Hello all, my question is, chiviri is blowing her coat like no other, and when it started I started to furminate her everyday. When I started furming her it was the start of blowing, i had to do it for like 30-45 min at normal pressure. After 2-3 days of this I noticed thinning sections on her left and right sides of her head. I stopped furming those sections because I was afraid it might turn into bald spots and started to do 15 min gentle treatments on the rest of her body with the furm from there after because I figured it mightve been the furm getting too much hair. To me it looks kinda ugly and Im afraid of it staying that way but the left/right sides of her head keep shedding profusely. Should I be worried? I dont want to stop furming her all together because it really helps but what should I do about the thinning sections that constantly shed? Should I ignore it, is this normal, has anyone had this problem? I heard about HVDryers but it seems too much of a mess but when I do have the funds, Ill probably invest in one since Ive heard its better.

Well if you actually watch when using a furminator, it's not just brushing out the fur, but it's ripping, shredding and cutting the fur as well. I would never use them.

When my dogs blow their coats I use just a normal brush, works a million times better
I use this http://www.amazon.com/Millers-Forge-Stainless-Designer-Grooming/dp/B001NLVFH2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1355636891&sr=8-5&keywords=dog+brush+slicker

Yes HV Dryers are the best, and they're not a mess if you just use it outside. When my dogs are blowing, they are off to the groomers about 2 weeks in so they can do all the brushing and blow drying..

A slicker brush does nothing for me :/. Cutting the fur doesnt seem accurate either, I dont agree it cuts the fur per se. Im thinking about waiting it out until her new fur comes in . From the outside it doesnt look bad, Im just picky, but if you run your hands through it you can feel the thinning. I do agree that it can be rough, thats why I try to do it softly and I know it isnt the best tool out there for sure. Unfortunately I havent met a groomer that is seems qualified to handle a double coated breed (ive sent her before to some, Im never crazy about the results) In south florida, most breeds people have 80% of the time are those like shitzus, chihuahua is a big one, dachshunds...yeah thats about it. Or that they want an exorbitant amount of money to do her, something like $70.

When Mishka blows coat- she looks horrible. The hair around her head gets so thin and she just looks a MESS. It's really bad. She gets very thin all over when she blows. I don't furminate either- It does strip the coat and cut at the guard hairs. It's actually a blade (from a clipper) that someone figured out you can make into a "brush" and threw a handle on it.

Have you heard of an undercoat rake? I use a combination of undercoat rake and slicker brushes to de-shed my dogs. It does not cut the coat. My heavier coated dog, Odin, does need a stripping rake... my others do not.

Well glad to know the thinning happens and its kinda normal. Along time ago I did try a take thing, kinda looks like an oval shaped metal thing but I have seen the slicker/rake thingy combo at petsuper. About the clipper head thing, Ill look into that, wouldnt doubt it though. I noticed your siggy, Im in south florida actually lol, ima clicky

No, it's not the oval thing. It's this

Does that really work? I guess Ill give it a try until I get an HVDryer eventually, thanks

So I bought one....I haaattee it lol, no offense. It leaves too much of a mess to call it a convenient tool. But the fluff:guard hair ratio was higher in fluff than compared to the furminator, which had alot of her black hair. Sooooo if thats what it takes to get shiva more fluffy because Im not taking alot of guard hair, then so be it. Its just very frustrating *le sigh*