Furminator?

BigBlackDogGal · 07-01-2009, 01:18 PM

I've heard a lot of people rave about the Furminator so I checked it out at Petco the other day... Holy cow, it is expensive! Is it really worth the $60 (I'd need a large one)?

My dog is a possible lab/wolfhound mix with long soft black hair and no undercoat. I use a flat wire brush on him a few times a week but don't get a ton of hair out. I find black hair all over the house though, so I'm always looking for new grooming tools.

FilleBelle · 07-01-2009, 01:39 PM

I use the Furminator at home as well as on many dogs at the shelter and I have found it is most useful on a dog with a double coat. I would find someone who already has one and ask if you can test it on your dog...I suspect you won't be happy with the results.

Having said that, I wouldn't get the large, even for a giant breed dog. It's just too big, making it difficult to maneuver around the dog's body. In addition, you can often find brand new Furminators on eBay for significantly less than they go for in the stores.

Graco22 · 07-01-2009, 04:23 PM

I have never found a furminator to be useful on a long coated breed. And it is strictly for removing UNDERCOAT, so if your dog is single coated, you are going to waste your money. I agree with the above poster that the large one is too large. I groom all breeds and have never used any furminator larger than the medium sized yellow one. The large one is too big making it difficult to work around the dogs shape. Dogs aren't flat. If the long, coarse guard hairs are what is shedding, I recommend you use a rubber curry in long sweeping motions. The rubber grabs those hairs and pulls them out. Otherwise, a good greyhound comb will be your best friend.

BigBlackDogGal · 07-01-2009, 04:31 PM

Thanks for the advice about the undercoat and the brush size. I currently use a slicker brush on him - the comb doesn't do much besides untangle the snarls in his leg fur.

What about the zoom groom?

Graco22 · 07-01-2009, 05:25 PM

A zoom groom is most effective used in circular motions, which is going to just tangle long coats. A rubber curry (horse item) can be used effectively in long sweeping/flicking motions.

Donna5503 · 07-01-2009, 05:40 PM

Hi...I use the Furminator on my dog -- but he has an undercoat...(boy, does he!)...and it works great!

As for your dog -- it probably will do the trick -- don't put too much pressure on it while you brush him being he doesn't have an undercoat -- I also bought the Furminator Brand Spray - it's a waterless way to clean your dog in between baths -- it smells great, makes the coat silky soft & shiny & also helps with the shedding. I use it once a week -- spray it on (not too much) - rub it in - and brush. ....it's great!

I bought the brush on Ebay - Petsmart wanted $50.00 (I bought the medium one (yellow handle) -- I got it on Ebay for $30.00 including shipping.

tigress · 07-01-2009, 06:58 PM

I've been bathing dogs for a few months at the store I work at.

It really depends on your dog. There are labs with coats that it does wonders for (you should have seen the chocolate lab I did yesterday). There is also labs where it does very little. As some one said, it raelly is for undercoat (and is not so good on long coated dogs like goldens). Dogs with coats like pit bulls or boxers it will be useless on. Some labs it will do great, some it won't get much (same with pugs). So I'd say if your dog has a coat more like a pitbull or boxer for example, definitely not worht the money. You could see what their return policy is. I know Petsmart will lte you return it if you are not satisfied within 60 days but don't know Petco's policy.

I'd almost guess if he has a soft coat you may have undercoat there (I find dogs with no undercoat don't tend to have all that soft fur).

I find it helps with lab type coats to use the zoom groom as well (even if you use the furminator). Even with my dog that has more of a husky coat (furminators do great with these coats

) the zoom groom will remove the loose gaurd hairs that the furminator doesn't get.

And I also echo the get a smaller one. My job is just providing me with the big one (I have no idea why, we had a smaller one when I started) and it's annoying.

BigBlackDogGal · 07-02-2009, 01:35 PM

I might check on the Petco return policy and try something like the zoomgroom. His fur is probably similar to golden fur - it's long and soft but significantly less bushy than most goldens. His sides and belly have a pretty thin covering of hair and you can almost see his skin through the hair. His fur is so straight and soft that it slips through most brushes i've tried. But judging by the amount of hair in the tub when he's bathed or the hairy black dog outline on the carpet, I'm not getting it all out!

Kathyy · 07-02-2009, 03:51 PM

I bet the zoom groom thing is the way to go. Max has a double medium long wavy coat that never has a shedding season, it just drops year round. Right now the best way to deal with it is flea combing. Works great. I splurged and bought a metal one so the tines don't bend and snag his fur. You might want to try a rinse and rub or brush dry, gets out lots of dead hair. I know what you mean about buying every grooming product, I do the same. The only one I have gotten rid of was the old fashioned shedding blade, hated that thing. I bought my furminator locally so I could return it if I didn't like it, worth it to me.

ina1032 · 07-05-2009, 02:47 PM

My exboyfriend has English Bulldogs and the Furminator works FAN-TAST-IC!!
Sooooo, when I got my Pomeranian puppies, the first thing I thought of when I went to buy a brush was to get the small Furminator.
Let me just say....I would *NOT* recommend this brush for Poms...at all!! The tiny tines pull the hair out, scratches their sensitive skin, and my puppies yipped and bit in pain.
Instead, I use a little Goody brush that has coated nubs that won't scratch or pull. I could've saved myself a ton of $ had I known...ugh.

Lonewolfblue · 07-05-2009, 09:59 PM

I have to agree with what was said above. Get the medium on, not the large. I've used it on the cattle dog I had and it worked wonders. Now for my other dogs, I haven't tried it on Chloe yet, but Nell doesn't seem to shed much at all, she's got a rough, weatherproof outer coat. As for Sonny, once he starts shedding, I think it will work wonders with him as he's got a good soft coat, pretty thick, but not near as long as Chloe's. Ebay is a great place to get things like this as well, but I did get mine at Petco.

LabMan · 07-05-2009, 11:26 PM

I use the medium size Furminator on my lab and my golden and it works great on both. The golden's coat is longer and so I thought it would be a little more difficult, but it worked just fine. You can find some pretty good deals out there, just got to know where to look. I found one out on FarmMedley.com. They've got a medium for right around $40. Anyway, I really like the product. Good luck!

Spicy1_VV · 07-06-2009, 12:04 AM

I love my furminator.

I have a big dog with a TON of undercoat and have a large furminator. It is a life saver. You would not believe how much hair comes off. Bags full. Before I could never really get all that pesky hair so she would still loose lots around the home and everywhere else.

I also have other breeds. Medium works well for the Pits. They do not have an undercoat but some shed more and have more hair. So it is nice for those dogs which are loosing a lot. After their show bath it is great to use a little bit (for those that need it, some don't have a bunch of loose hairs).

Razman · 07-06-2009, 05:38 PM

I just received my large furminator in the mail today. I guess I'll find out about the size soon enough, but the results were amazing. I brushed Kamin yesterday with my old brush and then again this afternoon with the furminator and couldn't believe how much hair came off him!

BTW $33 cdn including shipping from ebay.