Undercoating-advice please

Vee1 · Post by **Vee1** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:46 am

Hi

I have read here as well as googled the "furmintor" in order to get rid of undercoat. However this product is not available where I live, which is South Africa.
Can someone please recommend any other product that I can find here which is just as effective?
We are in summer now, so trying to make my babies as comfortable as possible. They are only 7 months and 5 months old.Although Sly(7month) doesnt really need it, cos he is a cross chow and his fur is not as thick as Stone.
Also, is Stone too young for me to shave(last resort) ?

Many thanks for your help.

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:17 am

I have recommended two professional grooming tools which work really well on undercoats. The first one is a pin brush designed for longer fur double-coat breeds. The pins are rounded and almost twice as long as regular pin brushes. You can do an online search or forum archive search for "Because I am #1" to see a photo of the brush.

The second tool is a long-tooth rotating contour undercoat rake. The rake is spring mounted to glide over body curves, and the rotating teeth glide through tangles, rather than snag, making it more comfortable. Mikki is the brand name I'm familiar with on this one.

I wouldn't shave the coat for several reasons. Not only would you increase sun damage to the delicate skin, shaving is not recommended especially for pups. It takes a great deal of hormone power to regrow a coat, and pups require the surging hormones for body growth at this stage.

sauerka · Post by **sauerka** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:19 pm

I am by no means a professional dog groomer. However, I do know what works for my dogs in a hot climate. My dogs have gone through Furminator treatments at a groomer's but I did not find it to be all that helpful. Currently I bath my Ginger about every 8 weeks. The dead hair comes out nicely during the bathing process. My Pumpkin does not get bathed a often as her hair is shorter and her puppy-type fur (that is what the groomer called it) stays really nice. I also trim up the hind end as well as the legs and feet. We walk in the desert so this limits the debris picked up. The belly is also trimmed for this reason. What I believe really helps is the grooming sessions we have every night before bed. All three dogs are raked and brushed. This is followed by treats where the older two get their medications. The girls also have their feet rinsed off with water after walks. In the summer this helps to cool them off plus we have a soil borne fungus that leads to a disease called Valley Fever. I am hoping this helps decrease their chance of picking it up - so far so good. A by-product of all this handling is that they are all very good girls at the vets.

I agree with kiwani that body shaving is not a good thing. Not only is there the sun burn issue, but the coat provides other protections. My girls live in the house and prefer the air conditioner to be set no higher than 80F.

Strepitous · Post by **Strepitous** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 2:43 pm

"I agree with kiwani that body shaving is not a good thing. Not only is there the sun burn issue, but the coat provides other protections. My girls live in the house and prefer the air conditioner to be set no higher than 80F."

I actually went to the groomer today with my 2 1/2 month old Juice to see if she could give me any advice for the hotter weather. I was told that Shaving your chow is not recommended at all. It helps prevent Fleas, Ticks, Sunburn and believe it or not.. The thick coat is actually used as insulation. It keeps them cool whether their fur feels hot or not.
The fur will also grow in more densely and it won't be as soft.

summer_rose03 · Post by **summer_rose03** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:57 pm

The furminator will probably not work on chows. Their hair is too thick. Use a rake. If you do try the furminator, be careful, you can bald them because it will just keep pulling the hair out.