Anyone who owns a dog that sheds knows that it can be a never-ending annoyance. Dog hair on the furniture. Dog hair on your clothes. Dog hair in your food? Sure! Of course a lot depends on the breed of dog, nutrition level of diet, and climate. But if despite excellent nutrition, you just happen to have a breed of dog who sheds constantly and profusely like I do, you need some more options. Another problem is if you suffer from dog allergies, but insist on keeping your furry friend, the amount of hair shedding that carries dander can definitely make a difference.
I have tried simply brushing our cocker spaniel mix often with a plain wire slicker brush, and I never got a significant amount of loose hair from it. I purchased a Zoom Groom to use in addition to the slicker, and while that helped, she still kept shedding everywhere, all the time! So I was browsing one of my favorite dog websites, www.dogster.com, and I came upon a conversation about that product seen on TV called the Shed Ender. The general consensus on that product was that it was not as effective as it is marketed to be, and also awkward to use because of the direction of the handle. Someone mentioned a grooming tool that really does work called the Furminator. I was intrigued, first off, because I thought the name was clever. People chimed in to the thread saying that they had used the Furminator with much success as well for dogs who shed a lot. Apparently, according to someone on Dogster, the Furminator used to only be available to professional groomers. Dogs would come in to get the “Furminator Treatment.” Now, this handy little tool can be purchased in stores such as Petsmart and Petco, as well as many online retailers. All you have to do is search the web for “Furminator” and you’ll get plenty of hits. So I decided to buy one based on real people’s experiences instead of a commercial with actors.
The price for the Furminator can seem a bit steep, in the $20+ range for the smallest one, and the price increases as you go up in size. I decided to purchase the smallest one since my dog is not very big. People on Dogster say that they have bought the smallest one as well even though they have large dogs because of the price. The only drawback to that is it takes longer to do a full groom job with the tool.
I got the Furminator in the mail after ordering it from an online retailer, and immediately used it on my dog. Well, let’s just say that I was amazed at how much hair came off of her, probably enough to make a litter of puppies! Her coat is flat and on the coarse side, so it doesn’t seem like she has much hair, except of course when she sheds. So seeing the amount of loose hair that the Furminator removed from her, I knew it was a keeper! At first it takes a few “sessions” with the tool to remove all the excess hair, especially if your dog is like mine and gets bored with it after awhile. If you start to notice some of the topcoat coming off, it is probably time to stop, although I don’t think it would be possible to brush your dog bald with it. But as far as results go, there has definitely been an improvement in the shedding. There are still stray hairs that we find here and there, but nowhere near the amount there was before! Vacuuming will be reduced, less dog hair on my clothes, and probably less allergies. I will sing the praises of this product for making life a little more pleasant at our house!
