Dog Fur

After pulling my dogs shedding undercoat off him for the past few weeks or so, along with vacuuming daily and getting full buckets of hair off the carpet I got to thinking...Has anyone tried using dog fur, perhaps just the undercoat, as a substitute to down? Maybe like a poor mans down if you will? I figure you could harvest it yourself if you have a dog via a vacuum and comb, and just use it as stuffing for any DIY bags, quilts, vests, etc.

I know I saw a news clip where someone made a sweater out of dog fur so I know it's possible. I'm just wondering where it ranks on the warmth, loft, compressibility, usability, etc scale.

Any thoughts?

Please read the archives...Please <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> If one more person brings this up I'm gonna go 'n tar n feather them! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

preprunner-

I have no idea how dog fur would serve as a down relpacement. I HAVE heard of people spinning their pet's fur along with some wool and using that product to knit sweaters and such. I got the impression that they were more interested in harvesting an otherwise wasted resoure or keeping a momento of their pets for sentimentality. If you try this, let us know how it works for you.

CamperMom

dog fur yarn really stinks.

Eh, so do I after a day or more on the trail <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've got a friend who spins yarns of all sorts of critters and poodle fur turns out to be like kevlar. Really strong and as Penny says, stinks like a......wet dog.

Now there's an idea! Has anyone tried tar and feathers as an insulator or top coat? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My point exactly! Why reinvent the wheel <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Even cavemen did'nt wear dog fur! Ok, maybe some did, but they had to sleep outside when it rained <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Not quite, but have you ever seen oilskin or japara? When I was in NZ back in the 80's, a lot of local raingear was cotton infused with some kind of oil or wax-heavy, but waterproof. When it wore off, you could just treat the fabric again and it would be good as new.

I have an Australian stockman's coat, like in the Aussie westerns. It is a treated cotton or light canvas of some type., the coating is some kind of wax, maybe parafin. The brand is Driza Bone, a well-known Aussie company.

There are still a lot of jackets and other clothing made from these fabrics; Yahoo turns up a bunch of sites for sellers and manufacturers. Nothing particularly lightweight, but my stockman's coat is incredibly tough and fun to wear on occasion.

Here is an interesting story about the history of oilskins on an online store's site that I found.
oilskin history

wear dog fur and you'll get fleas. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

"a lot of local raingear was cotton infused with some kind of oil or wax-heavy, but waterproof."


Here in cowboy land, those are called "slickers". Long cotton duc (oilskin) raincoat coated with fat or varnish. Riders still wear modern versions.

You would need to bring along a can of "Walter's Canned Flatulence" to get the full rainy day effect.

http://www.allfiberarts.com/library/gallery/bl-wooldogs.htm

Woolly Dogs
by Elizabeth Flower Anderson Miller

I have been studying since 1987, the wool dog or woolly dog, grown for at least 700 years, possibly 2500 years, by the First Nations or Native American peoples in the areas now western British Columbia and western Washington. I just presented at a conference at the Sto:lo nation in B.C. what I knew about the dog grown by their ancestors, including information I gathered from spinners on this forum.

Also, I am interested in hearing from anyone who has spun American Eskimo dog hair, or owners or breeders of Eskies about that dog's hair, especially if they have a dog with the recessive genes that caus the soft insulating hair to be longer than the guard hairs.

continues

I guess my question would be "why"....would anyone want to use problematic fibers. We know that sheep, goat, alpaca, llama, rabbit, camel, and a few other critters are proven and have been used for thousands of years. I'm a sheep wool addict, myself.
My spinner friend will spin a yarn from odd wools, just to try it, but usually only once. He then goes back to the proven fibers.

Filson Outfitters makes (or sells, at least) waxed cotton outer wear.

Also, I have seen the mule-train wranglers in the Grand Canyon wearing these heavy canvas-like drovers coats.

If you washed the dog fur would it remove the oils and render it less effective than it was - say on the dog? Just leave the fur on and put the dog in your sleeping bag. That would be warm.

"put the dog in your sleeping bag. That would be warm. "

If it got really cold, add a couple more dogs. "Three Dog Night". yuk yuk yuk <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

JAK
I have a good library of the peoples of the arctic basin. Dog skin and fur was an important commodity. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />Dog makes the best mukluk liners. just think about wolf and coyote ruffs on parkas - those are some warm frost free furs. Also as you know - those people had very limited resources - seal - polar bear - dog - ground squirrels - fish, and the occasional caribou and rarer wolverine, acrtic fox and of course the chest hair of beached whales... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I agree the warmest dog fur is still attached to the dog... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

English companies make waxed cotton gear for motorcyclists. had plenty when i rode, cuts the rain and wind to nothing! Still wear a waxed cotten hat for Fall til Spring <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Stylish eh? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I sometimes have a two cat night... They're lovely and warm, too! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Jim,
I know they are not as wide ranging, but the Muskox has excellent wool yet you don't hear about the native's using them so much. I am sure they do, but their not as wide ranging maybe. Not sure. In the article I posted there were a few native groups that made wool from dogs. I wonder if any used wool from Muskox or if they just used the fur. I suppose the Muskox wheren't so easy to shear. Perhaps that was it.

p.s. It just occured to me that there might be reasons of efficiency why some people of certain regions adapted to herd and shear certain animals rather than simply hunt them and use their pelts, similar to the way they are sometimes used for milking or bleeding rather than just for meat. Herding isn't just a means of food storage, but creates other opportunities as well. Interesting.

I'm guessing that herding for food came first, and wool second, but who knows.

Yes indeed, back in the time before fairings and huge touring bikes. Excellent wind and wet clothing.

I can't for the life of me remember the brand or the name we called it. Dang age thing again.

JAK

It is called Qiviut, and it is just the undercoat of the musk ox... I don't believe it is harvested off the animal itself, but rather picked up off the ground. These animals shed in huge clumps, and their fur is very fine and extremely warm. Articles of clothing knitted from this yarn sell for megabucks here.

MNS

i am a spinner and weaver, but haven't played much with dog fur, since i think it feels gross and smells. however, i'm sure you *could* stuff some gear with it and it *would* insulate- all that's needed for insulation is to trap air. however, i doubt it would perform well. i think it would be prone to shifting and matting. then you loose the insulating properties of your garment/bag. one reason to blend dog fur with wool is to get the crimp of the wool (wavy structure) into your project. dog fur alone doesn't work well, since it usually doesn't have a good crimp to hold the fibers together, and will just pull apart.
in old-times, quilts were "stuffed" with cotton or wool batting. these days it's all synthetic.

not all dog furs smell!

and you can wash it, after all.

what about making into felt?

Robi

Just one more reason not to buy fur...from 2006...

Group Says Retailers Selling Dog Pelt Coats

Another story tells of a real-world Cruella DeVille fashion statement - a coat made from 42 German Shepherd Puppy pelts.

So it's apparent that dog fur can be rendered less "doggy". People have been buying these China-made coats for years without realizing it was dog. Makes ya wonder though - my kids have some expensive faux-fur trimmed boots. Have to check 'em out.

Hey guys

Regarding "dog fur thread used for knitting socks for her family - read the post by "inpolar" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> under my thread "native gear" in the "almmost over the hill" group.

Wow <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />- look at her photos and read the story The lady lives in very northern Russi in the Komi "province". Type "Inta, Russia" into Google Earth to go there. Its pretty flat and COVERED with small round lakes which indicates very old lava flow like the Canadian Shield.

They drive a "tank" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />and raise reindeer and wear reindeer boots.
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

My wife said I could have all the kinky fur from our poodle. I'll stick with synthetics.
It has less smell.

I'm slowly but surely "harvesting" my dogs undercoat via an undercoat rake. It'll take me forever but I intend to collect enough to try and make somethin useful. It'll be hard to guage how much I need for whatever temperature I'm shooting for.

preprunner
how will you spin it? Do you have a "drop thimble?" or something?
Jim

I'm not gonna spin it into clothing, I'm going to use it as stuffing for a quilt or vest or something.

My friends took the brushings from their Samoyed, and had it washed and spun into yarn. Then they knitted caps. Great color and texture like wool.

thanks jimshaw for directing me to your thread. what great skills to have! i've started playing with fire- using flint/steel and bow drill.

i checked out inpolar's post. a very unique living situation, to say the least.

one of my friends told me that arctic dog's fir does not get wet. my border collie gets soaked- and his dog-friend, a husky, is dry after chasing the skiers all day. so socks made from "dog wool" would not get a wet. you'd want to use only the undercoat, keeping the stiff guard hairs out.

so inpolar inspired me to spin up the day's brushing. i got about an oz. of yarn. it is somewhat soft, tho there are some guard hairs i didn't get. one could use it for an outer garment (jacket, vest). i, personally would not use my border collies fur for a hat or scarf, or anything that rests against the skin. i'm a bit spoiled with all the merino, cashmere and silk i spin!

preprunner,
as far as stuffing a garment with dog fur, make sure to test it's ability to spring back after "normal" compression, wear, washing, etc. you want the fur to maintain it's loft- and therefore it's insulating properties. how i would do it: tease it up into a ball, then quilt it in the fabric you plan to use. i'd do at least a 12"x12" square, as thick as you desire. measure and write down it's thickness, see how well it fills the corners, etc. take photos. be as precise as you can. then test: stuff it. sit on it and wiggle your behind. pull on it- like you're trying to get it out of a stuff sack and your entire trip's food it still on top of it. etc. after you give it a good testing, measure it, photograph, see how it's changed. finally, weigh the test piece. wash it. weigh it once you've finished washing it and have removed the water as one normally would. let it dry- use your dry weight as a guide to see how long it takes to really dry. then measure + critique again. then decide if you want to use it for garment insulation! please post photos + results when you do!

tahomus.

I met someone several years ago that was brushing her three dogs everyday, then after she bag fulls of it, washing, batting and spinning a dog fur yarn (with a little miniature spinning wheel), then knitting that yarn into shawls & such

I thought the only "frost free" fur was wolverine???

The problem with dog fur (besides the smell) is that it mats. So I don't think it would be very insulating--it would lose it's "loft" pretty quickly. I have used it to tie flies and it worked pretty well for nymphs.

The Northwest Coast Indians used to weave blankets out of cedar bark, and a combination of mountain goat and dog fur. IIRC, they were called Chilkat blankets.

No, polar bear is frost free too. It shakes 'dry', I was priviy to a few nights with some with a Native friend of mine WAYYYYY up on the Artic Circle one season long ago.

Why use dog fur when so many easier alternatives exist <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Besides those esoteric reasons <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />