# Furminator Brush



## Sheila (May 14, 2009)

We were advised to try the Furminator brush/comb for Kerchak, but it seemed expensive when I compared it with other brushes in the store.

However, we bought one and it works great. I can't believe how much undercoat it got out.

Are these okay to use daily or could they strip out too much coat?


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Hm, I'm interested in the answer to this as well. When I first bought mine I was using it every day because Jerzey's previous brush didn't really do much. Then I took it to my parent's place (after having it for, like, 3 days) so my mom could check it out and left it there.







I need to get that back.... Anyways, the woman at Petsmart said I'd only need to use it once a week but I'll see what the more experienced/knowledgeable people here think.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

We have one for our group of 6 and it is excellent!


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

i don't use mine often, maybe 6 times a year. otherwise i just use a pin brush


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

It does cut the undercoat so I'd hesitate to use it daily on any dog (wouldn't use it on a puppy as I don't really see the need) - I have seen some dogs that ended up with very sparse coat after extensive furminator use. It does work better on some dogs than others. 
There are knock offs available now that seem to work as well that are much cheaper.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I use the medium size furminator once a week and it works great. I usually take about a wigs worth of hair off of lucy every time i use it. It's definitely a savior. Not too sure about using it every day though... works great once a week.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

What about using it on a long coat? I heard that it wouldn't be as effective.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

We use it to strip out coats during blowing coat time and then sparsely after that.


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## kcscott85 (May 3, 2009)

We bought a medium one from Petsmart for $54 (with the "fur ejector" on it), and then I found the same on on eBay for $23. Needless to say, PetSmart received a return! But I use it on both our GSD and our Lab once a week, but not too extensively. We live in NC where it's very hot and very very humid, so if you live in a a somewhat cooler climate, I'm sure you can stretch out "furminating" to once every couple weeks. This brush is a vacuumsaver...


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

Mom bought me one and I cannot use it on Hella! It really tkes way too much effort to get out her undercoat.

Instead what I use for Hella is a master groomer stripper 6 tooth or 8 tooth. 
I find this much easier to use and it gets through her longer hair easier(no she is no LH GSD she just just not short either. 

http://grooming.petedge.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=45282

I should say though for my boxer I love the furminator and for lab type dogs it works great as well as GSD's that have a shorter denser coat.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

The furminator works very well on our male that has a thick undercoat..nothing else seems to work as well for him all year long. We have the medium I think, have never noticied any breakage of hairs using the furminator with him

our female has less of an undercoat so most of the time except for when she is really blowing coat, it does not help as much and I just use a typical type brush and that is all she needs


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

I own a furminator and although it does great on my lab and the pugs, for storm's undercoat it's not all that great. I find the shed-n-blade by Four Paws and the undercoat rake work best.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

I took the plunge and bought a Furminator today. Our local PetSmart had a kit on sale which included the furminator, deshedding shampoo, deshedding solution(like conditioner) TubNub bath brush, and a small microfiber towel and it all fits in its own little carry case! This kit was on sale for $49.99. The Furminator itself is the medium and is normally that price. So I took Z out and went to work on him...and I have to say I was pretty happy with the results.The only thing I used was the furminator itself since I did just give him a bath yesterday. That loosened up a lot of his undercoat and it was falling out like crazy, and I brushed him and raked him early this morning, but got that much again off of him with this tool. Being he is a long coat, and it was 80 degrees here today, it had to help him feel better. Luckily a good friend came and helped me get the portable A/C set up today too


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

I took the plunge and got one on e-bay for $22 with free shipping. I got the large. Check there for great prices!


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## Mia's Mom (Apr 6, 2009)

I compared mine side-by-side my shedding blade and slicker, once by time and then by number of strokes, and I was surprised to see it did a better job on the undercoat and didn't bother her any more than the other brushes (she is very sensitive and hates being brushed). I've spent an hour or more stripping her, and I have never seen any visible damage to the hair. 

However - my cat loves being brushed, and I once sat mindlessly watching TV and brushing him with the thing, and when I finally looked at what I was doing, he had a big bald patch. I kid you not, the stupid cat laid on his side and let me groom all the fur right out of him in a 5x5 patch. I know cat hair is a lot different from GSD hair, but it made me think that the Furminator must be harder on the coat than a slicker or regular brush.


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: JenM66I took the plunge and got one on e-bay for $22 with free shipping. I got the large. Check there for great prices!


UPDATE -- Gracie HATES it







She keeps whipping around to see what I"m doing. She's jumping away and yelping. I wonder if it's pulling her hair? She will stand still just fine for an undercoat rake....guess I have to stick with that. Oh well







I guess I'll send the Furminator in the box to the MWDs that I'm sending boxes to today.


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## PipiK (May 25, 2009)

We use the Furminator on our two girls. Mr Pip does the brushing, I stand/sit in front and give treats while they're getting their beauty treatments. They don't _love_ it, but they will let us brush out the 5 lbs of undercoat that come loose every couple of days.


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## mkewish (Sep 2, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: AltoIt does cut the undercoat so I'd hesitate to use it daily on any dog (wouldn't use it on a puppy as I don't really see the need) - I have seen some dogs that ended up with very sparse coat after extensive furminator use. It does work better on some dogs than others.
> There are knock offs available now that seem to work as well that are much cheaper.


My groomer told me the same thing. It's actual blades, so it cuts the fur. I saw a golden (blonde) that was brushed with one of these, looked like he got a bad hair cut. I guess you can actualy damage their coats if used too much or improperly.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I got the Furminator bath kit for 29.99 at Petsmart last week. All the dogs are blowing their coats right now so it's been great. I wouldn't use it before any shows or trials in case it stripped too much but in moderation it's great!


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## JenM66 (Jul 28, 2005)

I sold Gracies - it sounded like it was cutting the fur and it seemed to hurt her. She would hollar and turn her head toward me. I have no trouble with the undercoat rake. I guess it's different for every dog.


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