Shedding Blade and Grooming

[pbach]

Help Gods and Goddesses of the Rottie.net world - My girl is in the process of blowing her coat and I've been using a shedding blade on her. Does anyone know (of course someone does) does this irritate their skin and how often should I use the shedding blade, i.e., every day, once a week, etc..? Thanks so much for your words of wisdom.

Patty

[BostonRott]

Guess it depends on the general condition of your bitch, her coat and how hard you're pressing down with the blade.

I use them all the time (the blades), the dogs love it, and I basically use it as necessary. When we're in high shedding season, or I have a girl blowing coat, yes, they'll get multiple brushings per day. The more fur bunnies are running about my floors, the more brushings the dogs get. :)

[alexav]

My fave is a soft rubber curry for horses! Massage away and loosen all that dead hair. Then use the blade, then use a natural bristle "Dandy brush" (also a horsey item). Finish up with a terry towel moistened in your favorite coat conditioner or just plain water. Your dog will look STUNNING!

[chivas]

I used a shedding blade on my rottie, Chivas and her brothers, Indy the sheltie and Zeke the mutt for YEARS. Never had a coat problem and all 3 of them would run when they saw me with it and get in line to get a nice brushing, didnt bother the long or short coats and I did it probably 10 times a week. Using the shedding blade on this new girl i adopted and she is starting to get in line too!
Kim

[Jaegergirl]

my question... does a shedding blade really remove the hair better than a regular pin-type bristle brush? if so, i'm buying one today!! :) all the hair around the house is driving me crazy.

[brunie's mom]

I use the shedding blade most of the year round...but when they are doing a major shed of the season I find the best tool is an undercoat rake. It takes all of the downy, soft undercoat out...and really does a good job. I always brush the dogs outside, every second day or so.

Gina

[alexav]

Originally posted by Jaegergirl
my question... does a shedding blade really remove the hair better than a regular pin-type bristle brush? if so, i'm buying one today!! :) all the hair around the house is driving me crazy.

YES!:D

[LynnS]

I agree with AlexaV!

Sandy actually turned me on to the soft curry brush when we were at a fun match together. Bella hates the shed blade but loves the curry brush -

[Jaegergirl]

looks like i'm off to the pet store! :) thanks!

[Rott'n'lab Mom]

Originally posted by LynnS
I agree with AlexaV!

Sandy actually turned me on to the soft curry brush when we were at a fun match together. Bella hates the shed blade but loves the curry brush -

My Bella loves the curry brush too. Of course I tell her how gorgeous she is going to look when I'm finished. She's a vain girl:D

[anna&jacksmom]

Does the shedding blade get used with or against the way the hair grows?

I have to try something to deal with thiis shedding. I haven't actually found anything that gets the dead hair out of her coat though. Maybe I am brushing wrong

[Jaegergirl]

i bought a shedding comb and it doesn't get the hair like my good old pin brush. a waste of $8 in my opinion.

[alexav]

Originally posted by anna&jacksmom
Does the shedding blade get used with or against the way the hair grows?

I have to try something to deal with thiis shedding. I haven't actually found anything that gets the dead hair out of her coat though. Maybe I am brushing wrong

A Shedding Blade shouldn't be used against the direction of hair growth. If you use the shedding blade in conjunction with a rubber curry and natural bristle finishing brush, you'll get far better results.
A wire slicker does work but you must be careful not to keep going over the same area with too heavy a hand. The wires can scratch the skin and cause "brush burn" which can become infected.
As I posted before..."My fave is a soft rubber curry for horses! Massage away and loosen all that dead hair. Then use the blade, then use a natural bristle "Dandy brush" (also a horsey item). Finish up with a terry towel moistened in your favorite coat conditioner or just plain water. Your dog will look STUNNING!"

Go to your local feed store or tack shop. You'll be surprised how much $ you'll save by buying horse brushes instead of dog brushes.:D

There is NOTHING you can do to remove ALL the shedding hair at once. The shedding process will take a while. One of those "mother nature" things.
I cheat my dogs by giving them a nice warm bath and then using a forced air dryer, BLAST that dead hair out. It gets rid of most of it but we still curry, blade, and dandy every couple of days for about 3 weeks...

[Knucklesmom]

I like using a "Zoom Groom" on Knuckles. Sounds like the soft curry brush. It holds the hair around the rubber "teeth" and you pull the hair off the Zoom Groom in sort of a sheet. I also use it to bathe him - gets the shampoo all the way to the skin and does a nice massage. He loves it!

[MontanaRott]

I am going to my sisters and raiding her tack room for brushes!