Grooming

mstrsszz · Post by **mstrsszz** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:34 pm

First of just wanna say hey! I'm obviously new here, i haven't actually got a chow yet. but im collecting as much info on them as possible to make sure they're the right breed for me... so i'll probably be posting a few threads asking general questions

and heres my first:

Has anyone heard of the furminator?

http://www.furminator.com/

I was wondering if it is any good for chows?

It looks like it would be the absolute best thing!

Wollfie · Post by **Wollfie** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:00 pm

No I have never heard of the FURminator; however, after checking out their “How it Works” page, I was not impressed. I would definitely be happy just to make it through Step 3.
http://www.furminator.com/howItWorks.cfm

mstrsszz · Post by **mstrsszz** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:14 am

How do you mean?

I'm sure you can use it without the washing and solution first, thats only if you want to do the process.

It says if you just use the tool it is best if you have washed and dried the dog first, but other then that just to do it normally...

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:27 am

I'm not impressed either, and I've had chows now for 12 years one of them with a show quality coat.

First if you spend the time to bathe a chow and proberly dry them you've already spent 2-5 hours of a day. Their coats are incredibly dense and they have to be rinsed and dried throughly. Second a chow should have an undercoat most of the year and they don't shed it constantly, they shed it twice a year, a big shed, often called a blow out in the spring and a minor one in the winter. Those undercoats are what give the chow their big fluffy look. That Husky or malumute in the picture, (you can't even tell with so much of his/her coat gone) looks like it's been shaved. That is not what they are supposed to look like. If you constantly remove the undercoat from a chow, you will be missing the real beauty of a chow, that lovely stand off coat and mane, knickers and bushy full tail.

Now there is a short haired version of a chow which sheds less so folks say, but still they have a lovely stand off coat that is very dense.

I groom my two chows about once a week in the winter, with a pin brush, bristle brush, (for their faces) and a metal comb with two types of tines. In the spring, when they are blowing those coats, I groom them twice a week, or maybe a bit each night, (you can do it while sitting on the floor with them watching TV) and I add a undercoat rake to the tools I use. My girl chow has not had a bath in almost 3 years, her skin is in excellent condition, her coat is beautiful. My little boy has never had a bath since I've had him, (he's seven months old) his skin is wonderful his coat lovely.

Go to the photo section of this site and look at the chows there, this is what they are supposed to look like and I don't think they would if we used this furminator thing.

Just my not so humble opinion.

vicster605@cmaaccess.com · Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:38 am

I THOUGHT IT WAS HUMBLE, VICTORY........

and educational too.......Someone who doesn't own a Chow couldn't possible understand a Chow's coat. It just looks FLUFFY, UNTIL you really try and care for it. Being a newbee, I'm still learning the best way to care for it and it is a SERIOUS UNDER-taking, no pun intended

Their coat is so thick and dense I wonder how Kearra could possibly feel me petting her at times. Almost like caring for 2 coats at. Well, NO almost to that..........

Princess · Post by **Princess** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:27 pm

Over many years of buying crap on infomercials and such I have learned that well... they are crap and there's no easy way out.... It could be my computer, but when they were brushing the retriever(i think, the black dog) the hair didn't even look the same color... it's a scam... hahaha i could be just bitter over infomercial stuff.....

bubba · Post by **bubba** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:23 am

furminator looks like a flea comb on a rake handle , teeth are too close together ,maybe the special products would help hair release but that comb thing would never get down through the guard hairs to the under coat
i start with a comb where the teeth are 1/4 inch apart . then one 1/8th inch apart, work into a a mediun greyhound type [ stainless steel] then slicker brushes , i get a lot of undercoat out , i'm saving it and am going to have it knitted into a chow hair hat ..

fillyok · Post by **fillyok** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:54 pm

Okay, I fell for the "infommercial" on the Furminator. I bought one right after I adopted Ping (my second Chow). She was blowing her puppy fur like nobody's business and I was dealing with a broken ankle (thanks to Ping and Bear). It worked okay, but I wouldn't buy it again, especially not for the price. I use a pin brush and rake most of the time. I also have a small comb from Bamboo Pets that I like to use around their ears.

I recently purchased a set of electric clippers that work wonders on keeping their tushies groomed. I did a lot of research and decided to go with Andis, since they had the best reviews from professional groomers.

mstrsszz · Post by **mstrsszz** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:21 pm

oh ok, i understand now... kewl

but i also forgot to mention that i'm in australia, therefore its pretty hot here for dogs used to snow, so i was wondering would it be better for them to trim them etc during our summer?

just a thought??

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:28 pm

A chows coat insulate against both heat and cold, especially if you live in a hot humid climate, you'll need some way for them to cool off, (24/7 AC) or a fan on the floor. The cold air gets into the undercoat and is held there helping to keep them cool.

The othere thing is that you have to be very careful if you live in a hot climate and you trim them as they need the coat to protect their skins which little or no pigmentation in them therefore they are prone to skin cancer if they get burned. Many of us live in the hotter parts of the US, Texas, Florida, Southern CA and such and our chows do fine.

Chows can handle wide variations in temp, it's the humidity that can make it hard for them.

daryl168yang · Post by **daryl168yang** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:06 pm

Don't worry about the weather. I'm in singapore, it's at least 26C at the coolest with rain here. It's hot 24/7, 365 days a year! But, richie is still cool and surviving well. We go for 1hour walks, and he still has not died of a heat-stroke. (Touch wood!!!) Well, just that the fur would be much shorter. But, if youre living somewhere with snow, I'm sure your chow would look absolutely gorgeous.

bubba · Post by **bubba** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:19 am

lots of famous international Chowist in Oz ..

...

i think it better to work work work and get all the under coat out then the chow has a big fluffy insulated blanket to keep the heat out , i WOULD NNot leave my chow out in the heat , i would provide an ice houce /airconditioned space for them , let them go out into the heat with all the cold air caught in the guard hairs , when the heat starts to get in then choww is knockin at the door .. people do the lion cut but it is possible that the hair will never come back in good

i would look up the addys of the Aust chhowist is you wish

my fav is Judith Anne , she was the first girl i ever kissed back in the middle of the last century [ or so i have deluded myself] she came from oz = i came from texas , we met in japan when we were in the first grade and stole a kiss...

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:15 am

There are some archived posts on 'The Furminator' as well. It seems to be a revised design of a popular grooming tool from a few decades ago, called the 'Shed'n Blade'. It resembled a ruler-sized saw blade, which could either be locked into a loop shape or used full length, as more of a loose fur gripping saw blade. Probably worked best on shorter coated breeds, but I do think it damaged the long coat guard hairs.

I've recommended two tools designed for long double-coat breeds. A 35mm long pin brush, called "Because I am #1" - with polished pins that are twice as long. The second tool is an undercoat rake, with rotating *long coat* teeth, which are spring loaded to conform to the dog's contours. There's less pulling with the rotating teeth.

There are several threads on grooming tips in the archives as well, including detangling products, coat misting before grooming, sunblocks, vinegar rinses, coat nutrition, etc.

mstrsszz · Post by **mstrsszz** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:49 pm

awesome! you guys have been a great help

thanx

KodasMom · Post by **KodasMom** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:55 pm

Someone donated that furinator comb at work... I threw it out. It IS just a lice comb on a handle. Lice combs are less than a dollar if you want to try one out on a chow. (chuckles)

When I first started working on Koda's coat it was a terrible mess, and found the bladed comb made for collies worked well for getting the mats out. I use it on long haired cats with mats too. Now we just use metal comb.

I'm considering the lion cut this summer though because he still chews off his hindquarters (like nail biting I think, just a bad habit from his days in Iso) but I worry that without the hair there he'll just chew his skin.

At least he's leaving his tail alone these days. It's beautiful. It used to look like a badly used q-tip.

I have to keep his ears trimmed out because he's had yeasty ear infections.

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:25 pm

KodasMom wrote:I'm considering the lion cut this summer though because he still chews off his hindquarters (like nail biting I think, just a bad habit from his days in Iso) but I worry that without the hair there he'll just chew his skin.

At least he's leaving his tail alone these days. It's beautiful. It used to look like a badly used q-tip.

I have to keep his ears trimmed out because he's had yeasty ear infections.

If he's going after himself because of a nervous habit; it is very likely that he will do so even if there is little or no hair in the area and if he damages the skin doing it, (even just licking a lot can do damage) it could cause further skin problems and/or damage the skin to the point where the hair has a hard time growing back.

Also don't know if you know this but chows are prone to allergies which can cause the yeasty ear infections. If you look on the many, many threads on food you'll see a lot about allergies being caused by foods, (corn based being the worst cause), but they can have other allergies as well. My LiChi was allergic to pine and juniper, if he got underneath it or around it, in a day or so he had an allergy attack and his ears would go from perfectly clear to a weepy mess. It was worse when the pine trees and juniper bushes were sending out growth shoots in the spring.

Keeping Koda's ears trimmed is a good idea but if he has allergies he could still get yeast infections. Kiwani has posted a lot about food preventions on this topic.

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:49 am

Re: "I'm considering the lion cut this summer though because he still chews off his hindquarters...but I worry that without the hair there he'll just chew his skin.

If his diet is high in inflammatory fats and omega-6's, it doesn't take much to trigger an itch, whatever the cause. Inflammatory fats can also irritate and clog *Censored Word* sacs, clog hair follicles, and provide a favorable environment for yeast. Reducing certain fats and starches, like junk treats, and adding omega-3's from fish, lowers the itch trigger, and contributes to healthy skin/coat.

Re: "I have to keep his ears trimmed out because he's had yeasty ear infections."

In addition to the above advice, swabbing with vinegar-based ear cleaners (MalAcetic Otic) makes an inhospitable environment for yeast.