Just want to Thank you! - Page 2

SchH III FH II wrote:

> I used to be a dog groomer and would never use it on my GSD's. <

Exactly my observations. It's probably a fine tool for many breeds but it is not suitable for a GSD's coat. It splits, breaks, and pulls out the guard hairs, unlike rakes which remove just the loose undercoat. No groomers I know use the Furminator on GSDs. Mine languishes on the bottom of the grooming box. The tool, not the dog  :)

I've found if I use the Furminator to linecomb Blitz, it won't break the guardhairs. If you use it as a rake and not linecomb, then  you're going to end up with a dog that has a broken top coat. Some of my freinds with ohter breeds use it too and their only complaint is that it's not good for a dog with a long, soft topcoat, so might not work for some longcoated GSD's. The hairs can get tangle in the blade.   Anyway, it works for Blitz, a stockhair, and he looks good after a grooming, but not stripped. I'm careful about how I use it though as it can be a lethal weapon .

One can get a little carried away with the furminator though!

I use it on my older bitch who is a shedding machine.  My other two are not as bad and only tend to blow their coats twice year, so the under coat rake is fine for them.  It does cut the fur, so you do need to be careful. 

When I combed Beckett with the Furminator, it seemed that all I got from him was a ton of tan hair. His guard hairs are black, his undercoat is reddish-tan. So, I think I am safe in assuming that what I got off of him were not his guard hairs! jh