As many of you know, Evo is a Siberian Husky/German Shepherd/Great Dane mix...

His top coat deceives people and they think he's a German Shepherd only because of his coloring...HOWEVER...when we brush him with the Furminator (LOVE) we get Husky colored fur from his undercoat. He is currently SHEDDING and we have clumps of thick husky fur trying to make it's way out. I ran the vacuum over him (handheld and don't laugh) but it won't even grab it (thanks, Oreck vacuum).

So...any suggestions? Would take him to a groomer but I don't know who in FL would make sure my boy is fully brushed and more comfortable during our "fall" season.

Thanks!

(Evo after discovering the fun of swimming!)

Hi there! Sounds like you're having fun. Missed you at the husky meet up today. Had a lot of no shows...probably due to the heat.

Anyway, I do the opposite of vacuuming. I invested in a good high velocity dryer and use that to blow the undercoat out. It is brilliant and works like a charm, seriously I don't know how I kept my sanity before I got my dryer. Aside from the dryer I also use a double row undercoat rake which I consider my "second best" tool...second to the dryer of course. I also have the Furminator but it doesn't get too much use as it's not as effective over the entire coat like my other two tools are.

Oh - didn't know there was a meet today! Sorry! Evo would have LOVED that!

Lee's in Portland, OR working now - so the pups and I will be moving up there as soon as I can find a job or until he gets health insurance.

Thanks for the info...Can you tell me where I can find this high velocity dryer and $$$$? Also - this double row undercoat brush...where can I find that one? Lee and I have never had a dog with such a stubborn and thick undercoat and we're just AMAZED at the amount of fur that comes out when brushing him. Any help would be appreciated!

Loved all the sleeping pics of your boy! I added some of Evo as well!

harmonytime wrote:

Lee's in Portland, OR working now - so the pups and I will be moving up there as soon as I can find a job or until he gets health insurance.

Thanks for the info...Can you tell me where I can find this high velocity dryer and $$$$? Also - this double row undercoat brush...where can I find that one? Lee and I have never had a dog with such a stubborn and thick undercoat and we're just AMAZED at the amount of fur that comes out when brushing him. Any help would be appreciated!

Oh that is such great news that Lee got a job! So glad for you both. I hope you find something soon, we moved down here from Washington state a year ago and we miss it soooo much. Ever lived out there before? I'm sure you'll love it!

I got my hv dryer from an ebay seller, got a pretty decent deal that way. I have a K-9 Mini that I absolutely love! They generally go for about $265 or so but I ended up paying $200 for mine through a cashback deal. I'd be happy to share more via PM if you're interested. The double row undercoat rake you can find at any pet store, I bought mine at a locally owned pet store back in WA but they are everywhere. You can easily find them at PetsMart or Petco if you shop there.

Anyway, I can't shut up about my dryer but here's a post about it that I made on another husky forum that I'll copy and paste for you.

Quote:
"You know I love my hv dryer! Will never ever be without one! I did a lot of research before deciding which dryer I would buy. I visited multiple groomer forums and read their comments and experiences before ultimately deciding to buy a K-9 brand dryer. I had seriously considered buying a Metro because they were cheaper, but after reading many groomers' experience with the Metro's dying on them after a number of years of use I decided to go with K-9 since they seemed to last much longer and it was recommended by a so many groomers.

Since hubby didn't want to spend too much on a dryer I opted for the K-9 Mini which was recommended on another husky forum by a groomer who used it on her own sibe with great results. I love my K-9 Mini and both hubby and I are so pleased with it we both wish we would have known how great it would be and now wish we had put up the extra money for the K-9 II. But what's done is done and I am still in love with my K-9 Mini. This is the one I have: http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming/Grooming-Equipment/Dryers-Dehumidifiers/K-9-Mini-BlowerDryer/pc/190/c/191/sc/263/45986.uts

It's the next one down from the K-9 I that you have been borrowing from your friend, Ashley. I can have my dog dry in about 15 minutes and blow out any loose undercoat in the process. It leaves my dog oh so fluffy and looking like he's ready for a show. It is also great for removing loose undercoat between baths as well, just lightly wet the coat with a hose or spray bottle of water and blow them out. It's so easy and only takes 10 minutes to do from start to finish...definitely beats brushing for hours!

We got ours from a great seller on ebay that I highly recommend. She was so incredibly nice, helpful, and shared tips with me on how she uses an hv dryer on her own double coated northern breeds who also shed bi-annually.

Our sibe was scared of the dryer at first but with each use he got more and more comfortable with it and now he's so comfortable with it that he's content to lay down and fall asleep while I blow out his coat. I love that it comes in a high and low setting so that it is strong enough to blow out the undercoat on my husky but also gentle enough to use on my little chihuahua. It also comes with several different nozzles to customize your usage. I use the cone shaped blower tip for maximum force when blowing out my sibe.

The K-9's are built solid and very durable and due to that they do have some weight to them. But they are still easy to transport and store. I love that they come in many different colors, I got mine in purple, my favorite color.

And not to rattle on too much, but they can be used for other things to which makes them an even better investment. I use mine to dry the cars, it makes an amazing duster, I use it to clean off the air filter on itself, and clear out any junk on the front porch, sidewalks and driveway. I just can't say enough good things about HV dryers!

Edit to add: The K-9 Mini is an excellent choice if you are looking for a good, quality, long lasting dryer that won't break the bank and it's size makes it really great if you need to travel with it as well or just don't have a lot of room for storing it. While I would love a stronger one, I highly recommend the K-9 Mini!"

Wow! You REALLY love that dryer! And I completely understand why! I brushed Evo for an hour yesterday and was still getting a ridiculous amount of undercoat out - Made 10 puppies and sold them for $20 bucks each! LOL I wish! I will definitely check it out.

I've never been further west than Dallas so I am SO excited to have FOUR seasons and my first big snows and to see the Pacific Ocean and to be with Lee again. I really hate being apart.

Thanks again!

Hmmm. Guess I have been doing it the hard way. I use a metal comb with two spacings and a shedding blade.





It takes about an hour to complete the Husky, twice as long for Malamutes. I start with the comb (wide spacing) in the direction of the hair and at the neck. Small scooping actions all the way around until the tail. Then I follow the same basic pattern with the blade (watch the thinner fur areas). After that I start at the bottom of the rear legs and comb (small spacing) against the direction of the hair, ending at the ears. Once more against the hair with the blade using very light to no pressure. Then a quick fluff up with the slicker and that's it. Ridik usually takes two 30 minute sessions because he gets annoyed with it.

harrise wrote:

Ridik usually takes two 30 minute sessions because he gets annoyed with it.

That's another issue I run into with my sibe as well, he's not content to be brushed for more than 20 minutes at a time, even getting him to deal with it for that long is a challenge. All the more reason I love my dryer so much is I can do in 10 minutes with the dryer what it would take me 30 minutes to an hour to do with a brush. Plus, the dryer doesn't irritate him the way constant back and forth brushing does.

I will say that I have heard many great things about the shedding blade from husky owners although I don't own one myself and with the dryer now I don't see a need to.

I was at Walmart and Petco this morning, Jess, and checked to see what they had as far as undercoat rakes. My Walmart didn't have one and my Petco only had the single row undercoat rake that they were trying to sell for $9.99. I think back in WA I only paid $6 or $7 for my double row undercoat rake and it's my favorite and most used brush. I have a slicker too but my boy HATES it so it is sitting around somewhere collecting dust.

I have a whole self of brushes! We have now settled on the fur buster and the shed n blade like harrise. The Vac sounds cool but way out of our budget. Jack does not have much fur yet so he is easy to brush, Sierra will take at least an hour but she is ok with it. I try to do the fur buster on the weekend and do the blade everyday to keep up on the loose fur.

I'm gonna call the self groom place we use in the winter. The reason I haven't taken the sled dogs there after February is the hair. If they don't care or have a place for me to undercoat them, that will be a very good use of $8 (using their dryers).

Good call did not think the self groomer places had a vac, i too will look into this! brushing a dog for an hour in the snow does not sound fun for me!

Val - I'll have Lee look into brushes and groomers up in Oregon. And I'll look into a self grooming place. I know we have one in Sanford but don't know what it offers. Thanks for all the tips, everyone! Evo turned one and the shedding has come! Have never seen anything like it! LOL