shedding

So, in doing a search I discovered these two treatments, one called FURminator and one called SHED-X.

Can anyone tell me if these things actually work, are they the same, or is one better than the other?

http://www.furminator.com/
http://www.kennelwood.com/ShedX.htm


Jamiya

 

my vet says my puppy is loosing her puppy coat that's why she's shedding so much all of a sudden....how long does it take for them to loose the puppy coat? she's 8 months old next week

 

my vet says my puppy is loosing her puppy coat that's why she's shedding so much all of a sudden....how long does it take for them to loose the puppy coat? she's 8 months old next week

 

Furminator works pretty good if you follow all the steps and not many pet owners own a high velacity dryer. Shed-X doesn't work well because it doesn't contain the complete essential oils that aid in improving the skin and coat. What works well for my clients is a quality food, extra essential oils, vit. E and biotin, plus regular baths to loosen the coat and using a shedding blade on smoothe coats or a slicker or rough coats.

 

There are grooming shops near me that use furminator or shed-x, so I wouldn't need the equipment myself. The shed-x is a 6-step process and furminator is only 4 steps, so I thought maybe the shed-x was more thorough.

Nala is raw fed with supplemental fish oil, so she should be set as far as nutrition goes. She does not get regular baths, though - she's terrified of them. That's why I was thinking of taking her to a professional groomer, hoping they would have more luck with her than I do.

I do use a shedding blade. In about a minute I can brush enough out of her to make a new dog, and if I brushed all day I would keep getting more.

Do you think I should bring her to a furminator place?


Jamiya

 

Jamiya,
Freckles is the main culprit in out house. I read about the Furminator process but there is no groomer alive that would survive trying that on Freckles. I do brush him weekly and, like you, obtain enough fur to make another dog.
I am just going to get one of those signs for my front door that reads " If you don't want dog hair on your clothes please don't sit on the furniture."

 

We used to comment on how little Nala sheds. I think we are paying for it now. If she lies down for 10 minutes, she gets up and there is a visible black patch on the carpet.

Since fur bothers my husband so much, I bought one of those lightweight little vacuum thingies. It can stand in the corner and I can do a quick vacuum every day. Before Nala, we were lucky to vacuum once a month, even with two cats. I'm so lame. :roll:


Jamiya

 

you guys should try a horse comb, it works great. and there was this comb posted on the cat site its got prickly things on it.

honeybear

 

Basically, to get rid of shedding hair, and to keep it to a minimum, a good program is to get your dog to the groomer every, say, 4 - 6 weeks. A proper grooming will include:

1. Bathing
2. Application of some type of conditioner, which will loosen undercoat/ shedding hair.
3. Drying with a high-velocity dryer.
4. Finally, a good brush-out; with a tool designed to further pull out any more dead hair from the coat.

I have not used a Furminator or Shed-X, but I do use other products and tools designed to do the same thing. Hard to say for sure-- unless you did a side-by-side test-- whether one of the ones you asked about is better than the other, or whether they are better than a more 'generic' program. Maybe you'll hear from groomers who have actually used these, but of course they have a stake in claiming their way is better. It may be, I don't know. I can tell you that without the specific products, etc. you asked about, I can do an awesome job in removing shedding hair. Part of it depends upon the amount of 'elbow grease' and time a groomer is willing to spend. And part of it depends upon technique, and equipment, and product. You can have the best of equipment and products, but to do a proper job, the groomer has to spend enough time.

And of course, you do have to commit to a regular program. Once or twice a year ain't gonna do it. It's expensive when you add it all up.

It wouldn't be a bad idea for someone considering a program of this type to also consider making an investment in a few professional-quality tools and pieces of equipment. You might have to put out several hundred dollars to get the right stuff, but you would easily do that in a year or so on expensive de-shedding programs. If you'd like more info I'd be happy to help.

 

When I wrote about Shed-X in my above post I was referring to a liquid supplement that's popular in my area. I didn't know of a 6 step Shed-X program.

 

Raindigger, I found that supplement after, so I thought I'd clarify. If you go to the kennelwood site in my first post, it tells about the process but not in detail. Something about a hydrosurge bath (which the furminator people do as well) and a "special" conditioner or something.

Karma, how do I find a good groomer like you in my area? What do you do when you get a difficult dog in?


Jamiya

 

[blush] I think the best way to find a good one is word-of-mouth. What you don't want is a groomer that's going to bathe your dog and stick her right in a crate to dry. The high-velocity process is an important one for what you want to have done. It takes more time on the groomer's part; to completely dry via hv. Some groomers will cage dry dogs so that they can be working on another dog. So ask questions.

In the end, you just want to be rid of that hair. A good groomer, whether they use Hydro-Surge, Furminator or Shed-X or a combination, can do this for you.

In what way is your dog difficult? The vast majority of dogs who are difficult for some part of grooming with their owners are completely fine when in a strange environment with unfamiliar people handling them. I think, frankly, they're a bit intimidated by the unfamiliarity (I'm not speaking at all of anyone making them FEEL that way, of course) - and like many kids, they're on their best behavior when not at home. 99.9% of the dogs I get warned about are perfectly well-behaved. Some will be more frightened than others, of course, but in the hands of someone caring and compassionate they'll do fine. I give lots of treats and I talk to them constantly, and this makes a huge difference.

Maybe try looking for a small shop; one that doesn't have dogs constantly in and out all day in large numbers. My shop is in the walk-out basement of my home and I take one dog at a time. Cuts down a lot on the stress; rather than having 15 dogs here all day barking and carrying on. And some of the chain groomers do sort of assembly-type grooming- different people will clip nails, bathe, and finish the dogs.

You could also consider mobile grooming- they'll come right to your driveway.

 

Nala is difficult in that if you try to put her in a tub of water, or squirt her with a hose (even just her feet) or a squirt bottle, she panics. Total, unreasoning, blind, I-have-to-get-away-NOW terror.

She even freaked out when I washed a crate pan with a hose with her on a leash. I tried to stand between her and the pan so she would know the water was not going anywhere near her, but she almost dislocated my shoulder.

She will run around and play in shallow water, like a stream. If she hits a drop-off, she'll swim out and never go back to that spot again.

I'm not sure what her deal is. She's generally not afraid of much.

Can I desensitize her somehow? Maybe she would be better for a stranger.


Jamiya

 

This a little off topic but I just bought a small cordless vacuum that will get all the hair from where the wall meets the floor. I have wood floors and all of Zeke's fur will end up in these hard to reach places. And if I sweep the fur finds its way to another crevice. I can not sweep enough it seems. Dragging around all the attachments and the cords of my huge vacuum drives me crazy!! Oh, and not to mention trying to get the dog hair from the stairs!! So, I bought a cordless Shark 12V vacuum. So far it has been great! I couldn't even begin to tell you how much fur I captured!! Being cordless, the vacuum has a much better chance of being used more often! It has made the shedding this season a little more bearable!!

 

You could try to desensitize her. This is starting to sound familiar- we may have discussed this in the past. Maybe try leading her up to being able to handle being near the hose or squirter- give lots of treats and praise; go in tiny increments and watch her for signs of anxiety. Always try to end on a good note, even if it doesn't seem like you made progress.

You know, when groomers put dogs in the tub, there's usually a loop for the dog's neck attached to the wall of the tub- the dog has very little moving around room, and if they are struggling and afraid, they very soon learn they can't go anywhere. I have to say I don't think I've had a dog who continued to be petrified and struggling wildly all through the bathing. Nala may be an exception, of course, but once the initial spraying is over, the dogs calm right down. I think some of them are really afraid of the hissing, squirting noise and being splattered by the water. When this is the case, I hold the nozzle right on their skin so there's no sound and no blasting pressure. The warm water helps, too- it's unpleasant to be squirted by cold water.

You might just try having a groomer do it. Dogs are usually MUCH calmer when in a strange environment with an unfamiliar person. It would seem the opposite, right? I think many are a bit intimidated by the unfamiliarity and are less likely to create a ruckus when they may be unsure of the consequences.... not that a groomer should have an intimidating manner, of course. It's just the newness of the situation, like how children will behave better around strangers.

If she's truly phobic about the water, however, she may be an exception and I guess you'll have to discuss with the groomer how to proceed. A truly petrified, thrashing animal is a danger to itself and anyone working with it, and if this is the case it's not worth the fight. A good groomer will know how far to 'push' something-- and when to stop and give up. Have a good talk with the groomer and be sure it's someone you have confidence in. Speaking soothingly and giving lots of treats and encouragement can work wonders. A compassionate and insightful person is what you want. But you might also be surprised. I've had many people come with dogs who they thought were next to impossible to groom, and I've had absolutely no problem.

Hope this helps; either way you elect to go, let me know how things turned out. I am fascinated by dogs' psyches and I'll be curious.

[Oh, and hi there, Raindigger!]