With Education, My Opinions are Shifting!

You might remember my post from over a year ago discussing the Furminator de-Shedding Tool. At the time, I thought the Furminator was the greatest tool ever invented, and would be a great weapon in combating Milly's shedding. Because this blog is about my education, I must say, that I no longer have those positive feelings about the Furminator.

My biggest complaints with the Furminator is it is not gentle on the coat, is easily overused, causes the hairs to break, and tends to pull off a large portion of the top coat and not just the loose undercoat. I've seen some horror scenes of post Furminator grooming, and watched many people at the dog wash remove way too much coat. The Furminator can also easily damage a dog's skin if used too frequently, or incorrectly.

On a Golden Retriever, a good way to tell if you are removing loose under coat is if the hair is whitish/cream in color and sort of whispy. If you are removing top coat, you'll find the hair clumps up much more tightly, and is darker, like the color of your dog's coat.

Last week, I picked up a great tool at The Muddy Mutt, the dog-wash I frequent bi-weekly. This, like the Furminator is a tool designed to remove loose undercoat, but unlike the Furminator it is very difficult to remove the top coat with this tool. The shape of the handle is a rake style, like the Furminator, but rather than having the metal blade found on the Furminator this grooming rage has two rows of plastic teeth. I tested the Furminator on one side of Milly's body, and the grooming rake on the other side. I was amazed at how much more undercoat the grooming rake removed than the Furminator. And, the rake did not remove any top coat, but the Furminator did! At around $10, this is a very economical purchase, and much cheaper than the Furminator.



I've started using the rake fairly regularly after misting Milly's coat, and the results have been spectacular! With the Furminator, even with regular use, I still found large clumps of Milly hair throughout the house. But, with the new grooming rake, I've seen a huge decrease in the amounts of hair she sheds.

The grooming rake I purchased is made by Master Grooming Tools. It has 39 plastic teeth (in two rows), and a very comfortable ergonomic handle. It is so easy to use, just put the rake in the coat, and pull gently in the direction of the hair growth. I'm so glad I discovered this great product. You can find your own right here on Amazon!