Shedding Light on a Hairy Problem

As the loose dog hair in my house mounts into billowing tumbleweeds rolling across my hardwood floors, I realize I need to get Kelly's shedding under control. I've been brushing her, but my regular spiky toothed brush doesn't do much to help. Many of my friends (with both cats and dogs) use and love the FURminator, but I've been hesitant. First, I didn't believe it would make any difference. Second, I thought it would hurt my dog. I thought the device was more like a razor blade designed to cut or shave the fur.

Luckily, FURminator deshedding products kindly offered to send me one to test out so I could see for myself.

So I sat down with Kelly on several occasions and spent about 10 minutes each time brushing her with the FURminator. She usually is semi-cooperative about grooming procedures, but she didn't mind this at all, which told me that it didn't hurt her.

Here is what I learned about FURminator:
1. It is safe to use (as instructed), and instead of shaving it gently pulls out the undercoat.
2. Unlike Kelly's regular brush, fur is easy to extract from the tool, with a simple push of the ejector button.
3. The tool gets out LOTS of hair, I mean LOTS, every time I use it.
4. This definitely helps control the shedding/tumbleweed problem in my house.

Note that this is not a one-step take care of all your grooming needs tool. I had kind of hoped for something I could run over Kelly's coat once and leave her hair shiny, bouncy and manageable, and perfectly trimmed too. Alas, like all of us ladies, there is no quick and easy fix. I still need to brush her and clip her and all that. If there are mats or tangles, the FURminator is not the tool to use. The instructions caution you against using the tool on tangles, matting, bruises and other skin conditions. The FURminator does one job, and does it well. It helps you quickly and easily remove the undercoat and control shedding.

Tested: FURminator deLuxe, retail $54.99
Rating: Excellent
* This product delivers what it promises
* Easy to use
* Quality construction, it feels sturdy in your hand
* Rubber grip feels comfortable too
* Helps control your pet's shedding
* At $44.99 and up, it is a little expensive compared to regular dog brushes, but it's not actually a brush, it's a deshedding tool. It's a good value for what you get.
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Shedding's a Mess But Dog Hair Can Be Useful

Is spring time also known as shedding time in your household? We're trying to keep up with the hairy mess around here. Some of the things you can do:

1. Cover up. It may seem obvious, but instead of spending hours cleaning up after the dog hair, you can just protect your furniture by covering it up...toss a sheet or throw over your couch, armchair or sleeper sofa to keep it safe, then whisk it off for laundering. I figure our couch is lasting longer (even if I can't see it under that throw blanket!)

2. Protect the car too. We need to put a mat over the car seat too, or else the car is covered with Kelly hair. I didn't know there were so many different products made specifically to protect car seats. CSN Stores.com has offered to send me a beautiful quilted dog mat to review, and I'll be trying that out and posting a review in a week or so. Check back soon.

3. Vacuum often. That pet hair really accumulates fast. Sometimes I need to vacuum twice a day.

4. Keep one of those lint brushes or sticky picker upper things by the front door. Nothing worse than attending that important business meeting with furry pants.

5. Most importantly, brush your dog or cat often. Or possibly have him or her shaved down for the summer, if you like.

And what can you do with all that dog hair you've collected? There is a great answer: Send it to Matter of Trust. They are collecting dog hair (and cats, alpaca, llamas, horse and even human) to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. They make "boons" by stuffing old nylons with hair that absorbs the oil. Wow, there's a benefit to shedding!