# Hair everywhere aaahhhh!!!!



## MyBritneyBear (Mar 25, 2010)

Finally have my first big dog in forever, she's a shepherd mix. Love the dog she is 100% wonderful!

Now, my problem is...she is shedding everywhere! Bought the furminator, which works I thought pretty good. However, I'm still finding loads and loads of hair all over my house. What do all of you with big hairy dogs do about the hair? How often do you vacumm or dust mop it/wash floors? I have all tile downstairs and she doesn't go upstairs. It's the only thing about a big dog I don't like, how do you all deal with your hairy situations?


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## infiniti (Mar 19, 2010)

Welcome to the Hair Club for Dogs! 

I have hair all over my house. Really doesn't matter how often I sweep/dust, it just gets everywhere. I brush her regularly (haven't gotten a Furminator yet, but plan to), but still hair everywhere!

I have all hardwood and ceramic floors ... not a stitch of carpet in the house. Some might think this is a good thing, but it's really not. The hair blows and slides all over the place, getting in corners, under the beds, etc., whereas if I had carpet, most of it would stick to the carpet rather than blow everywhere.

We sweep constantly, plus I got a Swiffer Sweeper Vac that works pretty well - except that I have to empty the tiny little container on it constantly while I am using it as it fills up quickly and lumps of dog hair clog up the inlet tube.

Doesn't matter --- hair still everywhere. It's on my floors, my counters, my stovetop. It even gets inside my fridge sometimes. 

It's just one of those things you have to deal with in having a thick-coated or double-coated dog in the house all the time.


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## MyBritneyBear (Mar 25, 2010)

infiniti said:


> Welcome to the Hair Club for Dogs!
> 
> I have hair all over my house. Really doesn't matter how often I sweep/dust, it just gets everywhere. I brush her regularly (haven't gotten a Furminator yet, but plan to), but still hair everywhere!
> 
> ...


Lol!!! Hair club for dogs, I love it!

I agree with ya about the tile thing. The hair just blows all over the place, it bugs me but hey what can you do. I'll just try to keep up on the furminator usage and sweep/dust often.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Leather furniture, Dyson Animal vacuum & vacuuming 3x/week or more.

ps..and a sticky lint roller in every vehicle, 3 places in the house & one at work


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

MyBritneyBear said:


> Lol!!! Hair club for dogs, I love it!
> 
> I agree with ya about the tile thing. The hair just blows all over the place, it bugs me but hey what can you do. I'll just try to keep up on the furminator usage and sweep/dust often.


Invest in a fine toothed comb  That IMO gets the hair out better than any rake, tool, or furminator on the market. I used a furminator on a golden last weekend, and he looked great. I used my fine toothed comb on him AFTER the furminator and got a ton more hair out! 
I use a forced air dryer on my shepherd pretty much every other day this time of year, it really blasts out the coat, a lot of the self serve dog washes have them, and 99.9% of groomers use them. You might consider a good bath at a wash or by a professional to get the bulk of the hair out, and then you would just be doing the maintenance 
Also, how long have you had her, and what food was/is she on? Auz shed like mad when his nutritional needs weren't being met as well as they could have been. I've used flaxseed oil to stop massive shedding with great results, and know other people who have used flax or salmon oil and their dogs' shedding was considerably less (I buy flaxseed oil capsules at walmart and toss it in his food). 
I dust mop daily, and if I miss a day I notice it. The cats are my worst shedding offenders, and there are little black kitten dustballs all over my house in 24 hours this time of year!
Every day I groom this time of year I can pretty much guarantee my eyes will be full of dog hair by 10:00AM. The spring and fall shedding season on most double coated dogs are the worst!!


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## Bubbly (Mar 20, 2010)

After 1.5 years I've finally given up on ever controlling the shedding. I have a furminator and it works great, but at the end of the day it doesn't get everything.

My solution now is just vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. We bought a Dyson and it's the greatest vacuum. Oh and a lot of sticky lint rollers.

The worst thing is that my parents work in the restaurant business! Imagine serving dog hair in the food. They're constantly rolling their clothes before they go to work.


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## MyBritneyBear (Mar 25, 2010)

Ah thanks guys. I figure it's something I am just going to have to deal with. Even after the furminator I'm still seeing hair all over the house. I even gave her a bath and brushed her before and after. Went for a walk and there was hair all over her leash...I give up.

Btw, she is on regular Purina dog chow.


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## infiniti (Mar 19, 2010)

MyBritneyBear said:


> Ah thanks guys. I figure it's something I am just going to have to deal with. Even after the furminator I'm still seeing hair all over the house. I even gave her a bath and brushed her before and after. Went for a walk and there was hair all over her leash...I give up.
> 
> Btw, she is on regular Purina dog chow.




You may actually fare better with a higher quality dog food. Most of the higher quality dog foods promote healthier skin and coat, which will mean less shedding. Bella eats Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and Canidae ALS and is also on Missing Link and I have noticed a slight decrease in the shedding.

I am giving up the fight over dog hair though ... I am looking into possibly adopting an American Eskimo-mix, so with a Rottie and A.E., fighting the hair game is a totally lost cause! LOL


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I keep seeing everyone who hopped on the furminator train... GET OFF  All the furminator fdoes is break the hair, so now you have pulled a half a hair outta your dog and he's still gonnna shed the other half. Now you have TWICE thehair.

There are 3 things that I can suggest to help in seasonal shedding.

1. Invest in a shedding blade. They're worth every penny. It has teeth like a saw blade that bring up the under coat and then you open it up and do long strokes to get all the shedding guard hairs. I LOVE mine and would be lost with out it. This is the one I have and absolutely get one that opens and isn't constnatly stuck in that loop.










2. A good under coat comb. I usually use a greyhound comb on Luna who is coated like a sheltie (she's an english shepherd). I use the greyhound comb 3-4x a week then the shedding blade once every week or 2 on her. Even my lab gets the greyhound comb 2-3x a week and he's a shedding machine but not any more since I really buckled down on the brushing. 










3. A good stiff brush for finishing the look. After the comb and the shedding blade go over your dog with a good stiff brush and that will wisk away any of the surface hairs and dander that might still be sitting on the coat. I prefer a good hogs hair brush but any stiff bristle will work.










Lastly you can add suppliments to their food to aide in shedding. Good skin condition is key to minimializing shedding. Lipid acids such as fish oil, olive oil and meat greases (bacon, hamburger, pork chops etc) all are going to benefit the skin. Use about 1 tablespoon for a 40 pound dog every couple of days during the dry skin months (usually winter with forced air heat drys dogs out terribly), then back it down to once or twice a week for the warmer months. Also the quality of the food you give your dog will affect shedding, as well as exercise and stress/anxiety levels.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> I keep seeing everyone who hopped on the furminator train... GET OFF  All the furminator fdoes is break the hair, so now you have pulled a half a hair outta your dog and he's still gonnna shed the other half. Now you have TWICE thehair.
> 
> There are 3 things that I can suggest to help in seasonal shedding.
> 
> ...


I *love* the shedding blade!! It does the best job on horses, too, and they have short hair that's hard to get with a brush. A curry works well, too 
I've seen dogs' coats wrecked by the furminator, if it's used too much. My shepherds shedding was cut down considerably when I started adding flaxseed oil to his daily ration. I started out giving him 3 or 4 per day, and gradually dwindling down to 1 or 2 a day. I wouldn't suggest using bacon or hamburger grease unless the dog in question is used to getting a lot of different variety (if the dog gets purina dog chow and nothing more, bacon grease will probably cause a serious gastrointestinal upset, and shedding will be the *least* of her problems )


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## CherGarr (Apr 14, 2010)

Despite the fact that I have crazy sensitive allergies, I recently took on a double coat Heeler. I'm insanely in love with him, so I vacuum EVERY DAY!!! And still, hair everywhere. He's worth it though


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I'll bet it's not hair, but fur. 

For double-coated dogs (like labs) an undercoat rake is a Godsend. My black lab loved it so much that I had to stop brushing him with it in the front yard. People walking by thought I was doing something kinky with my dog, what with all the moaning and groaning. 

Robins would gather up the fur tumbleweeds and line their nest with it. Then the city would reassess their nests and raise their property taxes.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Get the shedding blade etc from a horse supply place. Tractor Supply for example has horse grooming tools all of which are cheaper than the "dog grooming" stuff in the pet stores and are the same things.

My dog is short haired but when he was eating Purina One he was shedding like a maniac. Fur tumbleweeds all over. A switch to a high-quality grain-free food with high protein and a daily fish oil caplet (human grade, pretty cheap to buy generic brand) has basically eliminated the shedding. His coat is gorgeous now.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

LazyGRanch713 said:


> I *love* the shedding blade!! It does the best job on horses, too, and they have short hair that's hard to get with a brush. A curry works well, too
> I've seen dogs' coats wrecked by the furminator, if it's used too much. My shepherds shedding was cut down considerably when I started adding flaxseed oil to his daily ration. I started out giving him 3 or 4 per day, and gradually dwindling down to 1 or 2 a day. I wouldn't suggest using bacon or hamburger grease unless the dog in question is used to getting a lot of different variety (if the dog gets purina dog chow and nothing more, bacon grease will probably cause a serious gastrointestinal upset, and shedding will be the *least* of her problems )


If you're only talking about 1 tablspoon mixed with a little hot water for a 40 pound dog then it's not likely to cause GI upset (it never has for myself or any other dog's I've suggested it to). It's a natural lipid acid and most dogs do great with it. If you have a dog with a chronic colitis issue, irritable bowel or something like that that ishighly reactive to fatty acids then obviously don't use it. You'll know that with in the first 24 hours how well your dog tolerates it.


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## Bubbly (Mar 20, 2010)

CherGarr said:


> Despite the fact that I have crazy sensitive allergies, I recently took on a double coat Heeler. I'm insanely in love with him, so I vacuum EVERY DAY!!! And still, hair everywhere. He's worth it though


I have a double coat Heeler mix too. I share your pain.



RonE said:


> I'll bet it's not hair, but fur.
> 
> For double-coated dogs (like labs) an undercoat rake is a Godsend. My black lab loved it so much that I had to stop brushing him with it in the front yard. People walking by thought I was doing something kinky with my dog, what with all the moaning and groaning.
> 
> Robins would gather up the fur tumbleweeds and line their nest with it. Then the city would reassess their nests and raise their property taxes.


So true! I have seen birds gatherine Bubbles' fur from my back yard after I brushed her, especially her soft under coat.

In other news, I finally bought a shedding blade yesterday, can't wait to try it out!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

RonE said:


> I'll bet it's not hair, but fur.
> 
> For double-coated dogs (like labs) an undercoat rake is a Godsend. My black lab loved it so much that I had to stop brushing him with it in the front yard. People walking by thought I was doing something kinky with my dog, what with all the moaning and groaning.
> 
> Robins would gather up the fur tumbleweeds and line their nest with it. *Then the city would reassess their nests and raise their property taxes*.


 
Undercoat rakes are indeed a Godsend, and the best part is most dogs love it!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> If you're only talking about 1 tablspoon mixed with a little hot water for a 40 pound dog then it's not likely to cause GI upset (it never has for myself or any other dog's I've suggested it to). It's a natural lipid acid and most dogs do great with it. If you have a dog with a chronic colitis issue, irritable bowel or something like that that ishighly reactive to fatty acids then obviously don't use it. You'll know that with in the first 24 hours how well your dog tolerates it.


It does depend. If I had given Auz bacon grease 2 years ago...oh man... ::::Can't seem to locate a barfing smiley:::: 
I usually tell boarders to bring their own treats (that their dog is used to getting). I gave a golden retriever a sprinkle of cheese over her food, and she had diarrhea for 2 days  I've given cheese to several other dogs with no problems, so you're right--you'll know how well they tolerate it.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Bubbly said:


> I have a double coat Heeler mix too. I share your pain.
> So true! I have seen birds gatherine Bubbles' fur from my back yard after I brushed her, especially her soft under coat.
> 
> In other news, I finally bought a shedding blade yesterday, can't wait to try it out!


Actually birds gather dog hair for 2 reasons. Soft good building material and the smell keeps cats away from their nest...

Glad you got the shedding blade. Let us know how you like it. You're going to be in for a good 2 day brushing session. You just won't be able to get it all at one time once you see how much that thing brings up.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Gizmo blows his undercoat twice a year, so I understand the hair thing...it is on my hardwood floors, my carpets and in my car (luckily, we have a no dogs on the furniture policy, so that is a hair free zone!)

I will have to look into new grooming tools. We have a Furminator, but I only use it once a month or so. Giz isn't so keen on the brushing (or the bathing)


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## staffymom (Apr 16, 2010)

The Furminator DOES NOT cut the hair in half. Its an extra wide guard blade on a handle. The guard is the part of clipper blades made specifically not to cut the hair. It's a great tool for certain dog coats under certain conditions. 
The single biggest mistake people make when trying to deshed their dog is trying to do it when the dog is dirty. Dirt, body oils and dander act as "glue" holding the dead coat back and making it difficult to remove.
Deshedding tricks from the grooming world. 
1) Bathe your dog in tepid warm water...opens the follicles and releases hair. That's why many dogs shed heavily for a few days after seeing the groomer.
2) Lather your dog up, while soapy(in the tub of course) use a slicker brush and a large comb or rake to remove gobs of hair.
3)Bathe dog twice repeating above steps.
4)Rinse in cool to chilly water, closes follicle back up.
5)If possible follow up with a high velocity dryer. If not available allow dog to air dry and finish up with a slicker brush. (bent wire brush)
For short haired dogs a stiff boars hair brush works in place of a slicker.
If you are not going to start with a clean dog, spray on conditioners that have silcone in them cut down on static electricity and help keep the hair from breaking which results in matting. Brushing a dirty dog will break coat which causes the hair shaft to split which in turn acts like velcro. Now when your dog drops coat it gets caught up in the broken hairs. I typically use "The Stuff" available through Ryan's or "Ice on Ice" at Cherrybrook......
happy brushing!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

theyogachick said:


> Gizmo blows his undercoat twice a year, so I understand the hair thing...it is on my hardwood floors, my carpets and in my car (luckily, we have a no dogs on the furniture policy, so that is a hair free zone!)
> 
> I will have to look into new grooming tools. We have a Furminator, but I only use it once a month or so. Giz isn't so keen on the brushing (or the bathing)


A lot of it could be the tools you use goya... try one of these...










What they usually protest to is the pulling not the brushing/combing. This should pull his skin a lot less than the furminator.


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## MyBritneyBear (Mar 25, 2010)

So the furminator really isn't all that great? That's a bummer and it seemed to get so much of her fur out too.

Sorry for the typo too...it's suppose to be fur not hair.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

No hon sorry but it just breaks off the hairs and doubles what your dog is shedding. It's like using a lice comb to brush your hair daily. it wouldn't go over well for long would it? At least you know now before you drive yourself and your dog nuts tho right??


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

My 2 favorite grooming tools are the Undercoat Rake and comb. I use both daily on my rough coated Saint. It doesnt completely stop the shedding but it does cut down on how much fur I find floating through the house.


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## Bubbly (Mar 20, 2010)

Dog_Shrink said:


> Actually birds gather dog hair for 2 reasons. Soft good building material and the smell keeps cats away from their nest...
> 
> Glad you got the shedding blade. Let us know how you like it. You're going to be in for a good 2 day brushing session. You just won't be able to get it all at one time once you see how much that thing brings up.


Thanks Dog_Shrink for the shedding blade suggestion! I used it on Bubbles for the first time today and was very impressed. With the Furminator, she used to squirm and won't sit still when I brush her. However, she just loves the shedding blade!!!! She stayed so still, and would even sit down and roll over to her side for me to brush her. You should see her face, it had bliss written all over it.

For this reason it's worth it for me. Not to mention how much of her under coat it combed out. Her coat felt so good afterwards when I ran my hands over it. The sad thing is the furminator cost much more than the shedding blade and was the inferior product!

My next purchase would be a nice comb and an under coat rake.


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

My dogs are only allowed on the main floor of our house...It gets swept once a day I have learned to tolerate the hair...If we have company we simply sweep before they come.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> The Furminator DOES NOT cut the hair in half. Its an extra wide guard blade on a handle. The guard is the part of clipper blades made specifically not to cut the hair.
> For short haired dogs a stiff boars hair brush works in place of a slicker.
> If you are not going to start with a clean dog, spray on conditioners that have silcone in them cut down on static electricity and help keep the hair from breaking which results in matting. Brushing a dirty dog will break coat which causes the hair shaft to split which in turn acts like velcro.


everyone else ignored this post, but it really got me thinking. a furminator does not break coat (in any way according to this poster), but brushing with any brush while the coat is dirty will break the coat? that popst, made no sense. 

The furminator is actually a newly designed tool that groomers have been using forever. its called a 40 blade, and many old school groomers use them b/c it is what they always used (before other tools came out). they would card heavy shedders with a 40 blade. now, they add a handle and up the price, and there you have it: The Furminator!

the furminator is not a bad tool, but is one that can be easily misused. first off, it is a harsh blade. using it areas of the dog that are bony (legs, hips, stomach, chest, etc) is very difficult to do without scratching he dog. pressing hard with it, or brushing the same part of the dog over and over will give your dog irritation (much faster and easier than with any other tool). it is NOT good for long coated doublecoaters (st bernard, gt pyr, etc), and is really only good on shorter, softer coated breeds (labs, some border collies and aussies). i recommend that people who realy insist on using them only do it about once or twice a week, for only 10 minutes or so.


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## staffymom (Apr 16, 2010)

The previous poster had said that it cuts/breaks hair in half causing twice as much shedding. I simply tried to say that that's not true the Furminator as you stated is an extension of an already existing tool groomers have been using for years. Any tool can damage coat if used incorrectly.
Brushing dirty coat does break hair. It stretches and pulls on the hairshaft and since the coat is dirty the coat doesn't drop loose easily.....resulting in damage. My point was wash your dog BEFORE trying to remove coat. 
It doesn't matter what tool you choose to use if its not used on the right coat it won't work. Different breeds require different equipment. 
I was simply trying to add a little bit of info. If people want to ignore the information that's fine. Most people can't/don't/won't do a really adequate job of de-shedding their dog....and therefore I have had a booming grooming buis. for over 20 years.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

The sad thing there is the average dog owner is an idiot when it comes to grooming hence our need for groomers and they (the average uninformed owner getting the newest fad grooming tool) WILL use a furminator on a collie, husky, etc which WILL break the hair. I've seen it. Maybe not ALL the hairs will break but it will dmamage a fair amount. Plus the constant pulling on the coat and the fact you can only use it for 10 minuntes at a time before you're irritating your dog to the point of wanting to either bite or run makes it a no fun experience all around for you and the dog. If the furminator was a gorrmer's tool then that is where it should stay. IMO it never should have made it to the public market place because like stated... in the wrong hands they can do NO good. Sorry if I seem sop anti-furminator but I just have really never had 1 person tell me or show me that they've had a good experience with it. Even groomers that I know refuse to use it or ever give me a good review of the tool.


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## JustTess (Mar 19, 2008)

> WILL use a furminator on a collie, husky, etc which WILL break the hair


That is one of the reasons I quit using the furminator a couple of years ago. It was the tool that was suggest at the vets, the pet stores, and other groomers. After using it once every two weeks for a couple of months... I noticed Ilya's fur looked a bit funny. There was white odd looking patches where the dark guard hair should have been. I currently use a rake and a rubber based brush though I am still learning what the best equipment would be for a husky. The samoyed I previously owned didn't have such fussy fur and seemed much easier to groom.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I was actually first turned on to the shedding blade by a friend of mine that owned 2 huskies and their coats always looked great from it. I remember when she would take them out in the yard during their molt and use the shedding blade. After an hour there was no more molt on the dog but you could fill 3 pillow cases with the hair she got offa them.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> The sad thing there is the average dog owner is an idiot when it comes to grooming hence our need for groomers and they (the average uninformed owner getting the newest fad grooming tool) WILL use a furminator on a collie, husky, etc which WILL break the hair. I've seen it. Maybe not ALL the hairs will break but it will dmamage a fair amount. Plus the constant pulling on the coat and the fact you can only use it for 10 minuntes at a time before you're irritating your dog to the point of wanting to either bite or run makes it a no fun experience all around for you and the dog. If the furminator was a gorrmer's tool then that is where it should stay. IMO it never should have made it to the public market place because like stated... in the wrong hands they can do NO good. Sorry if I seem sop anti-furminator but I just have really never had 1 person tell me or show me that they've had a good experience with it. Even groomers that I know refuse to use it or ever give me a good review of the tool.


I've used the furminator once, and I wasn't overly impressed with it. I can get a dogs' undercoat out a lot better (and quicker) with a high velocity dryer and a comb. It's really not that difficult  I use the forced air dryer a lot more than I use any of my "tools" for de-shedding dogs, air doesn't hurt the skin of a dog and you don't run the risk of brush burning them that way. I can take a dog with packed undercoat, a spritz of show sheen and the big dryer and start to deshed them before a bath, so I can get them clean down to the skin, and don't touch an undercoat rake until after they're bathed and dried. Plus, it eliminates an hour or better of tugging and pulling on packed hair with a rake or comb, which seems to tick even the most even tempered dog off after awhile. The dryer doesn't seem to bother them, even for a long time, and it's kind of cool to watch thick, double coated dogs make it "snow" in the bathing room 
My customers love the results I give them, so I must be doing something right


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> The previous poster had said that it cuts/breaks hair in half causing twice as much shedding. I simply tried to say that that's not true the Furminator as you stated is an extension of an already existing tool groomers have been using for years. Any tool can damage coat if used incorrectly.
> Brushing dirty coat does break hair. It stretches and pulls on the hairshaft and since the coat is dirty the coat doesn't drop loose easily.....resulting in damage. My point was wash your dog BEFORE trying to remove coat.
> It doesn't matter what tool you choose to use if its not used on the right coat it won't work. Different breeds require different equipment.
> I was simply trying to add a little bit of info. If people want to ignore the information that's fine. Most people can't/don't/won't do a really adequate job of de-shedding their dog....and therefore I have had a booming grooming buis. for over 20 years.


And your previous post (and this one), made no sense. You are saying that a furminator does not break hair, but brushing with ANY brush when the hair is dirty will. So which is it? You are basically contradicting your own statement within one sentence. As far as your "booming grooming career", there are quite a few of us here who are also groomers. I dont think i have ever heard any of them brag the way you do. there was a rerason your post was ignored by most.



> I've used the furminator once, and I wasn't overly impressed with it. I can get a dogs' undercoat out a lot better (and quicker) with a high velocity dryer and a comb. It's really not that difficult I use the forced air dryer a lot more than I use any of my "tools" for de-shedding dogs, air doesn't hurt the skin of a dog and you don't run the risk of brush burning them that way. I can take a dog with packed undercoat, a spritz of show sheen and the big dryer and start to deshed them before a bath, so I can get them clean down to the skin, and don't touch an undercoat rake until after they're bathed and dried. Plus, it eliminates an hour or better of tugging and pulling on packed hair with a rake or comb, which seems to tick even the most even tempered dog off after awhile. The dryer doesn't seem to bother them, even for a long time, and it's kind of cool to watch thick, double coated dogs make it "snow" in the bathing room
> My customers love the results I give them, so I must be doing something right


Lazy G- this is almost exactly how i deshed dogs, and my doublecoated dog owners seem to love me too (one women with 2 border collies tipps me anywhere from 30-100 bucks every time i do her dogs). except i dont always blow dry them before the bath. i do a samyed pretty regular (once every 4 months or so), and the owners do not maintain him. The last time i did him, i decided to try something different (b/c the drying/brushing time was just getting ridiculous on this dog). during both shampoo lathers and conditioner lather, i picked through the hair with a matt splitter. by the time i got him bathed and on the table, the hair was coming out so much easier than it ever does. i do very little work on the dog before the bath.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Purplex15 said:


> Lazy G- this is almost exactly how i deshed dogs, and my doublecoated dog owners seem to love me too (one women with 2 border collies tipps me anywhere from 30-100 bucks every time i do her dogs). except i dont always blow dry them before the bath. i do a samyed pretty regular (once every 4 months or so), and the owners do not maintain him. The last time i did him, i decided to try something different (b/c the drying/brushing time was just getting ridiculous on this dog). during both shampoo lathers and conditioner lather, i picked through the hair with a matt splitter. by the time i got him bathed and on the table, the hair was coming out so much easier than it ever does. i do very little work on the dog before the bath.


I will try the mat splitter, what a great idea! Um..can I have the woman with the 2 border collies as a customer? <G>  I think using conditioner DOES help, even if it's not a breed you'd normally use conditioner on. So far my favorite conditioner is Tropi-Clean Kiwi ReMoisturizer. I put this on a clean, sopping wet coat (while the dog is in the tub) very sparingly, and rub it in with my fingertips and then go over the dog with the zoom groom. So far, everytime I do this, the undercoat literally "peels" off. Another thing I've done on very thick coated, short haired dogs (labs that aren't maintained, mostly) is shampoo, rinse, condition, THEN blow dry them while the conditioner is still in. It really gets a lot of hair out. Then rinse the rest off. It saves rinsing time and warm water, too  I love using laser sheen (aka show sheen) as a final mist before blow drying. Not only do I think it really pulls more undercoat out, but it seems to "repel" dirt. I mist Auz (my GSD) with show sheen about every 2 weeks, and he's clean as a pin and hasn't had a bath in a long, long time. (I've used a lot of sprays--miracle groom, the stuff, glo-coat, etc) and have NOT found one thing I like better than show sheen! 
And then, there's Cowboy Magic. That stuff really IS magic!!!


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

lazy G- the woman with the BC's is so nice. she is a good friend of my boss, and my boss always tries to give her a break in pricing. however, this lady will NOT accept it. last time, her bill (boarding ang grooming), was about 300 bucks, but my boss wanted to wait till she was back in town and then work out a price with her. So, in short, she was taking her dogs home that day without paying a dime, and she felt this was wrong. which is why i got tipped $100. i also used to bath her very old GSD mix (who could hardly stand), and she always appreciated that i took my time, and actually did him (she could never find a groomer she trusted to do him, b/c of his age).

I have heard good things about blow drying while the dog is soaking in conditioner or shampoo. i havent tried it yet, b/c it seems very messy to me. but i think you have finally convinced me. The matt splitter is my favorite tool for very impacted double coaters. you can use it very sparingly, and just breaking up the undercoat a little bit make it easier to blow out. but your right, besides the matt splitter, my main tool is combing through the dog while i blowdry. when im done, i do a few strokes with a shedding blade, and thats it.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

lazy G- the woman with the BC's is so nice. she is a good friend of my boss, and my boss always tries to give her a break in pricing. however, this lady will NOT accept it. last time, her bill (boarding ang grooming), was about 300 bucks, but my boss wanted to wait till she was back in town and then work out a price with her. So, in short, she was taking her dogs home that day without paying a dime, and she felt this was wrong. which is why i got tipped $100. i also used to bath her very old GSD mix (who could hardly stand), and she always appreciated that i took my time, and actually did him (she could never find a groomer she trusted to do him, b/c of his age).
*
Customers like this make it all worth it. We groomed an ancient bichon for years who was built like a basset hound, and couldn't stand anymore (and was the only dog I've ever met that I would say had a genuine phobia of heights, aka grooming tables.) We bought a pair of cordless clippers and let the dog lie down in an x-pen and groomed him there. I was very sad when he died. We groom a few heavy coated, large dogs (saints, newfs, samoyeds, and pyrs in particular) that have a hard time standing in the tub when they're wet (can you blame them? I bet that heavy coat soaked to the skin adds an extra 50 pounds to them!) I've found it really helps while bathing to bath the head/ears/neck, blow it dry. Bathe from the neck back to mid-back, blow it out. Bathe the hindquarters, blow it out. It really seems to help them not be so waterlogged and bogged down if you can bathe them in quarters instead of the whole dog  *


I have heard good things about blow drying while the dog is soaking in conditioner or shampoo. i havent tried it yet, b/c it seems very messy to me. but i think you have finally convinced me. The matt splitter is my favorite tool for very impacted double coaters. you can use it very sparingly, and just breaking up the undercoat a little bit make it easier to blow out. but your right, besides the matt splitter, my main tool is combing through the dog while i blowdry. when im done, i do a few strokes with a shedding blade, and thats it.

*It IS very messy  But with the right dog, it's worth it. It's also nice for huge, younger dogs, because it really cuts down on the rinsing time and most adolescent dogs are far to busy to be bothered with a bath, lol  
Also, curly coated dogs (most bichons and poodles) who come into the salon "feeling" very matted really fluff up nice and can be finished longer and prettier if you blow dry them FIRST, with your dryer on as high as it will go. If the dogs coat is crappy, it doesn't always help, but with tight, tight curls, it really can turn a possible #7 or #10 strip into a nice #3 or #4 finish. It also works great on dogs with thin skin who are prone to brush burn if you go over the same spot twice. 
I haven't had great luck with this when dealing with matted silky dogs (shih-tzu, havanese, schnauzers, etc). Mostly what I do with them is take scissors and chop coat length off, shampoo and blow dry as normal, and hope taking some of the length off allowed some of the matting to "slide down" far enough for me to get a #3 through it. If not, the dog still gets stripped, but at least I can say I tried *


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> The sad thing there is the average dog owner is an idiot when it comes to grooming hence our need for groomers and they (the average uninformed owner getting the newest fad grooming tool) WILL use a furminator on a collie, husky, etc which WILL break the hair. I've seen it. Maybe not ALL the hairs will break but it will dmamage a fair amount. Plus the constant pulling on the coat and the fact you can only use it for 10 minuntes at a time before you're irritating your dog to the point of wanting to either bite or run makes it a no fun experience all around for you and the dog. If the furminator was a gorrmer's tool then that is where it should stay. IMO it never should have made it to the public market place because like stated... in the wrong hands they can do NO good. Sorry if I seem sop anti-furminator but I just have really never had 1 person tell me or show me that they've had a good experience with it. Even groomers that I know refuse to use it or ever give me a good review of the tool.


I got curious once and used a Mars Coat King on Auz once. I used it on his back leg, and that's been 3 years ago. The hair never grew back "right". I love them on terriers, before AND after clipping, and they are fine on double coated dogs who get groomed once or twice a year (and never see a brush in between), but for dogs who are kept up with, not so much


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