Chester and Gretel shed. A lot. When I sweep the house it seems like I pick up enough hair to make a third Dachshund (ok, I admit I don’t sweep our wood floors often).
Years ago, when I only had Chester, one of my friends recommend I get a Furminator deShedding Tool. I went to the pet store and looked at them but I was scared.
They looked really sharp and pointy. I thought it would go right through Chester’s thin fur and scrape his sensitive skin. I gave up.
Fast forward years later and I had a chance to try the ShedMonster deShedding Tool, which claimed to be gentler on your dog’s skin. It didn’t work for us at all. I gave up again.
This past week when I went to BlogPaws I had a chance to meet some people at the Furminator product booth. They offered to give me a tool to try if I agreed to share what I thought on my blog. The Furminator claims to reduce shedding up to 90% and, after the failure with the ShedMonster, I was getting desperate.
The tool they gave me was really for a short-haired cat….but Chester and Gretel are short haired and about the size of a cat 🙂 It’s the same one as the Small Dog Short Hair deShedding Tool anyway… just a different color.
The brush is still as pointy as it was years ago.
I tried it on both Chester and Gretel and it slid through the top coat to grab the loose fur underneath but did not appear to touch the skin. Gretel and Chester don’t have much fat and I was so happy when it did not scrape the skin when gliding over their bones.
The best part was – it worked! I used the brush on Gretel for about a minute and it pulled out a good clump of hair.
To get the hair out of the brush, all you have to do is push a button in the back and it pushes it out.
I think I am in love with this brush. I have high hopes for finding less hair around the house from now on and being able to sweep even less often.
The only problem is that I am busy and lazy so I don’t know how consistent I will be with using it. Ha, ha. Why can’t they make some kind of magic soap or spray you can use to stop the shedding or a tool that Chester and Gretel can use themselves? Ha, ha.
Note: Remember to check out the Furminator website to select the Tool that matches the size and coat length of your dog. The Small Dog Short Hair deShedding Tool we reviewed is for dogs up to 20 lbs with a coat shorter than 2 inches.
Have you ever use the Furminator tool? Tell us what you thought.
snoopy@snoopysdogblog says
Hi Jessica,
Mum hasn’t used one of these on me as she’s worried it may not be good for my long, flawy locks, but maybe we’ll hop over to their site to just take a peak? I don’t shed a great deal, but when Mum brushes me she also gets a whole new puppy! 🙂
Have a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
AdventureJess says
Yeah, we can’t attest to how it works on dogs with really long hair. I know it doesn’t have a cutting blade but I wonder if it would just get caught in Snoopy’s hair.
Robert Pregulman says
We’ve used them on our dogs and cats for a few years now and we love it!
AdventureJess says
I liked that even if you only use it for a minute or two you can get a decent amount of hair off of them. With a couple of dogs and cats it would definitely take more time…although not as much time to sweep your house 🙂
Jessie says
My brothers pug came to visit for a month and he shed so much. I then went and got a Furminator and pulled a huge pile of hair off of him! it was bigger then his head!
Now I brush him once a week and get about a handful.
The maid of the house (me) thinks the Furminator was one of the best doggie tools she ever bought.
AdventureJess says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad to know you really liked it. I don’t know why it took me almost 10 years to get on board 🙂
Elizabeth says
We have a large one for Luna and it works great! A Furminator is a must for Goldens!!! We did receive that pink one at BP too, and look I forward to using it on Penny. She is one shedder too!
AdventureJess says
I will be curious to know how it worked on a Doxie with long hair 🙂
houndstooth says
We live with four dogs and two of them are German Shepherds! Are you kidding? The Furminator is one of our best friends! We have to old version and it’s been very faithful for over two years now. I got one of those small pink ones to use on the Greyhounds from the Petsmart booth at BlogPaws, too. But I’m excited because we’re going to get to do a review of one of the new Furminators soon, too! And you know, they do make deshedding shampoo now, too! 😉
AdventureJess says
We will definitely be trying the deShedding shampoo. It’s less work than the brush 🙂 We look forward to hearing about the new tool from you.
SUGAR: goldenwoofs says
Woof! Woof! It sure changed … will check it out. Since I moved and changed shampoo I shed less. I think the ocean salty water helps a lot with my fur. Golden Thanks for sharing. Lots of Golden ALOHA n Woofs, Sugar
AdventureJess says
I suppose you don’t build up the hair when there is no winter 🙂
Jen says
I don’t use one of these on the Newfs, but I would totally use it on my Beagle!
Great review and awesome pictures:)
AdventureJess says
Thanks. I took the photos with my new lens. I DO wonder how the Furminator works on dogs with longer hair. It glides easily over Chester and Gretel’s short hair but I wonder if it would snag longer hair at all. If you do ever try it on the News, let me know.
Dachshund Nola and Her Mom says
Great review! It works great for my aunt’s lab. Nola sheds so little I almost never brush her 🙂
Pamela says
With the hot weather, Honey appreciates when I “furminate” the dead hair clinging to her coat. When my husband first bought a furminator I almost had a heart attack when the credit card bill came. But I have to say I’m hooked. It works well for Honey’s long flowing coat and she seems to like the feeling of it.
Glad you were able to find something that does a good job. Curious to know if it really keeps the housework down. Maybe you’ll do a follow up?
AdventureJess says
I am glad it worked for Honey who has longer hair. I plan to do a follow-up on the Furminator (after I actually get around to using it consistently. Ha, ha). I also have some deShedding soap to try. I will let you know what I think of that too.
Montecristo Travels says
Now that you have had a little time – woudl you say it works? Are you noticing a difference because if you do we need one! I’m a long coat Chihuahua … I am guessign they have one for long coated cats? (all 2.7 pounds of me!)
Rebeca Pacheco says
I´ll try… I wasn´t sure if I have to buy it, but after read your comments I wil… Ygor shed a lot and he´s a short haired doxie as well… Thanks for this post…!!