Anyone use good old fashioned shedding blades and curry brushes? That was my dry brushing solution, Zoom Groom for wet/baths.
I'm going by what I was told by people who do use it but they said using it too often, or when there is not a lot of undercoat, or in an area where there is not a lot of undercoat can cut the top coat. I have held one in my hand and turned it on and but not actually applied it to a dog. Oban doesn't have a heavy undercoat so I'm not trying it.
It doesn't really make sense to me, that having more undercoat prevents cutting the top coat, because you brush through both coats at the same time. I have seen some top coat come out at the same time, but nothing in comparison to the undercoat. When he's not moulting, very little hair comes off in the brush -- maybe a hair here and there; I go months not brushing him because nothing to brush. He does get rubbed with a towel every day (after his pool dip) but he's never been keen on being brushed, so I don't impose it on him if it's not necessary (it is necessary if we're visiting someone's house during moulting season and I need to ensure he doesn't leave all his hair there!).
It been a different tool for all my dogs they all have/had different coats. I use it lightly on some and harder on others depending on the coat type. i never use it on legs belly or ears on any of them. I'm just careful. I also have a horse rubber curry comb which is brillant. It pulls out undercoat and massages my dogs love it but it has to be the rubber kind.
You know what? I just went and looked at some videos of one being used on a cat. If I can find a store that will let me return it if I don't like it I may try it on my old girl. Her coat in her old age has gone wacky, it doesn't shed but it clumps up. She doesn't like being brushed and the knots of hair can easily get out of control. I may have been listening to the wrong people about this furminator but I have read that breeders won't use one on a dog they are showing in conformation. Not that Oban does, but still. Does anybody here show in conformation and use one?
We have most all of the different tools. A furminator seems to mostly pull out the under coat, and Zoom n Groom seems to work more on the guard hair. I've also got the ones with fine wire in a rubber base and the one that looks like a sawblade in a handle which pulls the top coat. My preference is for the Zoom and Groom + the Furminator. Ginger and Tilly would both tolerate any of them. I think the Furminator must pull a little more than they like but they would put up with it. The new model with the fur ejector button is a lot better since you can clean the brush between strokes with one hand. The older one takes both hands to clean and you need to clean it on every stroke. The Zoom and Groom did not bother them at all, and I think they liked it. It pulls guard hair but very little under coat. Cooper does not like any sort of grooming tool. She was OK up to about 4 months and then took a dislike to them. Even the Zoom and Groom that feels like a massage to me. We are still trying to desensitize her to grooming tools. 85 lbs of legs that want to leave now!!
No idea - I use a furminator. I don't go mad with it, I just comb it quite slowly over the areas of Charlie's coat where he has an undercoat, down his back/top of tail etc and he has never looked like it breaks the top coat. Charlie is super shiny. He's super shiny regardless of whether I use the fulminator or not. I'm generally very lazy about brushing, but do run the furminator over him most days.
I don't now, but I will hopefully show Betsy (if she keeps growing ). It makes her coat look better, not worse. I wouldn't worry about using a furminator on her. It just takes out the old undercoat. I think if a dog doesn't have a thick, double coat to begin with, you might be in trouble. But for a Labrador with a thick double coat, I really wouldn't worry.
I use a mitt ,everyday after our walk ,just give Dex a rub over with it ,he probably thinks he's just having a stroke ,it doesn't bother him at all .That might be a solution for a dog that's a bit nervous of being brushed? Just to add though Dexter hasn't got the big thick coat that most of your labs have ...he's definately adapted to his environment ,he does moult but not in the carrier bag full quantities I'm reading about!
I almost had a coronary when I saw the price of the Furminator at the pet store, so I bought a cheap brush that has the rubber base and thin wiry bristles. It seems to do the job, but I don't think Xena has much of an undercoat yet. She definitely doesn't leave a trail of fur around the house - unlike the cats!
I was at a groomers when Finn broke his toenail and kept bleeding.. I asked her to advise me on the coat of Finn. She told me to use the furmunator and this brush which I already use: https://www.petsplace.nl/hond/verzorging/adori-borstel-rubber15cm~863203
