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



## Airman1stclass (Jan 12, 2014)

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?


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

I use the furminator and have them professionally groomed when they start to really go.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

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.


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## Airman1stclass (Jan 12, 2014)

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.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I like and use Earthbath products: Welcome :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

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.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Here's a sticky with some good grooming tips.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/basic-care/353513-grooming-tips-our-gsds.html


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I had been taking Apache tto a groomer for nails. Last night I did them myself and it went ok. This morning the clippers are half eaten I hope she chewed the pieces small enough before she swallowed them.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

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..


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

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.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Cheap Bissell vacuum cleaner! We have a Rainbow vacuum and it was useless at cleaning Rocky's fur off the carpet lots of brushing and "Winter!"


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i wouldn't use a furminator. i use an undercoat comb
and a pin brush. i brush my dog 3 to 4 times a week.
i use natural or organic shampoo. with the proper
diet of quality food and treats your dog shouldn't 
need cologne.


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## Airman1stclass (Jan 12, 2014)

doggiedad said:


> i wouldn't use a furminator. i use an undercoat comb
> and a pin brush. i brush my dog 3 to 4 times a week.
> i use natural or organic shampoo. with the proper
> diet of quality food and treats your dog shouldn't
> need cologne.


Whats the best dog food to help with odor control? And why does the recommended amount of food look like only a little bit.


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## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

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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## Lenny (Jul 25, 2005)

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.


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

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.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

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!)


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

MUD?? I've heard tales about that!


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## havery (Jan 1, 2014)

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.


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## ZoeandMoe (Dec 6, 2013)

Lenny said:


> 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.


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.


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## lindadrusilla (Dec 29, 2013)

I use the furminator once a month after his shower. Brush him every other day. 

Have to clean/ sweep the carpet everyday in our room... >.< 


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

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:


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Airman1stclass said:


> Whats the best dog food to help with odor control? And why does the recommended amount of food look like only a little bit.


Better quality food = less fillers= smaller amount of food.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Msmaria said:


> 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:


LOL omg, i vac twice a day also, ive blown every vac i ever bought, mine are in full shed right now because of the weather..im losing my mind, i just cant keep up with all this shed!


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

misslesleedavis1 said:


> LOL omg, i vac twice a day also, ive blown every vac i ever bought, mine are in full shed right now because of the weather..im losing my mind, i just cant keep up with all this shed!



Now I know why they're so darn cute, most of us wouldnt keep them if they werent :wub:


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I was gonna bring my girl for her first full groom this fall so they could get most of it all out. She never shed, it just stayed the same usual constant shed. When I brush her out I get mouse sized clumps, not dog sized, Its the raw diet...


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## Bman0221 (May 3, 2010)

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.


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## artemisnhounds (Jan 19, 2014)

I have been using the I love pethead strawberry leave in conditioner and Crom smells delicious lol


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

This one works for me- Amazon.com: Oster Professional Pet Grooming Undercoat Rake, 18 Teeth Wide, Coarse: Pet Supplies
That and a shedding blade. I have a pin type undercoat rake that does nothing.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

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.


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## RiverDan (Mar 22, 2013)

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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## rjstrotz (Jan 16, 2014)

*Most people have no clue how much GSDs shed. To look at them you would think they are LOW MAINTENANCE-- wrong assumption to make. We live in Southern California where it has been SUMMER LIKE (80s) this winter... so they shed more than usual.*
*We have never lived in snow, so I would imagine that GSDs would shed less back east (during cold winters like this one). Am I wrong?*

*Anyway, we find that regular BRUSH OUTS are a good way to maintain our BONDING with our dogs, plus we give them a relaxing massage (which helps us check for any lumps or anything new or unusual with their bodies).*

*We take them for grooming (flea bath, nail clipping, ear cleaning, teeth cleaning) every two months... they get the FURMINATOR treatment at the groomers. They always get compliments because they are so well behaved and many people ask us if they are SHOW DOGS (which they are not) because of their beautiful shiny and lustrous fur.*

*After they get back from the groomers, they prance around like movie stars.*


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## readaboutdogs (Jul 8, 2001)

I used one of the rakes Walmart has for 5 or 6 dollars, one of the metal grooming combs to gently work out a tangle ( start at the end of the hair like a child) and they liked me to use one of the human brushes with the bristles with the little knobs on it just cause it felt good! They loved getting brushed out, a good time to bond and give a good look over for ticks, bumps, etc! With the pittbull I just use one of those scrubby bath mitts, his hair is so short!


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