samoyed, Bernese mountain dogs, and chow-chows have some of the best (longest) fiber. Golden retriever, Great Pyrenees, Siberian husky, malamute, collie, Newfoundland, and English sheepdog also work very well, but most any dog fiber can be used to some extent. While fiber that is at least 1.5 inches long is ideal, shorter hair can also work, especially if blended with a little wool or alpaca. Our Sadie puppy (now six years old, I think) has a fairly long undercoat, while the other two GPs in the family have absolutely nothing. So whether your dog has what it takes for making yarn is a very individual thing.
Anyway, to make QOTPE's mittens, I used only Sadie's fur for the white, and blended a little black alpaca in to make gray yarn.
I have no delusions that readers here are going to start collecting their dog fiber and spinning it into yarn. There are some things that people just want to know about, without having to do anything about. Spinning dog fiber into yarn might be a fun diversion in a world gone crazy. Spinning and knitting are both very calming activities to relieve stress. And the dog needs to be brushed anyway, right? It will help keep the house cleaner.
As far as how much fiber you can get from your dog, that's also going to vary from one dog to the next, but I'd bet a chunk of change Sadie produces as much as one of the sheep. It was bad before, when our house had light carpet which blended very well with her fur. But now that it's kind of a mauve color (yes, I am looking forward to replacing it), I can see every single hair she (and the others) shed.
Links to related posts:
Spinning Yarn on a Drop Spindle
Mitten Season and the Advantages of Natural Animal Fibers
References:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/make-yarn-from-dog-hair/
https://animals.mom.com/can-i-make-yarn-from-pet-hair-572.html
20 august 2023
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