Forminator for dogs: types, how to choose and use correctly?

Everyone who has dogs constantly living at home is well aware of the situation when molting begins in animals. The consequences of this process are depressing. Dog hair is everywhere: on the floor, on carpets, on furniture, on clothes, in the air, and even worse, it can even get on a plate of food. Households are constantly haunted by the thought of when it will end. The state of health of the pet is also worrying, because the obsolete undercoat must be removed in a timely manner.

Furminator - a patented invention of professional American groomer Angie Porter, a novelty of modern zoo industry, an indispensable assistant in the fight against the ubiquitous coat.

This is a tool for combing hair of animals when the pet actively sheds. It is used to care for dogs with a thick pronounced undercoat. Not suitable for smooth-haired (practically without undercoat) pets. Shorthair dogs can be combed out with specially developed models of furminators, if their undercoat is not removed with a special device - a hard mitten.

It is a special brush with thin strong teeth made of stainless steel. Replaces several different dog grooming tools (comb brushes, curls, scallops). Lifeless hairs do not shine, fall to shreds, stray into tangles. The old wool is hanging in shreds, the shaggy, groomed dog looks like a street child. With the advent of the furminator, it became much easier to solve the problem of hair in the home and give the dog a fur coat a noble appearance.

With a furminator it is possible

• remove old wool quickly and painlessly;
• effectively comb out dogs of any length on dogs;
• to prevent the appearance of new tangles on the wool;
• evenly distribute natural grease to the coat (a healthy shine will appear);
• significantly reduce the duration of molting (up to 90%) and the time for grooming the dog’s coat.

This is a real find for pet owners. The combed dog is not hot in the hot summer days, as the dead coat does not interfere with intensive heat transfer and normal skin breathing. In the winter cold, the dog is not cold, because without interference a new high-quality coat grows. Having chosen a helper as a helper, the owner will find a clean house, and his dog will receive full care for healthy shiny coat.

The design of the furminator is simple and works like a miniature rake. The main element is a strong steel comb with sharp teeth, mounted on a convenient ergonomic handle that does not slip in the hand. The built-in button above the teeth allows you to instantly clean the device from combed wool. When combing, the teeth do not cut off the undercoat, but grab the dead hairs and pull them to the surface, and the remaining hair slides freely between the teeth.

This effect was not achieved with any of the other devices previously used by dog ​​breeders.

The choice of instrument category by size depends on the dog breed:

• Large category - for large long-haired breeds (blade 10-13 cm, weight 23-41 kg, wool more than 5 cm);
• Medium category - for medium breeds (blade 6-7 cm, weight 9-23 kg, wool within 5 cm);
• Small category - for small shorthair breeds (blade 3-4.5 cm, weight up to 9 kg, wool up to 5 cm).

The competing companies offer all kinds of models of devices for various types of wool and animal sizes. Today, the most popular in the zoo industry market are several manufacturers of furminators.

• FURminator Ink (America) - The company owns a patent for the invention of the furminator. It produces high quality products. Self-sharpening stainless steel blades for long life. There are two categories in the lineup: Classic - reliable simple models of the beginning of production, and DeLuxe - modern advanced developments with self-cleaning blades and a convenient handle. Products are expensive.

• Company Trixie (Germany) produces analogues of original products. They differ from the originals in design and in the width of the working area, they have inclined teeth. At a cost cheaper than the originals.

• Foolee and Vivog firms (France) secured a solid reputation. Foolee products have 5 options for dogs of different sizes from small decorative breeds to very large dogs. Vivog manufactures 2 lines of instruments: the classic simple and advanced. The products are relatively inexpensive.

• Furminators Kudi (China). Under this brand, classic combs are produced. The development novelty is a “two in one” blade, which allows you to first prepare the hair for combing (just comb it), and then use the rotary mechanism to change the mode and start combing the undercoat. The kit includes 4 different blade lengths.

Owners select a brush for dogs for a specific animal, given the size of its teeth. The shorter the coat, the shorter the length of the teeth. Accordingly, the longer the dog’s hair, the longer the teeth. The choice of the frequency of the cloves depends on the thickness of the coat: the thicker the coat, the less often the cloves, and for a lighter coat of hair, choose a comb with frequent cloves. The width of the comb depends on the size of the dog. Obviously, it would never occur to anyone to process a small breed dog with a large tool or scratch a huge dog with a miniscule device.

A quality tool should have rounded teeth without nicks that will not damage the skin if accidentally touched to eliminate the risk of causing pain to the dog when combing. When choosing, it should be noted that products with a self-cleaning button and an integrated blade change function will last a shorter time than monolithic ones, but most buyers choose the undoubted convenience of these functions, agreeing to some losses in the service life.

Some modern models of furminators are equipped with a massage device, but dog handlers do not recommend rushing with their purchase, since dogs do not really need massage, and additional effects on the skin and unusual sounds of a vibrating device irritate animals.

The dog needs to be prepared for combing out by the furminator. In most cases, combing and cutting do not belong to the dog’s favorite procedures, therefore it is advisable to train a pet in them from early childhood. This is done gradually in a playful way. First you need to gently hold the puppy’s hair growth comb, trying not to cling or pull the hair.

If the puppy is frightened, you need to caress and reassure him, and if you accepted the attempt calmly, encourage him with your favorite treat. So the pet will quickly get used to the procedure and, quite possibly, that in the future it will bring him pleasure.

If it is the first time to treat an already adult dog, it is very important to conduct the first combing out without traumatic symptoms so that the animal does not have fear and anxiety when looking at the furminator. Even if it’s a free yard dog with shreds of felted wool and tangles, it’s best to start with a wool tool with a few strokes, without proceeding with further steps. So the dog will understand that with the appearance in the hands of the owner of the host, nothing unpleasant happens.

In advanced cases, it is first necessary to select stuck thorns and plant seeds from the wool, and cut off heavily fallen shreds and mats with scissors. Carefully inspect the skin of the animal for abrasions, bites, skin rashes, unhealed wounds. It is advisable to bathe the pet, let the coat and undercoat dry completely, untangle the hairs of the usual comb, and only after that use the furminator.

The host is easy to use, it can be used by both a professional groomer and an ordinary amateur dog breeder. Before starting work, you must correctly set the comb at the level of the undercoat, without touching the skin blade. Slowly and smoothly run the device along the hair growth in the direction of the withers - tail, center of the back - lower abdomen, trying to make long continuous movements.

Sharpening sharp blades allows you to remove small fallen shreds, but if the hand feels an obstacle to the normal sliding of the tool, it is better to stop and check the wool, cut off the compacted scissors with scissors and continue the procedure. About every half minute, you need to press the combed wool reset button so that the efficiency of the device does not decrease.

With extreme caution, you should scratch the dog’s highly sensitive areas - tail, abdomen, inner surface of the hind legs. It is recommended to talk affectionately with the dog, often repeating the nickname. The calm voice of the owner calms the pet. You may need an assistant to hold the dog, as it can spin and try to break out.

Shorthair and medium-haired dogs are combed out. from the withers to the tail and from top to bottom from the back to the stomach. Longhair dogs are combed out in layers. in rows starting from the bottom. After passing the next row, they capture the next layer above and repeat the procedure. Gradually all the hair is combed to the center of the back on the side on one side, the other side of the animal is combed out similarly. If the dog is calm and does not resist, then combing out the owner of the richest hair will be able to comb out with the correctly selected furminator in just half an hour. In advanced cases, the procedure will take about an hour.

The speed of processing is associated with accustomed dogs with pleasant sensations over time, they stand calmly during the whole process. Once a month it is recommended to scratch animals for prevention, and during molting much more often, 2-3 times a week, if necessary daily. After the procedure, the instrument must be carefully washed with warm water and mild soap, dried well and closed with a protective cover.

Every time an attempt to comb out a dog causes fear, he actively resists and tries to dodge with all his might. If your dog is one of these, you should not force the dog, shaking the psyche of the animal. The way out will be the invitation of a professional groomer who has permission to use light sedatives. The specialist will calmly tidy up the coat while the dog is sleeping.

Anyway you can’t leave such a dog without care in the hope of self-molting, the excess uncleaned old undercoat will create health problems for both the pet and its owner.

Judging by the reviews on thematic forums, the convenience and effectiveness of the use of furminators for long-haired breeds is beyond doubt. Specially designed models are also effective for short-haired dogs. Buyers note that with the use of a furminator, the appearance of their pets became more well-groomed and beautiful, the coat acquired a lively healthy shine and smoothness, it does not need to be cut.

Even outbred yard dogs with appropriate care with a furminator turn into pets of a noble appearance. Housing care has been greatly simplified. Some owners in their reviews say that With the advent of this wonderful device in the house and its proper use in caring for a dog, flying hairs completely disappeared.

To learn how to choose a furminator, see the video below.