any dog lovers out there?

[WVU alpha phi]

Originally Posted by Sister Havana

I have a dog! He is a 12 year old (going on puppy) Welsh Terrier named Barney. I got him from a local no-kill shelter in 2002. He's the best dog ever.

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.

[agzg]

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

[WVU alpha phi]

Originally Posted by WarEagle07

I have a 7 yo Golden Retriever who is the sweetest dog ever! And I have a mutt who is mostly corgi and perhaps some shepherd who is about 5 years old and as lazy as can be. He gets super excited every day when I put my socks on because he knows that socks lead to shoes, shoes lead to keys, and keys lead to a car ride!

By far, the most essential and indispensable dog related item I have is the FURMINATOR .
If you have a dog who sheds you have to give it a try, it has saved my sanity.

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.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by WarEagle07

By far, the most essential and indispensable dog related item I have is the FURMINATOR .
If you have a dog who sheds you have to give it a try, it has saved my sanity.

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... ***

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

2. Honestly, we don't use a lot of pet products with Luckers. He goes to the groomer (although I might have to give the furminator and pedipaws a try!) and he doesn't like toys.

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.

[agzg]

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.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

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.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

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.

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!

[pbear19]

Here are my two babies:




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.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by honeychile

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

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!

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.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

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.

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

[DreamfulSpirit]

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.

[awkward1]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Our Golden is just over a year old. He too is a sweetie (and really handsome), but he still has lots of puppy energy. He still can't be unsupervised in the house -- there's just no telling what he'll get into.

Would his name be Marley?

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

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... ***

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.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by awkward1

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.

I'm a kennel attendant at a vet's and we use and sell Furminators. To be honest, on short-coated terriers and pugs they don't seem to do much more than any other kind of rake, but for long-haired cats and dogs like shepherds, huskies and spitz breeds, they are amazing. Even at $60 a pop we sell them all the time, though mostly to shepherd owners.

The important thing to know when using it is that the important movement involved is the pulling ACROSS the fur - DO NOT bear down against the skin. As it IS much like a clipper blade, you do not want it scraping the animal's skin. We had one idiot at work push down too much when she was furminating a corgi and the poor thing broke out in a rash. http://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...readid=2948345

The owner of Groomingdales, Tricia Fox, said the FURminator is effective but only on short-haired dogs like Sam.

When it is used on long-haired dogs, the FURminator's teeth aren't long enough to pull any hair. In fact, Fox says it actually does more harm than good in that case.

"It rips their hair off. It's not healthy. It will break off," said Fox.

She added the brush can actually cause big problems if it's used on the wrong dog.

"They're selling these to owners of long haired dogs and people are coming in with knots or dogs that are matted," said Fox. http://www.abc-7.com/Articles/readne...leid=19163&z=2

Well I just have to butt my nose inhere again on this one. I have to give credit where credit is due though... th groomer who came up with this idea is quite clever and had one heck of a marketing person. As to the furminator... it is a 40 blade, if anyone thinks there is not a cutting edge they are wrong, on all metal blades, when they are sharpened BOTH the base and the cutter are sharpened... there is NO safe side. Way to many owners are going out and buying these tools and hurting their pets, and just so you all know... the directions to follow for using the furminator, great idea.... charge more because you are doing more work, but just in case any one cares to know the facts... you are merely razor cutting the coat... that is all, it produces alot of hair and it feels like it is all undercoat but you are also razoring/splitting the healthy coat too. BUT then you have a customer for life because they HAVE to keep coming back to keep up the treatments. I work with a lot of breeders, they would not touch this thing... now she has shampoo's and all the grooming stuff for you to go out an buy... a gimick is what it is and I feel rather old fashioned in saying so but what the heck are owners doing?... why did you adopt or 'buy' a dog that sheds and expect it not to some?

If you really want to know if a tool will be worth your money... talk to a breeder or show person... they will tell you the truth.
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/p...7&postcount=32

[awkward1]

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.