# How to get smoother/shinier fur?



## Godog (Jun 2, 2011)

I have a 11 y/o black Labrador whose fur has gone very coarse. To be brutally honest I never paid much attention to her fur as it's short(but thick), and didn't think it needed to be brushed or anything like that. So now I want to get her a nice shiny and soft coat, but don't know how.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

A lot of it is in the breeding. A good diet also shines up a dog. What are you feeding?


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## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

If it's a sudden change, I would advise a health check. Coat texture changes can mean metabolic problems, or all sorts of other things.

If the vet clears your dog's health, I would investigate food. A fattier food will usually contribute to healthier skin/coat. Higher protein can create for dull, dry looking coats.

There are also skin/coat supplements out there, often including Omega fatty acids. Just do an internet search.


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

Good advice so far. Since she is 11 years old, I would not be surprised if her dietary needs have changed. Check with your vet.

Also, as dogs age it can become difficult for them to groom themselves. Talk to a groomer and get some suggestions for appropriate brushes. It may be appropriate to take her to be groomed as well. Consult with a professional. 

I have found that adding a fatty oil (I use fish oil) can really help maintain their coat. Also switching to a fish based kibble may help, but again, because of her age I would suggest talking to a vet before making any changes.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

In addition to the diet recommendations...

My dog is smoothest/shiniest/softest right after I brush her. It takes out the dead undercoat, so that's no surprise. Her hair is short, like a lab's, and I've found that a rubber curry comb is the best tool for getting out the undercoat. Kong makes one called the Zoom Groom, and it's pretty widely available.


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## HarajukuGoober (Aug 5, 2011)

From what I've learned(I have a big double coated dog, too), is to invest in a "furmonator" or something of the sort. I think it's called a shedding tool or a deshedding tool. Anyway, it takes out the dead undercoat like crazy. Then, I take a wire comb and go all throughout the body. It makes my dog Jackson look GORGEOUS, thinner, and shinier.

Best of luck =]


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## dmickle1 (Jun 19, 2011)

HarajukuGoober said:


> From what I've learned(I have a big double coated dog, too), is to invest in a "furmonator" or something of the sort. I think it's called a shedding tool or a deshedding tool. Anyway, it takes out the dead undercoat like crazy. Then, I take a wire comb and go all throughout the body. It makes my dog Jackson look GORGEOUS, thinner, and shinier.
> 
> Best of luck =]


I was a huge fan of the Furminator until someone on this board educated me that the Furminator is like a clipper blade attached to a handle and will actually cut the dog's coat while pulling out hairs from the undercoat. Definitely didn't sound like anything I wanted to be doing to my dog's fur and I've since thrown mine away and switched brushes.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 25, 2011)

dmickle1 said:


> I was a huge fan of the Furminator until someone on this board educated me that the Furminator is like a clipper blade attached to a handle and will actually cut the dog's coat while pulling out hairs from the undercoat. Definitely didn't sound like anything I wanted to be doing to my dog's fur and I've since thrown mine away and switched brushes.


 IMO, it depends on what type of coat the dog has and how you use the tool. I wouldn't recommend using a Furminator on a sheltie, but for labs and other shorthaired breeds it does great. Just use a very light touch when you brush; no need to scrape away at the dog's skin. I've heard horror stories about ppl brushing too hard. One groomer I heard of ended up spending about $4000 in vet bills after she messed up with the Furminator. So just go real easy and check the skin frequently for any pinkness/redness. 

Anyway, back to the OP's question, I agree with everyone else here: a vet check is in order, and if everything checks out, a diet change. What are you feeding her?


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Wally's hair will never be smooth (Mr. Frizz, which gets even worse after combing due to static electricity!), but I second the food angle. Switching to the food we use now made a major difference in his coat. I don't know if it's the quality or the move to a dehydrated food (so he gets "extra" water intake from re-hydrating the food vs eating a dry food), the difference was nearly immediate. 

When combing, use a good grooming spray. That always helps and helps protect the coat from damage from the combing process. 

And if you bathe your dog yourself, a good shampoo never hurts. Find one that helps the skin/hair and cleans as gently as possible.

These factors combined have made a dramatic difference in Wally's coat. It's thick, but still soft, loose/airy, and much stronger (less breakage).


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I think the people that have issues with the Furminator mostly overdo it. I am too lazy to overdo it. 

Back when Sassy was 14 or so I got a Furminator. The next year I thought she was turning gray on her back but it was the glare from her shiny coat. They are expensive and you can damage the coat. The year before the Furminator arrived we deshed her using a short tined undercoat "rake". Not the blade. They are cheaper and remove loads of hair. You do have to use a light touch with them as the tines are very pointed and you don't want to dig into the skin - just let the tines get down to the skin by their own weight.

I remove old fur from Max's long not very thick double coat with a metal flea comb or a Mars Coat King. Neither worked on Sassy's short dense double coat but a flea comb only costs a couple dollars if you want to try it.

And a warm bath works really well to remove old fur. You must brush/comb/ruffle the clean damp coat every few minutes to dry and remove hair. That took only half an hour for Sassy and less than that for Max. I put a hose on the kitchen faucet so I can bathe Max in warm water outside, brush him out and take him for a walk. Great to do in hot weather. This bath reduces shedding for about a week so is not nearly as good as a professional shedding treatment.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

When I'm not home and my mom watches Soro he gets brushed once a day/every other day with the furminator. 

When I'm home he gets brushed for 5-10 minutes every two to three days with the furminator, a wicker brush, and a curry brush. I find that each brush brings fur out of different layers. I didn't buy all three to use on my dog like this... I started with the wicker, heard great things about the curry and tried that... But in my experience the furminator has been the most efficient. 

I also feed him 2 fish oil tabs a day.

And once in a blue moon I rub him down with a tiny bit of olive oil. 

He eats Wellness Super5Mix Chicken.

We get pretty good results.


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

Canyx said:


> We get pretty good results.



I'd say so! Soro shines in the sun like a Greek God


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## Godog (Jun 2, 2011)

Canyx said:


> When I'm not home and my mom watches Soro he gets brushed once a day/every other day with the furminator.
> 
> When I'm home he gets brushed for 5-10 minutes every two to three days with the furminator, a wicker brush, and a curry brush. I find that each brush brings fur out of different layers. I didn't buy all three to use on my dog like this... I started with the wicker, heard great things about the curry and tried that... But in my experience the furminator has been the most efficient.
> 
> ...


Wow such a nice coat!  Yeah I've been told the furminator wasn't all that good, so I was looking into the zoom groom. They seem to do the same job as the furminator and better yet they massage the dog's skin and they're cheaper! Anyone use this product?


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Godog said:


> Wow such a nice coat!  Yeah I've been told the furminator wasn't all that good, so I was looking into the zoom groom. They seem to do the same job as the furminator and better yet they massage the dog's skin and they're cheaper! Anyone use this product?


Thanks! (and Soro very much appreciates the comment +two )

I have the zoom groom! I call it a curry brush XD
For me personally, it removed the same amount or less fur than my wicker brush. The rubber is really nice for pulling out dead hairs, but the bumps are just so far apart! That's why I used a combination of the wicker and curry.
Again though, furminator was the one that made the biggest difference in our house. I understand that there are cutting edges between the blades, but it's not like you're shearing your dog or anything. In fact, if I continuously brush one spot with it, it'll eventually stop pulling out fur just like with any other brush I use. The difference is the time it takes to do that is cut short dramatically when I use the furminator. I can brush my dog for 30 minutes with the wicker brush and still be pulling clumps of hair off. Though like another poster said, the furminator isn't for every dog and it needs to be used correctly. 

I still use the curry brush till this day! The furminator mostly targets the undercoat/fluffy stuff that you can make felt beads with. The curry brush is the last one I use because it removes the guard hairs or whatever else is left behind 
If I ever have the time I'll post the thread with photos of the results of using different brushes


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

For shinier, healthier coat, give your dog Fish oil and Flaxseed oil. Also feed a high quality food. 

Brushing once a week helps keep a smooth coat.


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

The number one thing I would suspect would be low thyroid. Take her in for a checkup with bloodwork including the thyroid panel. Low thyroid is pretty common in elderly dogs and Labradors have a higher than average incidence. 

Truly old dogs also have an INCREASED need for protein, and unfortunately many senior foods are even lower in protein than regular forumulas. My 13 year old Samoyed had been losing weight, muscle tone, and appetite. Then I read an article in the AKC Gazette about this. After a check with the vet, I switched him to a high protein puppy food and he improved quite a bit. The truly elderly dogs just don't digest things as efficiently as they used to. But please do have your dog's kidney function checked out first. If the kidneys have begun to fail you do NOT want to put them on a high protein food because the kidneys can't handle it.

Here's a couple articles on the topic
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/protein-requirements-senior-dogs-you-might-be-surprised

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/senior-dogs-and-special-needs/

Another article from the AKC Gazette was dedicated to nutrition needed for growing nice coat. The number one factor was enough high quality protein. Hair is made of protein. Also you want the right amount of omega 6 and omega 3 essential fatty acids. Feed the best dog food you can, and it is helpful to supplement with an egg twice a week, and a can of sardines packed in water once or twice a week. Also give a fish oil supplement every day. If you are feeding a low fat food, switch to a higher fat food. The fat in dry dog food is a good source of omega 6s. The sardines and/or fish oil capsules provide omega 3s which are good for general health as well as the coat. All dry dog foods are very deficient in omega 3s, those are fragile compounds that break down. Which is why fish oil either comes in capsules that protect it from the air and also from light (either the capsule or the bottle is always opaque) and if you buy in bulk it must be refrigerated.


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## canine nutritionist (Jul 16, 2011)

Omega3 an Omega 6 fatty acids. Look for it in the dog food or add fish oil or even better salmon oil to the food


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## Godog (Jun 2, 2011)

Canyx said:


> If I ever have the time I'll post the thread with photos of the results of using different brushes


Please do  For some reason I love seeing before and after shots of coats :L


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I have a Zoom Groom but it doesn't do anything for my girl- but she has long fur, and is double coated. It works *awesome* for my two cats.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Godog said:


> Please do  For some reason I love seeing before and after shots of coats :L


Alrighty! These aren't before-after shots of my dog, but hopefully this will show the differences between the three brushes 

Here are the three that I use, let's call them wicker, curry (Zoom Groom) and furminator (though this one is a knock-off)









Close ups of the furminator blade.

















To start, I did a few sweeps with the curry brush. Like, maybe 8 pulls down the length of his body. Notice how the fur doesn't stick to the brush but rather gets pushed out of his coat. I have to pat/pull these bits off afterwards.









I did 4 sweeps (on a different part of his body) with the wicker. And only two in the same spots with the furminator. No photos of this happening as the fur gets trapped in the brush and there's not much to see. But here is what the brushes look like after my 'experiment':









Here's what the fur looks like off the brush:









I did a few more sweeps with the furminator. Here's a close up of the fur. Notice how the curry brush pulls out very rigid strands of hair, the wicker pulls out a mix of harder and softer stuff, but the furminator mostly targets that undercoat fluff:









And for fun, here's the bracelet I made from fur brushed off with the furminator:









DISCLAIMER: Every dog is different, and this is just how these brushes work on MY dog and his coat.


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## Godog (Jun 2, 2011)

Wow thanks for that! Good combination of the 3 brushes! And how on earth did you make that bracelet?! Haha!
I saw you mentioned above you rub your dog down with olive oil? I'm wondering does that help his coat? Because I was thinking of rubbing a bit of olive oil into my dog after I wash her later and then brush it in?


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

The olive oil, to soften his fur and skin. I know that's probably not scientifically correct or anything. But if you search something like 'olive old dog fur' you'll get some interesting results. I figure it can't hurt, especially because I rarely ever do it. 

Here is where I learned to make the beads:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Felted-Pet-Hair-Beads/


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