Dog de-shedding the Horseless way

Right now, we have three dogs. All of them are considered "aged" and living the high life; well, like they should be. After life on a leash in the City, they have their premium breed-specific feed hand delivered to our door. A large backyard, complete with a few choice squirrels that run our trees in their daily trips to the neighbor's bird feeder. Plus, plenty of room to stretch out and snooze...which most likely will happen on the furniture.

Whether it be a horse, dog or cat, we all know that with the advent of Spring, comes the dreaded shedding season. Every morning, I am welcomed by the little tufts of black and tan fur that shows me exactly where my 10 year old German Shepherd slept the night before. As I make my way across the hardwood floor and into the kitchen for coffee, the furry tumble weeds swirl around my feet. I swear the minute the vacuum gets put away for the night, there's a new batch taking shape while we sleep. Granted, the Shepherd fur tufts are the most sightly, and easiest to find. The other two dogs, a German bred Rottweiler with an undercoat, and the short-haired Rottie mix, shed like a Christmas tree-one needle at a time. One year, in frustration, I resorted to grabbing my horse's old shedding blade and mud comb and tried it on the Shepherd's coat. Just like on my horse, large amounts of hair clogged up the teeth as I made just a single pass! Swipe, swipe, swipe, and now on a smaller body, the comb made quick work of it plus, the Shepherd actually enjoyed it!

So, I now introduce the Horseless way of de-shedding!

One side note, even with the German Rottie, I would only use the shedding combs on the thickest part of her coat, which covers her chest and sides. Naturally, where the hair is thinner, the teeth would cause discomfort to the dog. I would NOT recommend this for any dog that does not have a thick undercoat, as the teeth on these combs are much too harsh. I am not a dog groomer, but your judgement and dog's behavior should tell you so. Also, with any other type of coat, such as a wired haired, I can not say, as I never done one.

 

 

             Yes, it's his favorite chair!

         

 

 

 

 

 And the Tools 

From left to right we have:

Mud comb (horse), the Furminator rake, combination pin/soft brush (horse or dog), slicker,

finishing de-shedding spray with mitt

 

 

 

 

Now, clear your calendar because we are about to begin!

Oh ya, we are long overdue for a decent grooming! Normally, I would bathe the dog with an oatmeal shampoo before hand, but with this much loose hair, I would have to call a plumber! I am grooming him in our mud room/laundry room since it was 5 degrees outside. I threw a load of laundry in to up the humidity, and keep down the static cling factor.







                                                                                     

                                     

Using the mud comb on just the main body, you can see how much hair just falls after two passes. Avoid using this comb on the legs, around the face, and down the tail. There is a better brush for that purpose in a few steps. German Shepherds have a rougher part of their coat along their back side which in certain circles, is referred to their "short pants". The amount of fuzziness there does make it look like they're wearing knickers, so naturally, sitting in the snow and cold is not an issue. If you need a mud rake, they are commonly stocked in any feed store or available on-line.

    This pile is from a few good passes on each side, just enough to grab the very loose clumps, and make way for the finer brushes. Don't worry about the braided rug, the very low pile gives up the hair with the vacuum!

I love this Furminator rake, not only does it grab the undercoat, it pulls out any dirt or dander. These passes will still avoid the face and legs, but are more purposeful. In the rougher parts, I will reverse the motion and backcomb to grab more of the undercoat. Take your time, and move all over the dog's body so that you are not pulling on the skin repeatedly in one area. My boy often enjoys the "massage" and will lay down when he gets tired of standing. I accommodate him, and give him short rest periods during this phase.

 

                       And here's the result, I think we might have enough to make another dog!

 

                                     

Now, we start the finishing phase, almost there! With the slicker, now you can start up the neck and chest, but still avoiding the legs. Again, back-combing when needed, I also run this comb on the rough hair on the tail. With the fine pins, this tool will get clogged easily. Simply just pulling the extra hair out of the comb will do it.



 

 

 

After I am done with the slicker, I take the mud comb and clean out all the deep set hair.

 

 

 

 

Looking good! All slicked and de-shed!

 

 

 

 

Using the soft brush side, I now go over his face and legs. Then, reverse to the pin brush and make a few passes over his body, picking up any more loosened hair, and brush out his tail and "short pants".

 

 

 Lastly, I lightly spray him with a de-shedding or conditioner spray and using the mitt, rub it into his coat. This way, he not only smells good, but it helps for the next grooming session.

 

 

 

Good Boy!

(Notice the vigorous tail wagging!) Make sure you give your pup a treat and some love!

 

 

Additionally, as long as you're in the cleaning mood, check your furnace filter. With three dogs in our house, it shows on our furnace filter! Up until he completely sheds out, I will repeat this process about every 7-10 days, possibly omitting phases depending on the amount of hair left.

 

 

Now, back to that cup of coffee...Cheers!