Shed blade
What are the signs that someone used a shed blade or furminator on my pup? (i asked her not to cause they can be damaging)
At the pressures of my boyfriend, I have decided to take Toki (JA, brindle) to get professionally groomed cause massive amounts of fur is flying off him. I am waiting to pick him up in an hour or two.
But I have this feeling in the back of my head that she is going to do what she wants regardless of my wishes.
And I get this is sort of an odd question, so, sorry in advanced, ha.
Comments
With a regular brush/comb, the loose undercoat and loose guardhairs would just come out completely. So you'll see sparseness but not damaged guard hairs.
It depends on the coat on what brush/comb you'll want to use. During the massive shed, I can use a rake on most of my dogs to get out the undercoat, but on one dog with not-as-dense undercoat, it wasn't very effective.
An example of a generic rake:
For that dog, I skipped the rake and just use a slicker brush to get out the undercoat. A slicker brush is also good for getting out loose guard hairs.
An example of a generic slicker brush:
When dogs are not shedding so massively, I put down the rake comb and use a brand name pin brush by Chris Christensen. All the dogs love this brush and it does a decent job with undercoat. However, I like it primarily as a skin massaser. You can't brush too hard with this brush:
Two other equipment that my show friend uses but I don't are a Buttercomb (to help lift up hairs) and a Mason Pearson boars-hair brush (to distribute oils). The Mason Pearson brush is very expensive.
When my dogs blow their coats, fur will fall out when you pet them, but they don't chew/groom it out themselves. Mostly the loose undercoat stays on them. So I wait until almost the entire coat is looking patchy and loose and then get it all out in a single combing session (it takes 2-3 hours, starting at one spot on the rump and going over every centimeter of the dog until its all done). Doing it this way, I don't have to go over it again until the next time the dog drops its coat. I find that groomers don't do a thorough enough job and the dog will still have to be brushed out again two or three more times, so I stopped paying them to deal with it. Easier to wait until its all ready to go and just do it once.
@sachismom When cleaning the dogs, I use a zoom groom while the dog is dry and then a slicker brush when the dog is wet. For pulling out a coat that is ready to be shed I use a metal comb.
Zoom Groom
Slicker Brush
Stainless Steel Comb
i use bear dryer and it works good when they are shedding. but beaware!!! you will make mess on your back yard! but I rather clean my back yard instead of brush my poor dogs for hours.
And i use this dryer regularly to keep my dog clean and blow all the dirts.
I always use an undercoat rake (similar to the generic rake, but the brush/metal part has a hook to it) at work when I'm grooming double-coated dogs. I find it's more effective than any other tool, especially when shedding, and it leaves the guard hair completely intact.
This is the tool my groomer uses on my Malamute, and I've never actually seen a furminator even IN his shop. He's a small, local business. I didn't have a good experience at a Petsmart groomer - London came home nervous (which could have just been from being away from me, admittedly) and he ended up developing hot spots that encompassed his whole neck. I feel completely comfortable with this new groomer (even if it costs $100 just for me to get him a BATH - no "details" like nails and ears). It's all about finding a groomer you're comfortable with! If you're leery of this one, shop around if you can!
The under-coat rake
Other than the under-coat rake, I use a generic rake and a slicker brush. Typically, no matter the dog, I'll start with a slicker and then move on to more "specialized" brushes. We also have a pressure dryer at work so if I need a little help loosening up a dog's coat, I'll use that, too (I use this method most often on GSD & Huskies that come in - but we have an Akita and a Kuvasz I've used this method on).
Hope that helps! o/ Good luck with your groomer and with Toki! I hope he looks fabulous after his grooming. London always looks amazing for -days- afterwards (his guard hair is always super-fab and flows with every little breeze, it's pretty funny).
Other than that, it doesn't seem like there is any damage because his coat looks the same, except maybe a little less guard hairs, but the fur doesn't seem flatter and does seem tapered off, not cut off, so maybe she didn't use the furminator/shed blade. I mean, I didn't expect to see a huge change because I don't think he is blowing his coat, per say, but shedding his puppy fur/summer season, though it was coming off in small clumps.
I think I am going to absorb all of this info and either find another groomer or do it myself next time, or at least go to one of those groomers where they provide the equipment and you do it yourself. I would love to get my hands on one of those badass blow dyers.
At least Toki smells good now. He was so excited to see me he accidentally shoved his big clumsy head in my face and busted my lip a little bit. Silly puppy :P
I have used a shedding blade and stripping knife to help shape a dog with a very thick coat prior to showing, but it takes a great deal of skill not to cause naked patches.
I know I asked this before but have already forgotten the answer--for getting out mats, should I use a slicker brush? or a comb? I have something vaguely like a slicker brush--it's a one of those two sided brushes with regular bristles on one side (which is pretty much useless) and metal pin type brush on the other. Thats what I use.
I don't really get what the zoom groom does? Just a basic brushing?
There will be a bath in Toby's immediate future. He doesn't know yet. It is his bi-annual bath.
http://www.amazon.com/ORRCO-INC-Matbreaker-Dematting-Tool/dp/B000FGAAEU
Grym broke my cheapy two sided brush with his long coat, so I bought a All Systems Pin Brush to replace it, and undercoat rake
http://www.showdogstore.com/1-all-systems-dog-brushes.aspx?gclid=CPaEna-ioq8CFcyP7QodfndDaA
You can also use the Zoom Groom when the dog is dry. It does a great job at pulling out the shorter hairs on the head and legs. Works very well for short-haired breeds like labradors and dalmations.
It's good for everyday brushing, for shedding season, and for getting dried-on dirt out of a coat,a nd can be used on any part of the dog. I sometimes even use it as a toy since it bounces all funny-like.
I like how it's effective when a dog is wet too. Instead of using my fingers I now use the ZG to work water and soap into the dog's coats when I wash them. And with Conker, that can be hard, since right now his coat is very thick. You can douse him with a bucket full of water and it'll just slide off his back like a duck.
The best part though, like Araks said, is using it to get dog hair off the furniture. Can't event ell there's a dog in the house after "brushing" the bed with it!
The furminator may be less irritating to him in certain areas.
But now that I've tried both, I guess I don't feel I had to have the furminator. Luckily it was super cheap on amazon when I bought it.
I think Oskar likes it best because he seems a bit itchy under all that shedding, so it probably feels good to him, or at least I think it does, since he seems to move around so I can get new areas when I'm raking out his undercoat.
@jellyfart - If they sell it in your area (for some reason, I am thinking you are West Coast), you should pick up some Brooklyn Brewing Co.'s Mary's Maple Porter. It is ridiculously delicious. And the mix of maple syrup and alcohol is VERY fun.