I actually like the Oster rake better for the dogs. I have a smaller furminator, which is wonderful for cats, you can pick out matts on long haired fat cats who can't reach everywhere to groom themselves...

You can overdo grooming with any of these rakes which have razer blade type teeth - and destroy the guard hairs. I know a guy who stripped his dog nearly bald. He said he did not shed much so his wife was happy

Lee

 

No, I don't like it. I have used it on several different dogs of 3 different breeds and found that it broke off a lot of the outer coat.

 

We originally liked the furminator, and have spoken with folks who swear by it, But Clover being a long coat, I find a comb/rake to be much better. We are also using the comb on Max as he grows his hair in thicker.

 

Lee - What's an Oster rake? Different than my regular ol' undercoat rake?

 

I believe these are the ones Lee is talking about. I refer to these as cutting rakes:

As opposed to what I would call a regular rake:

The cutting rake is useful if you are dealing with matts.

 

I use a slicker brush and an undercoat rake. Though when I use them on Diva outside, I have to make sure I tell anyone that is coming over that I brushed the dog out there and that it is NOT a dead animal! (I get a pile of hair as big as, or bigger than, the one in the pic of Branka. Only it is black/dark grey since Diva is black. )

 

I think the furminator is worth the money if you don't brush daily or have a coat that responds well to it. Ozzy has a very sleek short coat, it works as well as a regular rake. On Sandi, it does nothing. Large Furminator. Sandi does well with a shedding blade, but it doesn't give a finished look.

I inherited my furminator from my sister when her dog died, it worked very well on her dog, but her dog was also groomed frequently so the soft supple coat may have had nothing to do with the furminator, but the Master Groomer.

My groomer is not a Master, she is just a pet store (her store) groomer, she doesn't like it. There are groomers out there who will use the furminator on coats, Masters and regular's alike....

I wouldn't spend money to get one personally. A member on here posted about the Greyhound Comb, it is a great little piece. I find animal "things" to be very fad driven. This is the food to feed, this is the vac to own, this is the grooming tool one needs, this is the only toy. The truth is different dogs and owners will be comfortable with different things. I tend to buck the trend. I don't feed jump food whenever a new one comes out, refuse to own a vac based on the word animal before the name or an English gentleman on the commercial and don't believe the hype on the furminator. Because it isn't the best grooming tool for my animals. Others might find it is.

 

Yes Lauri/Barb - that is the rake I was talking about - you have to be VERY careful and only use it when coat is blowing and not overuse it or you have a bald dog!

The furminator is more like a clipper blade with a handle....which I have used to break matts on cats with forever.

Lee

 

Ok, thanks Laurie and Lee - I'll stick with my 'regular' rake

 

Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangI have one - want to buy it?

I think it 'breaks' the coat and won't use it anymore. Not sure what size it is but I can check if you are interested.

Ditto x's 1000.

I thought it was the greatest tool on earth because it took SO MUCH hair off my dog each time I used it, which wasn't every day...

then I met a girl who is a groomer this past spring and one of the first things she said about my dog was, "Do you use a Furminator on him?" I said yes and she told me that was the reason why his coat was so short, broken and brittle on his body, but lush and full on his head. I stopped using it immediately, and by this summer/fall, his coat was full and gorgeous again!

While using Furminator:

Post Furminator use:

 

I received one for Christmas. My pup is 6 months old and I tried it out and the only fur that was removed was black. The pile of Branca's fur looks all light coloured (Bianca has more black on her than my pup). I wonder if I'm using it wrong or if Dakota still has a puppy coat and it is not effective yet.

I took the zoom groom to her this morning and it took off a lot of loose dead fur. I use the zoom groom on my cats and they love it.

 

We have one; don't really use it. It does cut if you put ANY pressure on it. Now we just brush with a retractable slicker.

 

I bought one of these "imitation types" at the fair this summer:
http://www.love2pet.com/love2petgroomingbrush_large.html
One side is a rake, the other the same as the furminator. I use the rake first to get any tangles out (It seems like the furminator would hurt if there are tangles), and only use the furminator when it looks like he is starting to shed, and definitely when he is completely blowing his coat.

Before that, I was using the Zoom Groom (by the Kong makers), and that worked really well too, but not as well as the furminator. I still use the ZG sometimes when I don't feel like using the other.

(btw, as for the black only hair, Max didn't get an undercoat until his thyroid was treated)

Sounds like, if used, used in moderation is important here.

 

I love mine. Got if from Amazon.com for a lot cheaper.