# Grooming Qs about shedding American Eskimo



## eaticecream (Jul 27, 2012)

My American Eskimo has been shedding mounds of fur recently, and we've been combing him everyday and bathing him more often. What's weird is the fur around his neck is not shedding. 
-The back of his neck and his "beard" area is still really thick and brushing doesn't seem to do anything. Is this normal? 
-We have an undercoat rake, but will a shedding blade (the loopy one with serrated edges) help him more? What other brushes/combs are needed?
-Do de-shedding shampoos work?


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

I love my shedding blade. It definitely fixed the shedding issue I had the first couple days I had her home. My double coated dog's ruff doesn't shed as much as the rest of her body.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

My Aussie's neck fur does not shed all that much.

For my Aussie I do the following everyday to every other day:

I start with the right side of his body and use my rake going against the fur and then with it. Once no more fur is coming out I will turn him and do the other side. Then I will use a slicker brush and go against the fur and then with it. For his butt I will use the Greyhound comb to make sure there are no tangles or mats. I then go over his entire body with a pin brush to pick up any loose hair that I brought up. 

That's what I do for the shedding. I also do his ears once a week and his nails every other week. He gets a bath twice a month. On bath days I use a blow drier on him and that helps blow his coat out really well. Then I will do the brush out.


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## eaticecream (Jul 27, 2012)

Are shedding blades supposed to work for long coated double coats? The blade seems so shallow that I have a hard time imagining that going anywhere past his top coat.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

eaticecream said:


> Are shedding blades supposed to work for long coated double coats? The blade seems so shallow that I have a hard time imagining that going anywhere past his top coat.


 No. A shedding blade is useless on coats longer than labs/huskies. Use the rake, being sure you are getting all the way to the skin.


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## eaticecream (Jul 27, 2012)

Brushing him everyday with a undercoat rakes helps a ton. Are there shampoos or conditioners that I should use to help the shedding?


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## Lupen (Jun 17, 2013)

What food are you feeding him? Dogs fed a better diet will shed less than those fed a crappy one. The difference isn't significant, but it is there. Not to mention the other benefits make a better food well worth it.

Of course, brushing is the biggest thing, but you're already doing that. What rake are you using though? I use an Oster undercoat rake, and while my dogs coat isn't as thick as an American Eskimo's, she's still a longcoated breed with a double coat. Whenever I use the rake I have I always get tons of fur off.. even if I've been brushing for ten minutes. I like it better than the Furminator as well, as I've noticed that the Furminator can ruin the guard hairs or top coat after awhile. Though that might just be me.


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## eaticecream (Jul 27, 2012)

Lupen said:


> What food are you feeding him? Dogs fed a better diet will shed less than those fed a crappy one. The difference isn't significant, but it is there. Not to mention the other benefits make a better food well worth it.
> 
> Of course, brushing is the biggest thing, but you're already doing that. What rake are you using though? I use an Oster undercoat rake, and while my dogs coat isn't as thick as an American Eskimo's, she's still a longcoated breed with a double coat. Whenever I use the rake I have I always get tons of fur off.. even if I've been brushing for ten minutes. I like it better than the Furminator as well, as I've noticed that the Furminator can ruin the guard hairs or top coat after awhile. Though that might just be me.


I'm currently feeding him ToTW and the rake we used is a double rowed, undercoat rake with rotating teeth made by Evolution, bought on Amazon. I've never even bothered with a Furminator because I was told that would do nothing for him, but do you guys know if the Furminator de-shedding shampoo and conditioners help?


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## Allison_v (Jun 22, 2013)

Hi there! I have a 4 yr old Eskie who literally sheds non stop, but sheds horribly twice a year (winter coat and summer coat) de-shedding shampoos haven't worked and seem to be a huge waste of money. We have an undercoat rake and it works very well, be sure to brush along with the fur and also against the fur (similar to shaving against the grain of your hair) this works very well with our Eskie. Unfortunately since they are such heavy shedders there is t much you can really do to control it other than frequent brushings. Bathing an Eskie too frequently is very bad for their skin and will dry it out, it's recommend to only bathe them once every two months if you can make it long without them getting too dirty (mine is an inside dog so it works well for us) my family has always had Eskies but they aren't too common where I live so it's nice to see someone else with one! I love the breed


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

I have Samoyeds, and there is a pattern to it when they shed. First to go is the hair along the side of their stifle (back leg) and the area above the elbow. The hair around the neck is the last to go. Maybe it's the same for your dog?


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Allison_v said:


> Bathing an Eskie too frequently is very bad for their skin and will dry it out, it's recommend to only bathe them once every two months if you can make it long without them getting too dirty (mine is an inside dog so it works well for us) my family has always had Eskies but they aren't too common where I live so it's nice to see someone else with one! I love the breed


This is not true. Actually bathing often will help remove the loose coat. Show dogs are bathed multiple times a week! Use a quality shampoo, and rinse it ALL out. Quality, basic, everyday pet shampoos do not strip the natural oils. No oatmeal, no baby shampoo, just a good pet shampoo. Rinse with very warm water to loosen as much coat as possible, and then use a high velocity dryer. If you do this weekly, shedding will be very minimal.


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## Allison_v (Jun 22, 2013)

Graco22 said:


> This is not true. Actually bathing often will help remove the loose coat. Show dogs are bathed multiple times a week! Use a quality shampoo, and rinse it ALL out. Quality, basic, everyday pet shampoos do not strip the natural oils. No oatmeal, no baby shampoo, just a good pet shampoo. Rinse with very warm water to loosen as much coat as possible, and then use a high velocity dryer. If you do this weekly, shedding will be very minimal.


That may be true for some breeds and shedding but any good breeder will tell you not to bathe them too frequently because its bad for their skin, they have naturally drier skin than most breeds. Good groomers will also tell you this and your vet should inform you of this as well if you haven't ever owned one before. I recommend anyone who gets a dog to research the breed before hand. I did (even though my family has always owned Eskies) and this fact is basic breed knowledge. Here's a few websites to back this information.

http://www.americaneskimocentral.com/grooming-appearance-and-bathing-care
http://www.eskiesonline.com/eskinf3.htm
http://midsoutheskiealliance.rescuegroups.org/info/display?PageID=2083


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Allison_v said:


> That may be true for some breeds and shedding but any good breeder will tell you not to bathe them too frequently because its bad for their skin, they have naturally drier skin than most breeds. Good groomers will also tell you this and your vet should inform you of this as well if you haven't ever owned one before. I recommend anyone who gets a dog to research the breed before hand. I did (even though my family has always owned Eskies) and this fact is basic breed knowledge. Here's a few websites to back this information.
> 
> http://www.americaneskimocentral.com/grooming-appearance-and-bathing-care
> http://www.eskiesonline.com/eskinf3.htm
> http://midsoutheskiealliance.rescuegroups.org/info/display?PageID=2083


Many people still feel that frequent bathing dries out skin. Its simply not true when you are using a quality pet product. Its "old school" because shampoos used to have lye and other harsh ingredients in them. Not the case in todays day. Again, show dogs are bathed multiple times a week. All of them. No matter the breed. A healthy dog will have zero ill effects from regular, proper bathing. Esky or not.


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## OhChristen (Jun 20, 2013)

I groom. Here is my advice. Take it, of course, with a grain of salt and always check with your vet for the best and most accurate answers, blah blah blah. 

A good quality, moisture-rich shampoo and conditioner are what I find very helpful. Working them into the coat--really massaging it in--will usually start releasing a lot of the undercoat in the bath. Rinsing should help release more, and yes, make sure to rinse very well. If you have access to a force blower and your pup will tolerate it (it is very loud), that can help force even more of the shedding coat out--the room will look like the inside of a furry snow globe. I find that the blowing method can be less stressful on the skin than repeated brushing in the same area...but again, only if your dog will tolerate it. 

As for brushing, I would suggest the addition of a greyhound comb to the rake (rakes are amazing and, when used like this, the comb is sort of like a more fine-toothed rake). Make sure to get a longer-toothed one so it can reach through all the dense coat. It should aid in the removal of the shedding hair as well. Sometimes I find that a slicker brush (with long pins, obviously) can be helpful in some areas, too--especially the "furry pants" area. You can actually find some slickers that are made especially for shedding breeds that have pins in two or three lengths to more completely brush through thick costs. 

Keeping up with the maintenance on baths like this should help reduce noticeable shedding over time.


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## hueyeats (Apr 2, 2013)

I love my shedding blade too.
OMG!
Talk about shedding...
Roman has been shedding a grocery bag full every 3 days or so.
Yikes!

Add.
I love the long tooth Combs too...
I also have a hoghair brush to shine the coat.


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## RunsWithDogs (May 19, 2013)

I seem to get all the big hairy de-sheds at work. This is my routine and how I was taught..but everyone seems to do it differently.

If the dog is well behaved and used to the process I will lie them on their side and take a slicker brush starting at the bottom of the foot and work my way up and then to the dogs side, and then up the back foot going up to the rear. I will brush against the grain to help loosen up some of the dead undercoat (being careful not to hurt the skin) and then I go back over my work with the grain to help pull out what i've loosened up. I'll check my work with a large metal comb going to the skin and pulling out. I start in small sections and eventually get all the way around the dog.

If it has been months since i've seen the dog..I also use a dematting tool to help split matted areas of the coat. I don't like doing it since I hate ripping coat..but I also wish people would bring in their big hairy's more often!

In the tub.. I will lather the dog up with a good shampoo and then once the dog is soapy i'll take a normal de-shed type rake tool and brush into the coat while the dog is soapy. I can get out clumps and clumps of packed coat. I've taken dogs other groomers wanted to shave and removed the undercoat this way. It works well, you can also take the HV dryer while the dog is soapy and blow out tons of undercoat..and repeat with a good conditioner (my favorite is the best shot ultra max, and i like their finishing spray as well!) 

If you have a recirculating bathing system (and you probably don't if you are just a pet owner) you can add a little bit of silicone based finishing product to the recirc when you are getting conditioner on the dog and it also helps pull out that undercoat..i keep "the stuff" on hand for that purpose and it works really well.

Then of course, rinse, rinse and force dry completely. It takes a lot of time but i don't kennel dry dogs getting the undercoat removed..i force dry and brush while drying and follow through with a comb. It's A LOT of work, but I'm always happy with the end result.










This is my neighbor and friends dog after I did undercoat removal on him..he's some kind of malamute mix!


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## hueyeats (Apr 2, 2013)

RunsWithDogs said:


> I seem to get all the big hairy de-sheds at work. This is my routine and how I was taught..but everyone seems to do it differently.
> 
> If the dog is well behaved and used to the process I will lie them on their side and take a slicker brush starting at the bottom of the foot and work my way up and then to the dogs side, and then up the back foot going up to the rear. I will brush against the grain to help loosen up some of the dead undercoat (being careful not to hurt the skin) and then I go back over my work with the grain to help pull out what i've loosened up. I'll check my work with a large metal comb going to the skin and pulling out. I start in small sections and eventually get all the way around the dog.
> 
> ...


Wow! Great looking doggie.
Thanks RunWithDogs for sharing the process.
I learn quite a bit of tips from your post.

Thanks for sharing! Cool!


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