# Best type of brush for GSD



## Sammy J.

I need to get one, so I though I would ask here. 

What say ye?


----------



## Lucy Dog

One word... Furminator. Use it once and you'll see why. 

There's only a few vital things you'll need for your GSD. A water bowl, a food bowl, food, collar and leash, and a furminator.


----------



## Riley's Mom

Furm's a great, but use with caution and not to often. To much use of a furminator can cause bald spots. I only use the furm when it's shedding season and maybe once a week or so at that point. Otherwise I use a couple of different brushes, one is usually oval shaped with long wire "pins" (for lack of a better word) and the other is usually rectangle shape with the "bent" metal pins. I then have a comb for helping me get the fur out of the brushes, LOL! 

When possible I prefer to brush outside the house vs inside because when they're shedding THEY'RE SHEDDING.

A good vacuum cleaner is also something you will want. We have a Dyson and it's GREAT for dog hair.


----------



## 3K9Mom

I use a boars hair brush that I bought at a local beauty supply shop. It has stiff firm bristles, so it works through to the undercoat, but it's extremely gentle on the individual strands.

Just for reference, this is the sort of brush I use (not the exact same brand). Mine cost about $35-40. http://www.amazon.com/Sephora-Brand-Bamboo-Boar-Brush/dp/B002HLXSGI/ref=pd_sbs_bt_25

I've found that by brushing my dog regularly (and cleaning/washing the brush often), he has a super shiny coat. And being brushed with the brush, from listening to my dog's vocalizations, apparently feels divine.

I'm not a furminator fan. I think it just breaks the top coat. Yes, it gets out the undercoat, which is nice during the spring. But if you're not careful, you can make a mess of your dog's coat. In fact, it's often easy to tell a GSD that's been "furminated," imo.


----------



## AngelJ

We use several. A shedding blade, an undercoat rake and a brush with "pins" on one side and bristles on the other.


----------



## alexbakerrr

I have a german shepherd and an aussie. The furminator is like a my most prized possession. Both dogs have different types of fur and it works equally as well on both. I brushed them with it initially for about 20 mins each and got a compact pomeranian-like tumbleweed. Ever since, about once a week for a few minutes gets the job done. Never seen a problem with their top coats and never got a bald spot. You can only brush them when they are completely dry, otherwise I could see it breaking top fur. Shedding is wayyy down in our house.


----------



## littledmc17

Furminator with out a doubt!!


----------



## Zisso

I use these too


> Quote:undercoat rake and a brush with "pins" on one side and bristles on the other.


 and on occassion a Furminator. I have found that the Furminator blades are to small and close together so more difficult for me to make the dogs looks good, and it also seems to take forever.


----------



## HeidiW

I think I need to get one too, I have been nervous about it reading all the different reviews. Now that I have two GSD's it is time. One has a very thick coat he is DDrEast sable and seems to have alot of under coat to and the other is AS BT with a thinner coat.


----------



## Tbarrios333

I find that when I use a bristle brush, it does absolutely nothing! I have one of the ones with pins on one side and bristles on the other. The bristles are useless and the pin and so long and spread apart that they don't do anything for Denali's coat either LOL.
So I'm trying to find something good as well, but I'm afraid of getting the furminator because of the mixed reviews. 
I also have an undercoat rake with one spaced out row of pins but you have to put in so much effort to only get a small amount of hair out.
After I'm done brushing her for like 30 minutes, she's still shedding like mad. Sigh.


----------



## AbbyK9

An undercoat rake is sort of a prerequisite for GSD owners, to get all that loose hair out from the wooly undercoat. I can get tons of hair brushing my GSD with just the rake.

The Furminator is another great tool, especially during heavy shedding seasons. It's not something you'd really use for daily brushing, though, and not designed to be - it's an occasional use tool. I would probably not use it more than once a week - maybe twice - during shedding season and every so often, as needed, the rest of the year.

We also have a slicker brush for cats (the kind with covered tips, not the thin wire kind) that we use on the cats and our Malinois.


----------



## JKlatsky

I love my undercoat rake. More than my furminator or my shedding blade. I find that with my undercoat rake I can get a LOT done and the dogs seem to like it better. Their skin can get a little irritated with the furminator or the shedding blade. Then I might run through with a pin brush, and finally a slicker or a bristle brush to put some shine on the coat and everyone looks good and my neighbors are pretty sure I've killed a couple rabbits or a Persian Cats!

When they are shedding heavily and blowing coat and they have the "butt tufts" is when I usually take them to the groomers for their 2x a year bath. My groomer does a great job with the dryer to get all the loose hair out. This also usually coincides with when Anka has come out of heat. She gets a stink to her when she's in heat and usually needs a bath.


----------



## Northern GSDs

I SWEAR that the only 2 things I need that work beyond fabulously are:

1) A quality undercoat rake

2) A quality fine toothed stainless steel groomers comb (one end has wider spaces between the teeth; the other end has very narrow spaces between the teeth)

I use the rake first to loosen up all the hair and to catch the loose hair, then the wide toothed part of the comb followed by the fine toothed part of the comb. Works llike a charm and drastically reduces shedding (and therefore vacuuming







).


----------



## Melgrj7

Best thing I have found is simply a greyhound comb. I use the wider end first then the fine end. During shedding season I will also use an undercoat rake before the comb, but most of the time just using the comb a few times a week reduces the hair a lot.


----------



## Technostorm

I am also worried about the Furminator. I've read mixed reviews and it just seems to be that all it does is thin the hairs. So, if there are more people vouching for it, I might give it a try.


----------

