Sarah's Mum Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi everyone, I have a female lab x. Crossed with what I have no idea but her coat is like a polar bear's coat. Not that it's long, it's the under layer that is the problem, it is really thick. We go to the beach every morning & she is washed down & dried with 2 human towels & then a microfibre towel by 10.30 am & she is still damp at 4.30 pm. 'm hoping someone could recommend some dog grooming clippers please? I would like to keep it at about $100 if that is possible? Any suggestions? By-the-way, my profile photo is not a photo of my current dog, that was my lovely girl Sarah who I lost last year. Thank you, Sarah's Mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliwake Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I use an undercoat rake for the undercoat and a zoom groom for the top coat, for my lab. Works really well. I don't have any clipper suggestions though, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) To clip a really thick coat like that I'm afraid you're going to need good quality clippers, which will cost upwards of $200 at least. The cheaper ones you can get for $100 or under don't have the power, the blade quality or the endurance to get through a thick coat properly and will burn out pretty quickly trying to. It's worth investing in quality clippers though, clipping is tough enough to learn for both the human and the dog and having good clippers makes it easier for both :) Alternatively you could take her to a professional groomer, but it is cheaper in the long run to do it yourself. ETA - oh and welcome to the forums! :D Edited February 4, 2015 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 From the sound of that coat I actually wouldn't clip her, I would be looking to get as much undercoat out as I could while retaining the top coat. So I would recommend a good undercoat rake, used at least weekly so that all of the loose undercoat is stripped out. The first time you use it you will most probably get a pile of fur nearly as big as the dog! If at all possible, invest in a force blow drier which will dry your dog thoroughly after swimming...although you would be unlikely to find a second hand one for under $100. Possibly a high powered human hair dryer with a concentrator attached might work, although a large dog would take a looooong time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Yes, regular hydrobaths and force drying will get lots of the loose coat out too. Bear in mind that if you do clip her she'll still shed her hair (unless she's crossed with sonething non-shedding) and you'll have little hair splinters everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I suggest you take her a good groomer , who can get rid of lots of that double coat - then show you how to maintain it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 A forced air blower will be the best investment you will ever make. Especially if she gets wet a lot. An undercoat rake with rotating teeth are also very good, I would stay away from any rakes that have blades e.g.. Furminator. It should be noted that as your dog gets wet a lot and you can't dry out the undercoat properly you may end up spending far more money with vet bills when nasty skin conditions start to occur. So the forced air blower will save you a lot of money, time and hassle :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 What Yonjuro said :) best thing I ever brought was a force dryer. I have a cool/ heat one. Unless it is cold weather I just use the cool air. Saves the dogs coat & still dries them off. Gets rid of any loose under coat as well. Not a good idea to leave a dog with a wet coat for any length of time as it could lead to all sorts of skin issues. Not to mention Arthritis & alike if left get cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah's Mum Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Yes, I don't like her being damp for so long. Apart from becoming a bit pongy I have been very concerned about it leading to arthritis in years to come too & certainly don't want to add to that possibility for her. From your most welcome suggestions I think I'll try the undercoat rake & see what I can find in the way of a strong dryer. Once again, thank you all for your welcome responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Agree with trying to brush out undercoat (rakes are great!) and yep force dryer best thing ever!!! I bought mine on ebay a couple of years ago, it's only a dodgy cheap one but I generally am only drying 1 dog - it might be slightly dodgy but I can have him 100% dry in under an hour (BC with a naturally thick coat at all times of year!), and it is like a snow storm when he's dropping coat so much more effective than brushing. There are some dryers on ebay at the moment similar to mine - around the $80 mark. In the long run I'd like a better one, but to get started and have something mine has done the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 welcome to my life times twice i don't clip either of my labs but i do bath them weekly - this helps enormously with getting the undercoat out without damaging the outer coat. After a good towel dry or blow dry (blow drying also helps enormously) i give them a brush with a slicker brush. I have a Furminator which i use but only when they are blowing, but i try not to use it otherwise because it's really harsh on their coat and tends to strip the outer hair and is rather damaging. I'm a little vain when it comes to my dogs; i like to see shiny healthy coats not dry stripped coats. I too would recommend the purchase of a blow/force dryer. I've always bathed my dogs at the hydrobath at the local pet store where i had access to a force dryer, but recently purchased my own dog bath - now i need to get the force dryer; i honestly wouldn't be without one or access to one with labs. Firstly because it's important to keep their skin dry under the arm pits etc (my oldest has skin issues so keeping dry is important) and secondly it helps blow out more undercoat. When i bath them i run my fingers through their coat against the growth direction and massage the fur; that removes a lot of fur too. And despite all that effort, my home is still full of chocolate dog fur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchimunchkin Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) There are some pretty good cheap dog dryers on ebay that work great! Edited February 5, 2015 by uchimunchkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stressmagnet Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) .... When i bath them i run my fingers through their coat against the growth direction and massage the fur; that removes a lot of fur too. And despite all that effort, my home is still full of chocolate dog fur I use that Kong Zoom Groom on Ernie when I bathe him which is only when he pongs. I use the Furminator when he's blowing his coat but try and brush him every other day with an undercoat rake and a slicker. I vacuum every day with a Dyson. His hair is still everywhere. My next dog will be hairless. Edited February 5, 2015 by Stressmagnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 when I take my dog to the beach - I hose her off with fresh water at the end and the intial drying I do with an imitation chamois leather (about $2 from a cheapie store). It gets most of the water off in the way that normal towels do not and then I use an ordinary towel or brush to finish her off. I do most of the brushing with a rubber finger brush that looks like a zoom groom but isn't. From an equestrian supplies shop for about $5. Like this (haven't shopped with these guys) http://www.herdz.com.au/rubber-groomer-curry-comb.html It does a very good job at getting out loose coat both top and under coat. Sometimes I use a friend's imitation furminator for short coat dogs (there's different versions of these depending how long your dog's coat is)... and we make little fur mice to blow along the path... I have another friend who uses a furminator on a golden retriever - gets enough off at each daily brushing to stuff a pillow and then some. She actually goes around and gathers it up and puts it in a bin because otherwise it looks like a furry animal was murdered (minus the blood). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah's Mum Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 So much info guys! Thank you very much although I'm now a bit confused, but then it doesn't take much to confuse me these days. I bought a Furminator just after I got this lovely girl because she shed so much & it is great at getting rid of a lot of hair & it really did help with the shedding but I don't like using it on her all the time as I've read quite a few reviews of how it strips the coat. I must admit, I bought a cheapie pair of clippers yesterday & gave her a light clip this afternoon after bathing her this morning which should keep her going until such time as I can get a proper dryer. I'll try the chamois idea tomorrow Mrs. Rusty Bucket. Good idea that one. Thank you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 .... When i bath them i run my fingers through their coat against the growth direction and massage the fur; that removes a lot of fur too. And despite all that effort, my home is still full of chocolate dog fur I use that Kong Zoom Groom on Ernie when I bathe him which is only when he pongs. I use the Furminator when he's blowing his coat but try and brush him every other day with an undercoat rake and a slicker. I vacuum every day with a Dyson. His hair is still everywhere. My next dog will be hairless. oh yes, i have a zoom groom, but i find it hard to hold...man hands and thank DOG for the animal Dyson; i have the Animal hand vac and the Animal stick; they're awesome for the daily fur suck up we're at our 18th consecutive year of labbie parenting with three under our belt and we now just accept that there's going to be fur in everything...including food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 There are some pretty good cheap dog dryers on ebay that work great! i know right ??? there's way too much choice which is bad for someone like me that can't decide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stressmagnet Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 .... we're at our 18th consecutive year of labbie parenting with three under our belt and we now just accept that there's going to be fur in everything...including food Well it was a shock to me. I've owned a Kelpie (medium shedding), and an Amstaff (minimal shedding). I'm thinking of making a line of dog hair stuffed dolls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 we should learn how to make felt... we can recycle it as dog blankets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavis Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 From the sound of that coat I actually wouldn't clip her, I would be looking to get as much undercoat out as I could while retaining the top coat. So I would recommend a good undercoat rake, used at least weekly so that all of the loose undercoat is stripped out. The first time you use it you will most probably get a pile of fur nearly as big as the dog! If at all possible, invest in a force blow drier which will dry your dog thoroughly after swimming...although you would be unlikely to find a second hand one for under $100. Possibly a high powered human hair dryer with a concentrator attached might work, although a large dog would take a looooong time I second blow drying for thick double coats! Takes all day to dry otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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