# The Furminator



## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I gave in and spent the truckload of money it takes to buy the Furminator. I'm quite satisfied with it. I appreciate how well it holds onto the hair it grabs, as it cuts down on the amount of flyaway hair I get between the brush and the trashcan. I have definitely been sweeping up less dog hair since starting to use it.

Has anyone tried the rest of the line? They have a shampoo and de-shedding rinse that I would be willing to try if someone thought it had actually worked for them.

What do we think?


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## wabanafcr (Jun 28, 2007)

I love my Furminator, too. Just be careful because if you get carried away with it, you can really irritate their skin.


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

Its always seemed like an interesting product, though I haven't tried one out yet.

Cutting down on the fly-away hair would definatly be a plus as thats one of the biggest probelms I have when brushing my Dakota.

Though recently since joing this board I've seen several people none-too thrilled with the furminator so I am sort of getting mixed reviews.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I only recently joined the forum, so I haven't seen much discussion on the Furminator here. Bad reviews I have read in other places, however, seem to be from people who were doing what Wabana said not to - going overboard. The little teeth on the comb are sharp (not dangerous, just pointy!) and they get down deep into the dog's hair. To use it everyday (or push too hard when using it) would be irritating, if not painful too the dog. I haven't had a problem with the brush yet, but I've only had it a week or so. I'll keep you all posted.

Any Furminator shampoo comments?


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## Mcpie (Jun 22, 2007)

The Furminator is a god send. It does wonders for our puppy (the one I initially bought it for), but the true astonishment came when we applied it to the cat, it literally took off mounds of hair.

I haven't had issues with the irritation but I don't use it every day by any means, it's not necessary. As for the shampoo, I've seen it applied to my pup by my friend (who happens to be a groomer) and it didn't make a huge difference, though to be fair, he had been "furminated" 3 or so days prior. He smelled nice until the next day where he rolled in mud as he is prone to do.

Edit-- Try the brush out on your dog and make sure you can return it. Regardless of how well it works, it's not worth the price for breeds that don't really shed much, at least in my opinion anyway. If, when you apply the brush the first time you're not getting an insane amount of fur, IMO it's not worth the dollars.


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## nrhareiner (Dec 6, 2006)

Keep in mind that it may work well it also will brake the coat of the dog. I prefer to use the sheading tool I have for the horses. Gets out the under coat and dose not brake the outer coat and cost a fraction of the price.

Heidi


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## Mcpie (Jun 22, 2007)

What do you mean by break the coat of the dog? I am not up to the date with my grooming lingo


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## Crazy for Collies (Aug 26, 2007)

I simply L-O-V-E the Furminator!!!!!!! It is the best pet grooming brush I've had in forever. It works well on our short-coated dog, but it simply works miracles on our long-haired kitty! We have never had problems with it, we only brush the cat and dog once a week with the Furminator, and then we brush the cat all the other days with a normal brush. The Furminator gets so much more hair out than the normal dog brush, and you don't have the problem of the fur getting stuck in between the pointy things on the brush. (I'm a bit slack on that sort of vocabulary...) 

I haven't tried the shampoo or anything yet...


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## Jak (Sep 17, 2007)

My Husky leaves his undercoat all over the place. There isn't a day that the Furminator doesn't get out at least a couple hanfulls of hair. Works a whole lot better than the wire-y one I first bought.


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## huskyx2 (Sep 27, 2007)

I have to agree, I love the Furminator for my huskies. I haven't used the shampoo or the treats but the brush is definately a Godsend. 

If your doing it right, it does not break the top coat.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

nrhareiner said:


> Keep in mind that it may work well it also will brake the coat of the dog. I prefer to use the sheading tool I have for the horses. Gets out the under coat and dose not brake the outer coat and cost a fraction of the price.
> 
> Heidi


Yup! You can't beat a good horse shedding blade for grooming a dog. At least not the Rotties. It cost me about $7.00. as compared to $50.00. for the Furminator. I do use my Furminator on the cat though. As much hair as she loses in one sitting you would think she would be bald. I have not tried the shampoos yet. I am curious about that. I will stick to the shampoo I use. I have had good luck with it.


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## poppiesandboppies (Dec 16, 2007)

I am in the process of purchasing one and I'm so excited because Peaches malts so bad nothing/noone leaves the house without being covered in her fur. I doubt my pup will need it much, it's mainly for her. I'm surprised that it's not more well known here in New Zealand as so many people rave about it in the States.


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## Kari's Mom (Dec 5, 2007)

I was lucky and got the smaller size furminator onsale + my assocaites discount at a retail outlet, cost me a whole $28! lol. I just have a boston right now but its really helped, I can let her back on my lap again without my khakis turning black @[email protected] lol. Not using it as much as I'd hoped but for 28 bucks Im really happy


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## Jaylie (Mar 5, 2007)

Ya, I agree with everyone! It's a great tool, and definately cuts down on shedding. I think I'm in love! Blitz loves it as well...We go outside in the sun, and he lies on his side while I groom him, (Getting probably two or three pounds off of him) then lies on the other side, (Another two or three pounds) then on his back, (Same story) then his stomache. (We don't get as much off of his stomache, though...Understandably. What surprises me most is that most of the hair comes from right on his behind, underneath the tail. I cannot believe how much hair I get out of there, lol! Then second is his chest, then his sides, then his back! I would've guessed that it all came from his back. 

I haven't tried any of the shampoos...But I don't really want to try them until I hear everyone elses opinions. Personally, this sixty bucks is the best I've ever spent. I got the big one...And I'm glad I did!

ETA. I've been using it correctly, (Going easy on the tender spots...i.e., behind the tail and on the stomache) and have no problems with irritation or anything.


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## meoakley (Dec 27, 2007)

my mom bought a furminator (paid around $40 i think), and when my boyfriend and i checked it out, it was obvious that it's just a replacement hair clipper blade, except longer.

we went to a beauty supply shop and bought 2 replacement clipper blades for $8.50, screwed them to pieces of wood for handles, and voila! two cheap furminators.

it works exactly the same. if you're thinking you might want a furminator, save yourself a ton of money and go to Sally Beauty Supply or somewhere similar and buy a replacement clipper blade.


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## poppiesandboppies (Dec 16, 2007)

meoakley said:


> my mom bought a furminator (paid around $40 i think), and when my boyfriend and i checked it out, it was obvious that it's just a replacement hair clipper blade, except longer.
> 
> we went to a beauty supply shop and bought 2 replacement clipper blades for $8.50, screwed them to pieces of wood for handles, and voila! two cheap furminators.
> 
> it works exactly the same. if you're thinking you might want a furminator, save yourself a ton of money and go to Sally Beauty Supply or somewhere similar and buy a replacement clipper blade.


I thought that's what it looked like when I examined it closely lol.

I finally got my furminator and I was so excited using it, cos I thought it'd greatly reduce Peaches' shedding problems but I've used it two days in a row (I didn't take out nearly as much as you see on the ads but still way more than I usually did with an average brush and I was careful to be gentle) and she's still shedding heaps! Is it okay to keep going or should I wait a bit? I don't want to irriate her skin or anything.


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## GermanShepherdMama (Dec 9, 2007)

I just ordered one and I should be getting it in a few days. I'm looking forward to trying it out on Cody and also two of my cats that have a long, thick coat. 

FYI, I paid $25 for mine on Ebay brand new. You can find some really good deals on them there!


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## Abbysdad (Dec 23, 2007)

I belong to a Ragdoll cat forum and the furminator is a BIG no no. It breaks down the fur. Now for dogs I'm just getting back into the game. I have read more bad things than good. If it works and the majority of people using it from all over this vast web world likes it than good! But, like all things I do a ton of research and form my own conclusion. JMO. Good luck!


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## GermanShepherdMama (Dec 9, 2007)

Ok, I have come back to review my "Furminator" now that I have it. I ended up buying the medium size, even though the large would have been better for Cody, because I want to use it on the kitties, too. The medium is plenty big enough and works WONDERFULLY! I LOVE this thing. I would say it is one of the best pet investments I have ever made, lol! The first time that I "furminated" Cody I could have a made a Yorkie with all of the hair I pulled out of him. It did not pull out or break a single hair in his topcoat but I was amazed at the amount of undercoat it removed. I mean TONS of hair. I'm sure he wasn't getting brushed at all before I adopted him, so it was probably a lot of build up, despite the baths and other brushes I had used on him. He hates the undercoat rakes and combs but he likes the Furminator and looks forward to his brushings. I try for 2 times a week, and that seems like plenty. There sure have been way fewer German Shepherd "tumbleweeds" rolling around the house and I'm not choking on dog hair on my pillow. I couldn't be happier. I don't think I would have paid the retail of $60 for it, but I was more than happy with the $25 I paid on eBay.


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## goldenhaven (Feb 7, 2008)

I have a furminator. When we had this husky mix it was a godsend. But I'd never use the furminator on my Springer, Shih Tzu or Golden. Dogs with really thick coats, like Chows, New Foundlands, etc and even huskies I can see it being used more so.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

hi 
i have the med one i only use it on sheba the gsd 
my shelties coats are to thick.
jamie


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## cham (Feb 15, 2008)

I use the Furminator on my Golden Retriever. I love it, it is an immense help when she starts to blow her coat. I basically use it every day when she starts blowing, then I go to every other day or so during the summer and early fall. The days I don't use the Furminator I just use her brushes, and always have the Matbreakers at hand to use if necessary, along with hairdressing shears, and thinning shears also.
It seems like a lot of work, but I try to do it outside so the birds have nesting materials, Hailey doesn't mind most of the time, especially with sufficent bribery.


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## dukekota (Jan 18, 2008)

I love furminator!

I use the waterless shampoo on Duke, but I can't say I've seen much of a difference.


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## 2dogday (Apr 20, 2009)

The Furminator is great for our long haired aussie mix. I alternate the furminator with the Zoom groom to cut down on hair all over the house this time of year.


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## SMoore (Nov 9, 2007)

It's hard to use it and not break coat but unless you're showing or something I don't see where it matters all that much. I would worry more about brush burn and irritating the skin with too much use.

When I use it on my dogs I use it with a rake and/or slicker brush. I'll use the rake to loosen up the undercoat and then brush it out with the slicker and then use the furminator to get whatever was left behind. The rake and slicker don't do much damage to the coat/skin and that way i'm not constantly brushing on the coat with only the furminator.

It also only works well for short to medium double coated breeds. I would never use this product on a Great Pyrenees or Newfoundland or even a long haired Saint Bernard. It just doesn't work that well or get down to their undercoat. For those dogs i'd use a simple rake/slicker combo.

It works great on my husky mix, German Shepherds, Labs, etc..


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## Nusi (Jun 20, 2009)

We have 5 dogs and i purchased the furminator several years back when we only had our one oldest dog. She is a Pharoah Hound and it works great on her. Now we have 4 other dogs, 2 labs - one catahoula and a poodle mix, i have noticed the furminator does not work the same on different breeds. It hardly works on the Catahoula and does a fairly good job on the lab except were they have a lot of really flabby skin.

I still think it is a good product,it just has different results on different coats.


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## sammybrown65 (Aug 5, 2009)

We have a gsd that is shedding like there's no tomorrow. Has anyone tried this product on a gsd? I wasn't sure if it would work because of their double coat.

thanks

Never mind...I just saw germanshepherdmama's reply...


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## apoirier594 (Aug 30, 2009)

I have had the FurMinator for two weeks so far, it is so worth 60 dollars. But get one on amazon for 30, I ordered the large yellow 4" kind, cost 60 dollars in PetsMart but on Amazon only 30 for a bran new one, Works very well, will post a new thread in a few days or a weeks or 2. Just saying right now it works wonders


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## Mads (Aug 26, 2009)

I use it and it is great! except it had said not to use in on non shedding dogs.. but i used it on my maltipoo. She still ends up shedding a bit but i think that is from the matting she gets once in a while.. I will probably only use the furminator once a month, but have you guys heard anything about it not being used on smaller supposedly non shedding dogs?


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## d9v1f4c (Sep 6, 2009)

My wife and I recently purchased the medium sized Furminator. I think we had gotten our hopes set a little high at first, Don't get me wrong we absolutely love the product now and it has severely cut down on shedding and the amount of hair in our home. Also if used in conjunction with the Furminator shampoo and conditioner it works better obviously. People get super high expectations and expect to see their yard or living room covered in piles and piles of hair when done, this is not the case at least for short haired dogs, for long hair dogs probably. In the photos/videos used to advertise long-haired dogs/cats are used so it shows a ridiculous amount of hair on the floor. My wife and I have two dogs, a beagle and a great dane, it works extremely well on them, gets there under coat out and makes there coat nice and fresh, and after thinking about it, it actually does get quite a bit off of them. It will not hurt the dogs if used properly, also if you were to just keep brushing the dog over and over and over it would eventually go bald. It is definitely a great product and I recommend it to anyone looking to reduce the amount of shedding and loose hair in your home, as well as your clothes and hand when you pet them.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

We bought a furminator after we got our rescue sibe. She was shedding like crazy and no brush was making a difference. It makes me a huge wonderful amazing difference! I use it on all three of our dogs and the cat and it pulls off tons of hair easily. In fact I got enough hair off of my aussie today to make a chihuahua. I haven't seen it break their coats or hurt them. I just go easy on them and don't brush them to often with it.


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## ACampbell (Oct 7, 2007)

I LOVE my furminator. I use it on the Golden Retriever and my GSD. I love the waterless shampoo too, it smells fantastic. I have the biggest one you can buy, got it brand-new in the package for $30 because they'd opened it, never used it, and the store wouldn't take it back - I love Craigslist for those kind of finds. It also had the waterless shampoo in it.

However, I only use it every couple of weeks, between that I use a regular double sided brush and/or a slicker brush (depends on the dog) it does cut Jasper's coat because the guard hairs are long, but since he gets matted easily I don't care, it's not like we're showing or anything. It doesn't seem to cut Lacey's guard hairs though.


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## fleurdepup (Sep 11, 2009)

We have a black lab and white carpet...obviously not a great combination but using the furminator has really creased the amount of stray hair that shows up around the house. what a great invention!!


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## strayhare (Nov 8, 2009)

This was the first things I bought when I got my GSD puppy. I got the shampoo and the norinse wash also. The wash makes her smell cleaner but not worth price. Nothing great about the shampoo. really thick. I do like the furminator I only use it everyother brush or so cause I did notice her coat not looking good. so I brush with a regular bristle brush and she is shiny. She is 9 months old now. It stops the fur balls and My husband is not the dog lover I am. If I miss a brushing I notice right away. Also I got it at petsenseonline.com for a really good price. good service also.


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## Spoiled Mutts<3 (Nov 30, 2009)

I have the Shampoo and the Comb. The comb works wonderfully, I can practically make another dog with the amount of loose fur that it collects and my dog is only 8 pounds. The shampoo I have to use on my older dog because I can't use the comb due to the warts or whatever they are that are on her back, it works just as well. I also use the shampoo on my younger dog because he has some areas of hairloss and the Omega 3s that are in the Shampoo help really well with his hair growth and preventing it from falling out.

Yes, I love the furminator.


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## pupnamedkarma (Dec 7, 2009)

I bought a furminator awhile back for the cats. It works really well if you can manage to hold them down long enough to use it and not lose a finger : ) I have not used it on the min pin. She is afraid of any object in your hand. Good thing she does not really need much grooming.


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## crawdad (Dec 28, 2009)

Don't pay too much for a Furminator! I have one and LOVE it, but I bought it (the large yellow size) on eBay for $13.75 shipped -- the same one that pet stores charge over $50 for. Brand new, in the original retail packaging with instructions and all. Amazon has them for about $22 shipped if you don't want to go the eBay route.

Edit: Here's the one I bought, it says they have "more than 10" available for the under $14 price. It reached me in Alabama from Texas in about 3 days via USPS.


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## BooLette (Jul 11, 2009)

I hate it! It worked great, but we only got to use it maybe three times before the tines broke off the end...grrr I paid an arm and a leg for it too!


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## crawdad (Dec 28, 2009)

BooLette said:


> I hate it! It worked great, but we only got to use it maybe three times before the tines broke off the end...grrr I paid an arm and a leg for it too!


Wow, that sucks. Did you let the manufacturer know?


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## Duckie1009 (Dec 17, 2009)

i just got the medium thru eBay for $14 w/ shipping. i have a golden xbred pup and its great! My vacuum is full every other day with hair. It is definitely worth $14.


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## Purley (Sep 7, 2009)

My granddaughter and I took their Standard Poodle cross to the groomers to have his hair on his forehead cut so it wasn't hanging over his eyes. She said to use a pin brush and a rake on him. His hair is definitely not curly. It has a slight wave to it. To me it looks a bit like my Puli did when she was a puppy. Not cords - just a slight kink to the hair.

Could we use a furminitor on him when he gets older? Does it only remove undercoat and leave the top coat as it is?


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## apoirier594 (Aug 30, 2009)

Purley said:


> My granddaughter and I took their Standard Poodle cross to the groomers to have his hair on his forehead cut so it wasn't hanging over his eyes. She said to use a pin brush and a rake on him. His hair is definitely not curly. It has a slight wave to it. To me it looks a bit like my Puli did when she was a puppy. Not cords - just a slight kink to the hair.
> 
> Could we use a furminitor on him when he gets older? Does it only remove undercoat and leave the top coat as it is?


It doesn't get out any curls. It really just gets the under coat out, like all the dead hair and stuff to lower shedding. For the curls use one of those combs that are like 5 bucks, they usually have like 7 rows of teeth, and they are zig-zag like a keyboard. Link below. 
I have the furminator and don't notice a difference on how my golden retriever's coat is. It really doesn't change how it looks. But if you are buying it for shedding, it is amazing. But their is a link below that sometimes helps with curls and matts. But I am sure their is something else, thats just what I use.



http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19902


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