Which Dremel & FURminator for my GSD?

[jaminmd]

There are several Dremels & FURminators & I don't know which to get for my German shepherd. There is a pet specific Dremel - not sure if I should buy that or a regular one. There is a range in prices so I'm not sure if price = increased quality.

I read through old threads but didn't see specifics, so that is why I'm asking. DD 12 insists I'll hurt the dog if I just buy a nail clipper.

 

[Imzadi]

I love the FURminator! Amazon has about 2,793 POSITIVE Reviews for this brush. You know it's no gimmick! All the fur dust bunnies that were the size of tumble weeds are all gone.

http://www.amazon.com/FURminator

Since you have a German Shepard, you should get a large or extra-large FURminator. I bought a medium for my cat after reading an Amazon review that said to get a larger brush as it will take less swipes across the pet that way.

Color doesn't matter. They just come in different colors. That was confusing when looking at them online. I wasn't sure at first if a different color does different things. It's just color preference.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I also have a German Shepherd, and really recommend the large Furminator! It is absolutely necessary for a dog that sheds its undercoat 365 days a year, like a GSD!

As far as the Dremel, I cannot recommend any of them for use on a pet's nails. It's hard enough to get our GSD to sit still for nail clipping, let along being "tortured" with a noisy machine that vibrates and makes their paws tingle! Just get a pair of nail clippers that are made for large dogs and have a "guard" to keep from clipping too far. It's better to clip a small amount more often, than to worry about clipping too much. Most GSDs have black nails, but if you look at the underside, you can see the quick so you know how far to cut.

If you absolutely do want to try the Dremel, I would buy the highest powered one you can. We have a rechargable cordless one that cost about $75 and came with many accessories, including a pet nail one. A lower powered rotary tool (like the cheap "Pedi-Paws" one you see in a lot of stores) takes much too long to file down the large nails of a GSD and most dogs would not sit still for that long with a strange buzzing machine on their toes. It might be ok for a small dog with tiny nails, but not the big nails that a GSD has.

Good luck with grooming your GSD! They're pretty "wash and wear" but a good undercoat brush is a necessity!

 

[Imzadi]

It's better to clip a small amount more often, than to worry about clipping too much.

Yes, I clip my kitty's nails. The best advice I ever received was from some pet show. The guy said, "You do NOT have to get every nail in one sitting. Clip 2-3 each day if you have to."

That piece of advice saved my kitty's sanity and my eyes from being clawed out. Some days, she's nice & calm and I can do 4 nails. Other times, I'm lucky if I get one or two. That's okay. They all get clipped eventually.

 

[jaminmd]

I also have a German Shepherd, and really recommend the large Furminator! It is absolutely necessary for a dog that sheds its undercoat 365 days a year, like a GSD!

As far as the Dremel, I cannot recommend any of them for use on a pet's nails. It's hard enough to get our GSD to sit still for nail clipping, let along being "tortured" with a noisy machine that vibrates and makes their paws tingle! Just get a pair of nail clippers that are made for large dogs and have a "guard" to keep from clipping too far. It's better to clip a small amount more often, than to worry about clipping too much. Most GSDs have black nails, but if you look at the underside, you can see the quick so you know how far to cut.

If you absolutely do want to try the Dremel, I would buy the highest powered one you can. We have a rechargable cordless one that cost about $75 and came with many accessories, including a pet nail one. A lower powered rotary tool (like the cheap "Pedi-Paws" one you see in a lot of stores) takes much too long to file down the large nails of a GSD and most dogs would not sit still for that long with a strange buzzing machine on their toes. It might be ok for a small dog with tiny nails, but not the big nails that a GSD has.

Good luck with grooming your GSD! They're pretty "wash and wear" but a good undercoat brush is a necessity!

Thank you - I didn't know that!

Imzadi, thank you, too. I read the Amazon link which lead to another link about FURminators being used on GSD's & if it was appropriate or not.

What is the difference between a rake & a FURminator as far as how they work?

 

[Imzadi]

I've never used a rake. It might be a different company, or maybe the teeth are at a different distance apart. I think rakes were around before the FURminator.

What convinced me to get the FURminator, besides all the Amazon reviews, was watching the various YouTube videos. I figured, Why reinvent the wheel? This thing actually works.

You won't believe how much hair comes off. It's like shearing a sheep, except, of course there's still hair on your pet after brushing. Can you believe all of that hair would have ended up around your house eventually if you didn't get it Furminated? Here is an actual YouTube video of someone brushing thei pet and you see all this hair coming off. YouTube: Furminator

You can always return it to Amazon if you don't like it. They give you 30 days. That's why I bought mine from there.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I've never used a rake. It might be a different company, or maybe the teeth are at a different distance apart. I think rakes were around before the FURminator.

That's exactly it; on the rake, the teeth are much farther apart, which means that you have to do several strokes over the same area to take out the same amount of hair that the Furminator removes. I've never used a rake, personally, but we picked up our rescue GSD from the groomer (long story - but basically he was an "outdoor dog" in his first home and so he was VERY dirty, so his foster family wanted him properly groomed before he went home!) when we got him and the groomer showed us how to use the rake. It did take out a lot of undercoat, but it took a lot of strokes to remove it all. Rakes have been around forever, so they are the tried and true method, but personally, for my time and money, I'd pay for a Furminator.

Also, be aware that both a rake and a Furminator can hurt the dog if it's used too many times in a row on the same strip of fur. However, the rake you need to be especially careful with, as the tines on it are not perfectly blunt - you can cut your dog's skin if you push too hard or run it over the same area too many times!

Oh, and one more tool that I love for grooming our GSD is a Zoom Groom by Kong. It is in the shape of a dog and is basically a horse's rubber curry comb; you can find it at most pet stores. It works fantastically to remove loose overcoat from a GSD - if you do use a rake or Furminator on the undercoat, you'll notice that your dog will mainly be shedding the overcoat all over the house - these are the stiffer darker hairs. Neither the rake or Furminator do anything for these hairs, but the Zoom Groom works really well for it. Also, it's like the rubber "fingers" give a skin massage, and dogs seem to LOVE it. But I recommend either using it outdoors, or in the tub while giving your dog a bath because the fur will really be flying with this one! We bought it while spending 3 weeks up at the cottage this past summer, because our GSD was ALWAYS wet from swimming in the lake all the time, so we could never use the Furminator on him!

 

[jaminmd]

That's exactly it; on the rake, the teeth are much farther apart, which means that you have to do several strokes over the same area to take out the same amount of hair that the Furminator removes. I've never used a rake, personally, but we picked up our rescue GSD from the groomer (long story - but basically he was an "outdoor dog" in his first home and so he was VERY dirty, so his foster family wanted him properly groomed before he went home!) when we got him and the groomer showed us how to use the rake. It did take out a lot of undercoat, but it took a lot of strokes to remove it all. Rakes have been around forever, so they are the tried and true method, but personally, for my time and money, I'd pay for a Furminator.

Also, be aware that both a rake and a Furminator can hurt the dog if it's used too many times in a row on the same strip of fur. However, the rake you need to be especially careful with, as the tines on it are not perfectly blunt - you can cut your dog's skin if you push too hard or run it over the same area too many times!

Oh, and one more tool that I love for grooming our GSD is a Zoom Groom by Kong. It is in the shape of a dog and is basically a horse's rubber curry comb; you can find it at most pet stores. It works fantastically to remove loose overcoat from a GSD - if you do use a rake or Furminator on the undercoat, you'll notice that your dog will mainly be shedding the overcoat all over the house - these are the stiffer darker hairs. Neither the rake or Furminator do anything for these hairs, but the Zoom Groom works really well for it. Also, it's like the rubber "fingers" give a skin massage, and dogs seem to LOVE it. But I recommend either using it outdoors, or in the tub while giving your dog a bath because the fur will really be flying with this one! We bought it while spending 3 weeks up at the cottage this past summer, because our GSD was ALWAYS wet from swimming in the lake all the time, so we could never use the Furminator on him!

So, should I take the same approach with the FURminator that you suggested with clipping his nails? Just do a few strokes at a time instead of trying to brush all at once? He's finally getting used to me brushing him and I try to do it for just a few minutes at a time. He keeps trying to eat the brush while I'm doing it, of course. It is painful when my hand gets in the way of his teeth!

Poor little guy will be 12 weeks old on Thursday. I can not believe the amount of hair all over already! I had a female 12 years ago & I remember her shedding in clumps & it was all over, but I don't remember it this early on. He's mostly black, too, so it stands out more against my light colored floors.

I looked at his nails to see a color difference like you suggested, but I didn't see a difference. He goes to the vet again later this week so I'll ask her to show me how to do it safely.

Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I wouldn't worry to much about hurting the dog with a brush or Furminator - as long as you're only running the brush over the same area once or twice, he'll be just fine. It's more of the obsessive running the Furminator over the exact same place over and over (I have to be careful around the base of my dog's tail, because I can get so much fur out of there!) that can hurt him.

And as far as the nails go, you won't see a color difference on the underside, but you will see a definite change from "filled" to "hollow". If you look at the part of the nail closest to the toe, it will be solid, but if you look at the nail closer to the end, it will be "empty". That "empty" part is the part that you cut. I'm not explaining it very well, but if you look at the underside of the nails, you should be able to see the safe part. Your vet will definitely be able to point it out, though.... too bad my dog is at work with DH right now so I can't take a picture to show what I mean!

Awww, I'm sure your little guy is adorable! I love GSD puppies! So puppy-like, and yet so serious at the same time!

 

[luv2nascar]

we used to clip our dogs nails - after several accidents never again. We have the pedipaws (I think that's the name). Its like a dremel but for dogs nails. less mess than just the dremel. Dog doesn't mind. Nails are so much smoother- I always had to file after clipping anyways.