This post makes me so happy. I love that you adopted an older dog from a shelter. I'm all about adoption and like it even more when people adopt older dogs that are often overlooked because most people want a little puppy.

I got my dog from a shelter back in June. They said she was between 2 1/2-3 years old, but her vet thinks she is probably 1 1/2 (almost 2 now). She's the greatest dog- sooo lovable and affectionate, already house broken, and is obsessed with every dog in sight. After her, I don't know if I'll ever get a puppy.

Lucky was adopted through a rescue program when he was 7.

My mom got a furminator for our dog back home, Bella (german shephard and rottweiler mix). It gets SO much hair off her. I tried it on my dog, who sheds like crazy, but it didnt do much for her. I wonder if its because she doesnt really have an undercoat.

PLEASE be careful when using that tool.

1) It is supposed to "card" the coat and remove EXCESS hair, right? Problem is, if you keep going past where groomers know to stop, you're actually removing good hair, too. That turns what you're doing into a type of "stripping." It basically yanks the hair out at the root and causes it to regrow. Since some dogs are not meant to be stripped, you can cause bald patches that might not grow back.

2) This product was designed by a groomer. She took a SURGICAL clipper blade, removed the back plate and put it on a handle. I say this because you can actually slice a dog open with this tool. Look at the teeth.

I have had several clients who used this incorrectly and went to the vet for stitches.

*** This product is a fabulous tool. But, many groomers, like myself, do not support the public release of this product. It can cause great injury to the dog if not done correctly. And 99% of all hair removed by a furminator can be removed JUST AS WELL with a rubber Kong-type Zoom Groom AND a COMB... ***

Your dog DOES NOT need a furminator!!! Spitz, poms, chows, etc. have a type of coat that tends to "bald-out" like mentioned above. They do have an undercoat. But, a comb and a brush are ALL you need to remove excess hair. Have your groomer show you how to line-comb and line-brush. If they won't show you, pm me and I will. You CAN use the furminator shampoo and solution if you bathe him at home. But, leave the tool alone for your babe!

Be careful using a pedipaws on your baby. He has longer "toe" hair. Pedipaws are just simple dremel tools with a cover on them to make them supposedly "safer."

Problem is, if your dog has longer hair on their feet, this hair can and will get caught in the rotary part of ANY dremel. If the hair gets caught, it will spin the hair so tight that you'll have to cut the hair OUT of the dremel.

So, when groomers use dremels to file the nails, we first CUT the nails to reduce the time needed to file and to locate the quick so as to avoid filing into it. (You file into it, and you'll have a bleeder.)Then, we cut the hair AROUND and IN-BETWEEN the toes to keep from getting it all spun up.

Pedipaws is another so-called invention that groomers have been using for years. They just slapped a fancy name on a dremel tool and marketed it for pet owners.

I firmly believe, as a groomer, that you only tell people about tools if they can SAFELY use them. I don't believe pedipaws explains the safety precautions for the pets well-enough.

Thanks for the advice. We do take him to the groomer, but since we've moved we're having a hard time finding one that we like/can afford/Lucky likes.

The last place we took him to, I said "He needs a bath, his nails cut, his glands expressed, dry him and brush him out, leave his ears COMPLETELY alone, he's prone to ear infections."

They gave him a bath. Nothing else. WTF? I can do that at home!

ETA: He does have long toe hair. I'm deathly afraid of hurting him with clippers, and I believe you when you say I could hurt him with the pedipaws, too. I almost always defer to the professionals because I don't think I could live with myself if I hurt him.

PM me. Maybe I can help you find someone.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Everytime a certain someone in my family sees that thing on tv, he says, "You ought to get that for your dog!" To which I reply, "That's why God made groomers."

Our baby gets very long hair between his toes, and I've had nightmares about having his paws mangled from that Pawdicure or whatever it is today! He loves his groomer, so it's SO much easier to have her do it, leaving me to wear the White Hat as the Lullaby Singer/Treat Giver!

And... last year, he was Mr. December on a Bichon Frise Calendar! He was the sire for a background breeder (read: mini-puppy mill), until they were shut down. We got him in his heyday, and he's permanantly "retired" - but should have been named Cuddles!

Here are my two babies:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...100_0521-1.jpg http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...100_0580-1.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...9/100_0255.jpg http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...9/100_0256.jpg

Sienna (aka Peanut) is the beagle, and Belle (aka Hairy Beast or Beastie) is the mix. We bought Sienna at 8 weeks old, and adopted Belle 4 months later when Belle was 5 months old. Belle was dumped on the side of the road as a tiny little thing, just a couple weeks old. A friend of mine picked her up but couldn't keep her due to a baby's allergy. They both just turned 7.

Maybe they aren't 'products' per se, but the things we couldn't live without are our collection of tennis balls and Belle's brush.

Yep, it can do a lot of damage. (Even if they say it has safety features, I know how it works...)

Used by a professional, it's a awesome tool. I use it a lot for elderly clients who could have their skin ripped open by fresh-cut nails and for peeps with hardwood floors or kids.

But, in the wrong hands, it could cause injury.

That's what i've been told to do on my Chihuahua too (to cut the nail first) but his nails are dark and i'm always scared to cut the quick. I've taken him to groomers before and they've cut the quick, and our vet's office says I have to do it myself.

I thought that pedipaws would work better, especially since he "bites" his nails, some of the longer nails chip away. And then he has nails that don't grow at all--they've stayed small.

I just end up getting a regular nail file and file his nails that way, although they never seem to get any shorter! lol

Here's the pet thread from before that someone mentioned


http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showth...highlight=pets

I put pictures of my two dogs, Rusty and Heidi, on this thread.

Would his name be Marley?;)

I use a Furminator religiously! I don't see how it can hurt an animal because it is not sharp at all and I have never had it pull out excess hair or leave bald spots. I don't even see how that can happen unless you are super zealous with the brushing or something. Maybe the public Furminator is different from the professional one. Mine resembles a flea comb but with the teeth closer together and has absolutely nothing sharp that could hurt a dog. Yeah, we used to pay a groomer to Furminate but now we do the job just as easily at home about 2 times a week. I have almost no hair on my floors, so yes, I swear by it. The groomers used to brush the dogs for 30 minutes total in two 15 minute intervals. I brush for maybe 5 minutes, that is all it takes to remove enough hair so that I don't get furry feet from walking around my house.

It's the same one. They can hurt a dog. I've seen it happen to clients that bought them from Petsmart and didn't know how to use them. They are modified clipper blades on a stick. Good for you if you know how to use it correctly.

Awww, darn.
My dogs get so excited when they see the Furminator! They love it! Ah well, I will be careful with it in the future.

My back up favorite product is the Sheddin Blade. I usually follow the Furminator with the Sheddin Blade which appears to be a safe tool...I think.

BUT as for the last sentence in that last quote...(Tippie, this isn't directed at you just the author of the quote)

I love my dogs and I am willing to do the work it takes to keep the stray fur under control. Just because I hate fur in my food, drink, attached to my socks, or tickling my nose doesn't mean that I shouldn't own a dog who sheds. My dogs love getting combed and I would never trade my Golden Retriever away because I hate shedding. I am way too smitten with Goldens...I can't imagine not having one of these goofy, gentle, wonderful dogs in my life. :D