Yet another dog question - shedding

[MamaSheep]

We all adore our puppy, but all of a sudden whoever holds her winds up covered in hair. It's amazing how much hair can come off a 2-3 pound dog and still have some dog left over! I got one of those mitts with the little rubber nubs on it that are supposed to get some of the loose fur off, but mostly she's scared of it and attacks my hand. When I hold her down and rub her good all over, I think it just loosens the stuff up without brushing it off. She's an itty bitty little dog with very short fur, but there has to be a better way. Tell my how to groom this scallywag to get the shedding down to a reasonable level. I'm fairly sure it's new dog owner ignorance of the right tools and techniques. I know someone here can help me, you people (collectively) know just about everything. :D

[RoughCollie]

I used this brush on Aidan when he was small (7.5-15 lbs):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O39TE6/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

 

I brushed the hair in the direction it grows, over and over, and very gently. Then I combed him with this:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lil-Pals-Shedding-Purple-Green/dp/B000O3EJNW/ref=sr_1_9?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1324345865&sr=1-9

[MamaSheep]

I used this brush on Aidan when he was small (7.5-15 lbs):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O39TE6/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

 

I brushed the hair in the direction it grows, over and over, and very gently. Then I combed him with this:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lil-Pals-Shedding-Purple-Green/dp/B000O3EJNW/ref=sr_1_9?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1324345865&sr=1-9

 

 

Slicker brush. Shedding comb. Excellent, thank you. I knew there was something, I just didn't know what to get out of the plethra of available little brushy things.

[kalanamak]

Try a Zoom Groom for cats. They used to be blue. Don't buy the cheap knockoffs.

[MamaSheep]

Try a Zoom Groom for cats. They used to be blue. Don't buy the cheap knockoffs.

 

Do those things really work?

[kalanamak]

Do those things really work?

 

Oh yes.

http://www.petco.com/product/106332/KONG-Cat-Zoom-Groom-Brush.aspx

 

At our store you can bring pets in. They aren't wrapped. Give a couple of brushes to see if the short haired dog or cat works best. The cat is much more supple and would be gentler on a puppy. My dog and cats LOVED them. I'd get off fistfulls at first, and it "collects" in the teeth and can be easily peeled off like a mat of felt. Once you start doing it daily, there is not much to come off.

 

Before I found these, I "groomed" by wetting my hands, curving my spread fingers like a claw, and, starting at the head, rapidly drag one and then the other hand down the back over and over (think of Harpo Marx tworling his hands up and down the harp) until the fingers got dry. I'd wipe off the hair and do it again until my hands started coming up clean. Do this outdoors.

 

But the Zoom Groom is better.

[MamaSheep]

Thanks. You can bring pets into our store too, but I hadn't thought about trying it out there. That's a good idea. And I have been giggling a little recently about how many cat products fit the puppy better than the dog products. The vet used to give her cat treats instead of dog treats because the dog treats they had were too dang big for her. She gets a dog treat now that she's grown a bit, but they're like half a meal for the critter. And by the time they give her a little canned food to distract her while she gets the shots, and then a big old treat after, her supper's just about ruined...lol. Then there's the cat bed I got for her to lounge in because the dog beds were all to big (although mostly she flips it upside down with her inside it and then wrestles it with much growling and snuffling, much to the delight of my kids who laugh and make rabid turtle jokes. And the cat sized carrier. My husband grew up with cats and didn't think he was a dog person, but he's really liking her. She's the size of a cat, and likes to curl up in your lap and let you pet her kind of like a cat, but she's always SOOOO happy to see you! Much more affectionate and less standoffish than a cat. And it's good that he likes her because he cannot have a cat because cats make my lungs close up and my eyes and nose melt and run off my face. All of which is to say...maybe I should try the cat groomer. I'll check it out. Thank you.