Do you brush them regularly? If so, that should help with them shedding in parts, instead of all at once.

My two went through their 'big shed' a few weeks ago. You gotta love that nifty undercoat rake. But, I know what you mean, having two long-haired dogs myself. We were vacumming everyday!

Some shampoos also help decrease the shedding.

Dogs shed, it's a fact.

Found this link for you. Hope it helps somewhat:

http://petplace.netscape.com/article...asp?artID=2460