We have a Husky, Rott, Shepard mix. She has an extreme under coat or double coat (i think from the Husky in her. What grooming tool is best to get rid of her undercoat that is shedding so badly now that we are into summer weather. I am looking for something to use in between grooming sessions. I am reading about undercoat rakes, strippers, & etcetera. Thank you kindly for any information you can provide.

Obviously my GSD doesn't have as long of a coat, but...

Before I ever start grooming my dog, I take my fingers and run them *against* the grain of the hair, from tail all the way to ears, to expose the undercoat, and pull up loose hair. Then I use the comb to brush the coat with the grain. Repeat.

This has been extemely successful, especially as my puppy shed out her puppy coat.

When grooming a Malamute, Sibe or Collie (with a long, thick hair and a double coat) the best way for me to get out the undercoat was to start at the back and bottom (at the hocks on the back legs) and work my way up to the head. Back when I used to groom, I would use the grooming rake; today I would use the FURminator. I would kinda run my left hand up the leg and against the grain of the coat and where the hair was “parted” would use the brush. Short, hard, quick strokes to the end of the hair shaft that you are working on, not the long drawn out all the way to the end kind.

With so thick a coat almost no tool could effectively get all the way to the skin. But with that thought, remember that many dogs have sensitive skin, all of that hair protects them from scratches, so be gentle and be aware. Take your time and do it over a couple of days if it is really bad. You don’t want it to be a negative thing for your pup.

Also, it is really not a good idea to brush a dirty dog, but it is also a pain to get all of the soap out of a matted shedding dog as well. Do a quick once over, then wash, and then go back over the dog again. And if you have a hair drier, with NO HEAT, it can blast away a lot of hair for you as well.

I definately like the rake better than the furminator. This is my first shepherd and actually first breed other than boxer. I was overly enthusuastic with the furminator and broke the top gaurd hairs off the flank of my GSD.

I do not brush as frequently and mostly use the rake. Also I get tons off with an undercoat rake I got at petsedge. It has curved teeth and really gets down deep.

What I do with coats like that is to bathe the dog then while the shampoo or conditioner is still on use a slicker brush on them. The added weight of the shampoo will help the loose coat slide out. rinse well then use a hi velocity dryer to dry the dog and the remaining coat will fly off him as he starts to dry. You can get a Metro Air Force dryer realatively inexpensively, $130 or so but with a coat like that they are well worth the investment. Needless to say do this while you have pup outside.

Lisa

I agree, a good "forced air" dryer is a brilliant idea, it's fast and easy. Just do be sure to blow the dog outside.

Find someone in your area who works with coated breeds -- Shelties, Poms, Collies, Sibes, etc. -- or see if there is a good book on one of these breeds at your local library, and learn to linebrush. My Sheltie NEVER sheds in the manner that he leaves hair on things -- linebrushing a dog properly, at least 1x a week, is so thorough that all the loose hair is easily removed.

Linebrushing isn't that hard, but it is kinda tough to explain. You're basically parting the coat down the length of the dog and brushing against the grain, misting the coat lightly with water as you go so you don't break guard hairs.

If the dog has a really thick coat a shedding blade or even a Furminator may not get down to the skin. With linebrushing you KNOW you're getting to the skin -- you can see it.

Thanks for your response. I greatly appreciate it.

Steffanie & Kayla

Thank you to all who responded.