A reader asked..
I have a 100 lb Lab that sheds like crazy and although my GF loves the dog, she doesn't the hair that builds up in my house, week to week. The local petsmart offers a furminator grooming service – I'm curious how long this helps eliminate shedding? Also, if I buy my own Furminator, how often should I brush out my dog with the tool to keep lots of fur out of the house?
(Scroll down to read responses).
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No I give him the Furminator grooming service myself! lol! I LOVE my furminator…works wonders on my GSD’s coat.
it just gets the under coat out… i suggest doing it yourself. an expert doesn’t have to do it and it saves u money. do it outside!
Buy a furminator and use it daily. Wont take that long to keep the undercoat under control. The longer you leave it the undercoat will build up.
You mean they charge extra for using a brush that makes it easier for them to do? ROFL.
A furminatot doesn’t do anything that any other brush doesn’t, it just does it easier and faster.
Come on now, tell us what your Lab really weighs
No and never will, frankly i think the furminator destroys the coat of some dogs. I will stick to my fine toothed hacksaw blade works great, my dogs love it, and does not harm the coat.
I frankly think the furminator is a waste of money.
The Furminator grooming, It dose not eliminate shedding dogs shed there is no way around it, there is no magie cure pill shampoo brush it’s just a fact of life.
I don’t recommend using this tool on a lab. As it will just mess up the dog coat.
Get a shed n blade a soft bristle brush and use that don’t use the furminator.
100lb lab ?
I use furminator on my collies and they love it, they are fantastic and if you use a normal brush it gets to the top layer… thats about it ok for short haired, useless for long haired dogs..
Furminator takes the layer out underneath the top layer and boy when you see how much it takes out its brilliant, we have 8 collies and when i have finished using it looks like i could make another collie out of the fur, i use it about twice a week on my dogs and they love it, so much that my short haired gets jealous so i have to have a baby brush for them.
it takes out all the dead hair or the second coat that is no good, i think i paid around £30 for mine best thing i ever got for my dogs.
The furminator should work pretty well on a lab’s coat. I do not suggest the furminator for a long or even medium haired dog. It works great on my Doberman but not on my long haired german shepherd or my great pyrenees. I would think that you could do just as good of a job as they could a petsmart. I would suggest getting your own and using it about once or twice a week. I have discovered that sometimes over brushing is very hard on their skin. Be sure not to push to hard with the brush because it will cause irritation.
I have the Furminator it is an awesome brushing tool i use it on my Doberman and my cats. I would buy your own Furminator because Petsmart will charge way more for the “Furminator Grooming Service” then what it actually is. Then once you have your Furminator i would brush your dog at least 3 times a week but if you can maybe once a day. Labs shed a lot I know and they stink so you should bathe your lab once a month. Hope tis helps, Kate. P.S and maybe you could buy on of those small hand held vaccums for quick clean up on furniture or whatever.
Furmiators are awesome, but there is a certain amount of skill needed to use them properly, based on some of the answers to this question!
I have had the Furminator treatment done at Petsmart and I own a Furminator tool. Both options are excellent, even for a short haired breed.
If you have the process done professionally, you can expect to have them use the Furminator shampoo and deshedding solution, which helps loosen the dead hair from the coat. The velocity dryer also takes out more hair while drying. Afterward the dog is brushed with the tool until there is nothing else coming out of the dog.
My Aussie/Huskie mix sheds garbage bags of fur during this treatment, so yes, it is absolutely worth it to me, as I work full time and can’t get all the hair out of my home every day.
My Sheltie looks like she lost weight when I bring her home after this treatment, and her coat stays gorgeous for a very long time afterward. I have never seen any damage to the outer coat.
In general, I can expect about three months of less shedding with this treatment.
For the $60 or so it would cost to have the dog done by them, it is worth it the first time, as a Furminator tool will run you about $59.95, and the shampoo and solution is around $14 each bottle.
The Furminator does come with instructions on how to use it and how often-many people just don’t read them.
Other options would include looking into the diet you feed your Lab. While they can be excessive shedders, dry skin and coat can make this much worse than it needs to be. Stay away from foods with corn and wheat content as fillers, and look for foods that are supplemented with Omega fatty acids.
I think the furminator grooming service is AWESOME. Not only do they use the furminator tool but the whole product line. My brother takes his 3 dogs to get the furminator once every 3 months and uses the furminator tool in between when he bathes his dogs. All of the furminator shampoo products and stuff can get wicked expensive, so I recommend trying the groom to see if they work well for you. I am sure your dog would appreciate it that time of year since it will help too keep him cool. The furminator treats are also what my brother uses. He is a little OCD so his house is always spotless and hair free anyway which is crazy with three very large Lab-mixes.
No, I have never had that service at Petsmart. Yesterday while at the vet with one of my dogs, I saw that she was selling the Furminator. Since clients don’t want to buy something costly (over $30) when they might be already spending $200 on the pet’s health that day; the Vet has some of them available for trying on your pet while you are waiting to pay (when you know that your critter will be OK). I tried it out and was I surprised! That little thing is a miracle! It is less annoying for the critter than a good brushing because it doesn’t seem to pull the hair the way a comb or wire brush does. The best part is that the critters do not mind it NEARLY as much as the clipper which makes a loud noise.
As to how often to use the tool – you will have to try that out for yourself. If you brush daily, you might use the tool and then brush. Perhaps you will use it 1X weekly, whatever works for you. It will cut down on shedding and I think you will love it. I have 5 dogs from tiny to very large and none objected seriously. They all act as if the wire brush is torture and they did not react in the same way at all.
Good luck!