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Grooming is crazy!!! (MOVED to Basic Care from Gen Info)

5K views 32 replies 23 participants last post by  readaboutdogs 
#1 ·
Lol sorry about the title. But I know GSD shed a lot!!! But just how bad is it? Even if your groom your dog is it still just fur everywhere? What tools do you use, would anyone recommend the furminator? (How ever you spell it) And how many times a day you groom your dog?
 
#3 ·
Some people love the Furminator, but it didn't work at all for my coaties. I much prefer an undercoat rake. I brush mine every few weeks (more if they're blowing coat, less if they're not) and bathe them every few months. I've never been to a groomer.
 
#4 ·
Oh ok cool. Well I plan to groom him myself just to save money, I'm sure the grooming would just make our bond even stronger!! And any recommendations on puppy shampoo and puppy cologne? For whenever your pups start smelling a little too doggy you can just spray a little here and there and have him smelling like new again. Thanks for any feedback I get.
 
#6 ·
The thing to remember with the Furminator is to use a light touch, like you are just petting the dog with it. You don't need to use a lot of pressure; keep your wrist relaxed and just let the tool do the work. Don't go over one spot for too long, and be extra careful over any bony areas. 5-10 minutes of Furminating once or twice a week is plenty. If you over-furminate, you may end up with bald spots or skin irritation. You definitely can remove more hair than you mean to if you aren't careful!

You will hear people say that the Furminator "ruins" the coat. This is not true if you use it properly. I'm a professional groomer, and I use the Furminator all the time with NO coat damage whatsoever. It is not designed to cut hair, only to grab the loose hairs while allowing the live hair to slide through undamaged.

As for shampoo, Earthbath is a good choice. I can't really recommend a doggie cologne because I don't use it, I prefer to use a nice-smelling leave-in conditioner during the final brush-out.
 
#9 ·
When my shepherd decides to blow coat, I could honestly blow him out (I use a metro air force blower), for over an hour and STILL get hair off her.

I try to blow them out atleast once a week when the weather permits, but you will ALWAYS find hair floating around:) They shed more than my aussies who are quite hairy..
 
#10 ·
IMO yes GSDs shed an insane amount, even ones that don't have really thick or plush coats. I have a baby puppy right now so I have a pet sitter come over while I'm at work to let him out. My adult GSD can be really pushy with people he doesn't know, so I've been crating him in the basement (normally he is free in the house). I said to my husband yesterday that I've gone from having to vacuum the main level of the house 1-2 times a DAY to just once a week because his hair is now mostly confined to the basement.

As for grooming, I use a cheap rake on my GSD and that's about it. If I'm actually grooming him for a show, I'll use a pin brush to fluff him. A slicker seems to just cause static and the rake is better for removing loose undercoat. Never used a Furminator; have seen two GSDs that got over-Furminated and their coats were damaged until it grew back in (prevented them from entering shows). I do have a small Metro dryer I own in a raffle and use this in the summer when my dogs are swimming. I've never taken a GSD to a groomer. I brush him when he needs it (certain times of year) or when prepping for shows and that's it. I trim nails about once a week. I do have tons of grooming tools that I use on my other dogs but not on the GSD.

I think if your dog is healthy and you are feeding a good food, this will cut down on grooming requirements. The coat will be shiny, health, and not smelly. Most people I know with pet GSDs never groom regularly and don't need to.
 
#14 ·
My dog sheds an insane amount even though it's winter and I brush her 3-4 times a week with a pin brush. Sometimes I even break out the shedding blade. It was really bad last week. I brushed her and swept the floor and then an hour later, tumbleweeds on the floor AGAIN. Is this normal??

What's really weird is that she seems to be shedding top coat, but no matter how much she sheds her coat is quite thick. The texture seems to be changing around her hind legs though. It's gotten so bad that I have to be careful where she sits at work because she will leave a cloud of fur wherever she goes.

Good quality kibble definitely helps with coat smell. I add salmon oil to her food and it makes her coat shine.


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#15 ·
I've done it all, tried it all and do it all and I always end up will balls of hair everywhere. We bought a Dyson cordless vacuum and that has been a gift from God. Well, a gift that cost us $275. We have all hardwoods and I can do the whole house in 15 minutes. Death, taxes and dog hair.
 
#20 ·
Haha ... We took out all our carpeting and re-did all the hardwood floors last summer. I could not believe how much hair was shedding. It was very obvious now. In the summer I was vacuuming 2 X everyday. Burned out our vacuum after 2 weeks and bought a 16 gal shop vac. with the better filter. What a difference.
 
#16 ·
Lisl blew out a tremendous amount of fur just before Thanksgiving. Every day for 30+/- minutes she had to be groomed.

It started to slack off just before Christmas. Now all I see are a few guard hairs from time to time. I run a slicker brush through her every week or so just to keep her pretty.
 
#17 ·
I'm using Fromm food and my pup doesn't have a doggy odor. He has very little at all, somewhat like hay at times. He hasn't had a bath since early fall (he had to have quite a few as a young pup as he loved water which amazingly turns to mud in Texas since there's more dust than grass!)
 
#19 ·
I have completely different grooming methods for my standard haired & my coatie. My girl (standard coat) actually sheds more on a daily basis, she's my tumbleweed producer. The furminator once a week and a slicker brush every couple days works great on her, but I still have a stickie roller by the door to de-fur my clothes before I leave and I usually use my little swiffer vacuum every day to get the tumbleweeds lol. The coatie doesn't really shed, but I use an undercoat rake and pin brush every couple days on him and get TONS of hair. Even though they appear to not shed as much, coaties still require more regular brushing because all that hair gets caught up in the top coats and matts up.
 
#22 ·
Ugh, if theres one thing I could change about my dog its the shedding. vacuum every morning, when I get home from work and then sometimes before bed. We use the furminator also, i had to break down and buy one. They also sell the shampoo and conditioner and we use it once a month for his bath. Its helped SOME. He doesnt smell but we bathe him just because it cuts down on the amount of hair on the floor and in the car, on our clothes, on the sofa, on the patio I could go on and on. :help:
 
#27 ·
I try and brush a couple times a week and more if I can. I use the furminator and love it. As someone said though you need to remember it's not a brush, I run it over him using little pressure and it pulls all the loose hair out very well.

I also use a shop vac and just vacuum him as well and this works great if you can get your dog used to it.

I don't have much luck with the undercoat rake and it just seems to over stimulate my guy and makes him go nuts.
 
#30 ·
I think it depends on your dog's coat. Mine has a very tight coat, so I use an undercoat rake and a slicker to pick up the loose hairs that the undercoat rake loosened.

I sometimes use Best Shot grooming spray, it helps with static and conditions the coat.

I don't like Furminators, they act like a blade and can damage the coat. They don't really get down to the undercoat, as the teeth are very shallow.
 
#31 ·
I groom Baron 5-6 times a week. Just using a pin brush, and a round tip comb. The rakes still worry me. So do the Furminators. I'd hate to hurt him with my own ignorance. He is still a puppy. (1 year old) We bought a Dyson last week. It's amazing.
Baron actually smells pleasant. Almost like an exotic coffee bean. (Hard to describe)
I don't mind grooming the dogs. My girlriend and I watch TV while I groom them. I find it relaxing. The dogs seem to enjoy it.
Our other dog is an Alaskan Malamute. She also sheds also.
 
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