Puppy Grooming Question...

The Furminator brushes work really well at getting out tons of dead hair. I have purebred pugs and I know how much they can shed! I try to take them to groomers on a regular basis just for basic baths and they do a great job at brushing them out.

I've also found that when they are on a diet high in omega 3 fatty acids, their coats are much nicer, more plush, and they shed a lot less. You can add a fish oil capsule to her food once a day to up the omega 3 content and you might see a difference within a few weeks. My dogs are older, so I am feeding them a prescription diet from Hill's called j/d - it has fish oil already in it and a very high level of omega 3s to help with inflammation from arthritis. I've also noticed that when they are on it, they shed a lot less. Some of my pet owner clients that have had their dogs on it for arthritis have noticed how much nicer their coats are too. I don't think it would be an appropriate diet for a still-growing 6 month old puppy but you can try just adding the fish oil capsules to her food for now.

Slicker brushes get tons of hair out. The hair also stays in the brush but is easy to remove in one clump so you are not spreading hair around.

Yeah they are the wire kind, the bristles are bent in the middle and the head is rectangle. When I was a teen I helped my aunt groom poodles. They are great brushes and don't hurt the skin at all. They kind of look like they should but they don't. We use one on our cat, just don't tell him they are for dogs. :)

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3465561

I had corgis growing up and people actually make wool from the amount of hair they shed. It was non-stop but I can tell you, diet plays a huge part in shedding. Good diets, meat filled no grain, and cream soaps, with infrequent bathing will keep the dry skin away, which is one main reason for shedding. Slicker brushes, and blow outs (which might require a trip to a salon for the first proper one). Slicker brushing every day outside, then take a damp NOT WET, towel and rub her down. Then take your had several times down the areas that are the worst. It minimalizes and lessens everyday. We have a Great Dane/Australian Shep mix now. We gave up on keep her groomed ourselves and have a bi-monthly appointments at Petsmart for blow out grooming. Helps a lot.

Slicker are the rectangular brushes with wire pegs that angle backwards.

my sister has the thing that looks like a vaccum brush - it's battery powered and sort of 'rolls' over the dogs. They LOVE it. You can't use it near the ears or face or down by the feet, but for the body is it fabulous.

She has a golden retriever and an English sheep dog.

Congratulations on your new family member! On our dogs we use wire brushes (gently) and a steel fine-tooth comb. I also have a shedder, which gets to the undercoat and gets the loose hair out, but I've never used it on a very little pup. A dog needs to know how to stand still for a while before you can use a shedder. (I have also used a wire slicker, and it works beautifully on some breeds.)

There are lots of other products on the market; some work well and some don't. You might ask your vet. Ask what he/she uses on his/her own dog and why.

You'll have shedding problems in the summer anyhow, when your pup is getting rid of her thick winter coat. But if you brush and comb her starting now, and get into a grooming routine every few days, she'll be used to the procedure by the time she (and you) really, really needs it.

I have a rottweiler/Shepard mix that sheds to no end! There are so many products out there for shedding that I've tried most of them. Well I broke down and bought the furminator. It's crazy expensive, but it works wonders! You can buy the wire brushes just be sure you have time at least 3 times per week to completely brush out your puppy, otherwise you will find dog hair everywhere! Good luck!

Beagles and Labs are the #1 shedders - the reason behind the puggle was to hopefully decrease the shedding, but it doesn't always work in cross breeds (but all that matters is that the wonderful disposition shines thru :)). Our Beagle loves the rake, it massages while brushes.

According to a grooming class we took at Animal Friends, the proper way of washing the dog is the key to shedding. Brush the dog first. Make the water as hot as the dog can stand, to open the pores and release the loose hair. Dilute the soap to 1 tablespoon per 20oz (or an empty shampoo bottle) of water, pouring that over the dog once its all wet. Massage the soap into the skin more than the hair. Rinse thoroughly with warm-hot water, the hair will be almost squeaky clean. Dry as best as you can with towels and/or warm air in the room.

Once we switched to this way of bathing our dogs, they went from tearing out of the house whenever they heard the tub faucet turn on, to tearing INTO the bathroom and fighting over who gets a bath first.

Doing this weekly, really cut down on the shedding. Any skin issues disappeared as well. Good luck! And yay to the family!