Dog owners, can you tell me...

[teacher316]

what kind of dog brush you use? I have a border collie and she sheds like crazy!  :shocked:I feel like I could brush her for hours and still not get much hair out. She doesn't like being brushed either(she's 13 with bad hips) so I need a brush that will get a lot of hair out in a short amount of time.
Any suggestions would be great!

[True]

I wish I could help, I had a Pomeranian, which had a similar hair texture i think? well all i know is he shed like crazy and would get those darn matted bits behind his ears if he wasnt groomed regularly. That being said, I just had him groomed professionally because I didnt want to hurt him on accident.

I'm sure someone around here will have an answer

[Flitter]

Groomer here!
For a Border Collie I would normally use a combination of a slicker brush and greyhound comb for standard brushing and add in a furminator and zoom groom for a shedding dog. Furminators can be a bit pricey but they work very well. You just have to be careful not to press to hard or go over the same area too much because you can cause scratches on the skin or bald spots if you are too rough using it. Zoom grooms are great for shorter areas like around the head and lower parts of the legs and just general gentle removal of dead hair.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

We used a horse brush - it was like a loop strip of metal and one side is smooth and the other has little teeth.

[Tulips]

I'd recommend a deshedder, the modern designs are more efficient than a shedding blade and can be bought for pretty reasonable prices. Check your specialty pet stores for what brands they carry, FURminator are well known but a bit overpriced in my opinion. Sorry I can't remember any other brands off the top of my head.

They are amazing! Our clients are always pleased with results and have mentioned that, especially since we changed from a shedding blade to a modern deshedder, their dogs shed so much less and are much more manageable.

Basically ditto what Flitter beat me to saying lol. I've never used a zoom groom though. 

[HavACrumpet452]

Be careful with a deshedder like Flitter said, they can irritate the skin and even cause rashes and infection if not used properly. Do not overdo it and do not push too hard. Deshedders like the furminator are really meant for shorter double coats. They do what is called carding the coat. People used to do it by using an old dull #40 clipper blade. This is the blade used for surgical prep on dogs so yes, if you used it too much you will shave that spot. I personally wouldn't use one on a border collie if I owned one, but I'm super picky about damaging double coats.

On my bloodhound mix I mostly use a shedding blade, slicker brush, and fine-toothed flea comb in that order. On my golden/hound/cocker mix who has a coat similar to a border collie I use an undercoat rake, flea comb and stripping knife (for legs and shoulders). I cannot live without a flea comb for any dog. The extra fine teeth pick up a lot of hair that a wider-toothed comb would miss. I use it to finish my dogs when I brush them out because there are always visible loose hairs still on the dog after just a brushing. I take both dogs outside weekly and brush like crazy, and then often just grab the flea comb and touch them up throughout the week.

[Flitter]

I've never used a zoom groom though. 

Have you used a rubber curry brush? They are a modification of that. I think the design works great for very smooth coated dogs that shed a lot but normal brushes don't pick up the hair (Beagles, Pugs, smooth Jack Russels, smooth Chihuahuas, Pointers, etc.). I often will use them to remove loose hair around faces and short areas of dogs like retrievers & shepherds too.

[Corona]

I use a zoom groom and some kind of metal shedding comb (blanking on the name, not a furminator) on my corgi mix. He's got the corgi double coat so it works pretty well without balding him.

[kaoskat]

I tend to use a slicker brush mostly on my BC mix.

[zabe77]

I have a pom and use something along the lines of a furminator also. It's great for getting undercoat out when she sheds. Like a Boarder Collie (I used to have a Border Collie mix), she does a big shed 2x a year, so for the past 2 years I've used the furminator to keep it under control, then took her to a groomer to get her coat blown out. SO worth it if you can find a good groomer.  If you can't afford a groomer, the furminator should still work well, you'll just have to do it diligently when your pup is doing her big shed.  If you use one just be sure not to do the same area too much as it can irritate the skin and pull out hair once it's taken all the loose stuff.

I have a friend with a boarder collie and she uses a horse shedding blade as lovesbabysquirmy mentioned and says it does a great job.

[kellyponyfeathers]

Short-toothed dematting rakes are great for mats and general combing in medium- to long-haired dogs, and they don't irritate the skin much.

[Hervoyel]

I've found that you can mimic a lot of the benefits of a deshedder with a flee comb (with the added bonus that they're generally lower priced - although the cashier will assume that your dog has flees ).

I've found that a hound glove does a lot to keep the shedding under control as well.

[SeashellnBubbles]

Furminator!! My parents have 4 labs and if not for this amazing device they'd be waist deep in fur!!

[mlp4me]

Groomer here!
For a Border Collie I would normally use a combination of a slicker brush and greyhound comb for standard brushing and add in a furminator and zoom groom for a shedding dog. Furminators can be a bit pricey but they work very well. You just have to be careful not to press to hard or go over the same area too much because you can cause scratches on the skin or bald spots if you are too rough using it. Zoom grooms are great for shorter areas like around the head and lower parts of the legs and just general gentle removal of dead hair.

A greyhound comb?? Really?
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

What do those look like?

[Flitter]

Groomer here!
For a Border Collie I would normally use a combination of a slicker brush and greyhound comb for standard brushing and add in a furminator and zoom groom for a shedding dog. Furminators can be a bit pricey but they work very well. You just have to be careful not to press to hard or go over the same area too much because you can cause scratches on the skin or bald spots if you are too rough using it. Zoom grooms are great for shorter areas like around the head and lower parts of the legs and just general gentle removal of dead hair.

A greyhound comb?? Really?
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

What do those look like?

Essentially just a metal comb with a fine and coarse end.
Like this
http://petus.imageg.net/PETNA_36/pimg/pPETNA-5148205_main_enh.jpg
I have no idea why they are called a greyhound comb (I think maybe an original brand name for the design?) as they are utterly useless for a greyhound coat 

What a cutie you have. Those ears! He/She looks comfy there