I feel the urge to amplify the rules & importance of knowing the tools that will make your siberian coat and skin THRIVE, and those who will make it DULL and unhealthy:

RULE #1 - DO NOT USE A FURMINATOR - irritates the skin, cuts /pulls the fur & makes your husky's fur look dull. "reduces shedding by 90%" - i always say - if something sounds too good to be true - it's not ! it may be suitable for other breeds but NOT FOR A HUSKY ! huskies have a very dense and thick double coats. this tool reduces it's natural density and can remove their upper protective coat in addition to irritating their skin and cutting their fur.

RULE #2 - USE A HIGH QUALITY UNDERCOAT RAKE - i prefer the ones with the stainless rotating pins. from experience this tool will take care of most of the undercoat whilst guarding the skin and uppercoat.

Good brands out there - MIKKI, EVOLUTION, OSTER & more.

RULE #3 - USE A HIGH QUALITY SLICKER BRUSH (mainly for the tail) - recommended to untangle fur before bath, groom, remove undercoat &"inflate" the look of the tail.

Good brands out there - MIKKI, SAFARI & more.

RULE #4 - USE A HIGH QUALITY NATURAL DOG SHAMPOO - from my own experience and others, i've seen huskies thrive on natural shampoos that contain oatmeal extracts. those natural shampoos will usually also contain ingredients that fights ticks and flees.

Good brands out there - TROPICLEAN.

these are the main rules & tools that most husky owners should Implement and use. if you want to groom your husky to a "show quality level" you will probably want to use a high velocity blower, grooming comb and much more. but for most owners an undercoat rake & a slicker brush are the best less time consuming tools that will keep a husky in a great coat shape without hurting the fur or skin.

HAPPY GROOMING TO ALL

Thank you! I have an Oster undercoat rake that has always worked wonderfully for Shaqua (even though she does get annoyed and hates to be brushed out) but people keep recommending the furminator. I have always been leery of it and never brought myself to trying it- Glad I didn't!!

Great post!!! Im Guilty of Using The furminator without doing All my research and noticed how it works more as a razor and not a rake! Thanks again for the advice!!!

I use this Oster Undercoat Rake: http://www.amazon.com/Oster-Professional-Grooming-Undercoat-Coarse/dp/B00061MWJ0

It works very well! Very durable and tough metal. I also have a slicker brush, but it doesn't compare to my undercoat rake.

VintageJeans wrote:

I use this Oster Undercoat Rake: http://www.amazon.com/Oster-Professional-Grooming-Undercoat-Coarse/dp/B00061MWJ0

It works very well!  Very durable and tough metal.  I also have a slicker brush, but it doesn't compare to my undercoat rake.

Thanks for posting, I need a new rake, and I think it will be this one!

siku&nikolai wrote:

VintageJeans wrote:

I use this Oster Undercoat Rake: http://www.amazon.com/Oster-Professional-Grooming-Undercoat-Coarse/dp/B00061MWJ0

It works very well!  Very durable and tough metal.  I also have a slicker brush, but it doesn't compare to my undercoat rake.

Thanks for posting, I need a new rake, and I think it will be this one!

You're welcome!! It's very durable. I've had it for about 6 months and it works like a charm! Juneau definitely feels better after I use it. You'll be amazed at how much undercoat it rakes out (if she is blowing her coat)!

Kai's Daddy wrote:

Great post!!! Im Guilty of Using The furminator without doing All my research and noticed how it works more as a razor and not a rake! Thanks again for the advice!!!

I was guilty of that too.

I had no idea how bad the Furminator was until I read up on it on this forum. Yikes!

Rocio_Caballero wrote:

Kai's Daddy wrote:

Great post!!! Im Guilty of Using The furminator without doing All my research and noticed how it works more as a razor and not a rake! Thanks again for the advice!!!

I was guilty of that too.

I had no idea how bad the Furminator was until I read up on it on this forum. Yikes!

This site is such a huge help!!!

The only thing the OP is missing, is pictures. haha. I'm a visual type of person so I had to go look up what these tools looked like. Great information though!

I am the operations manager at a pet boarding facility in Montana where we offer grooming among many other things, and you can't believe the people that come in and want their huskies shaved!!! Our newest groomer has finally refused this service, but these people honestly think their huskies will be much cooler shaved. I get so frustrated with people who think this!!! Honestly I don't think they should own a husky! Or they will say "oh he's just so matted" come on people just brush your dog!!!!

Does anybody know of a good set of scissors to trim the paw hair on a husky? There are woodchips at the dog park that I think are starting to bother his paws a bit, so the vet trimmed and cleaned up the paws. I just don't want to pay 44 bucks to get it done again...

Angela- Get a mustache trimmer at walmart for foot trimming, much safer than scissors if you have a paw jerker. If you feel comfortable with scissors just a straight set nothing fancy needed

Something like these would work just fine-
http://www.petcarerx.com/1/1/2607-four-paws-grooming-scissors-7-5.html

You can find some extremely expensive scissors out there, all personal preference

UndarthAngipoo wrote:

Does anybody know of a good set of scissors to trim the paw hair on a husky? There are woodchips at the dog park that I think are starting to bother his paws a bit, so the vet trimmed and cleaned up the paws. I just don't want to pay 44 bucks to get it done again...

I was a the Wahl beard trimmer from Walmart. Just place the guard on and no more long paw hair to grab all those wood chips!

So I've gotten really familiar with Link' s coat by now and now that his coat is in the thicker winter mode and more mature, there are variations in the density and texture.

The undercoat is thickest around his neck. I have been guilty of not removing his collar often enough to brush around the neck. He's definitely not matted, because there are no chunks or clumps.

Is it normal to have a good amount of resistance here with a rake? While I'm raking here, it catches and drags. It's not mats per se, but just resistance.

The other spot where the undercoat is most dense is behind the rear legs, the butt chaps as it were. Again, is it normal to have resistance and slow dragging with the rake here?

The other spots on him where the undercoat isn't as thick the rake glides through very smoothly. So the back, sides, hips and upper butt, chest etc are all really easy to rake.

Is it common to have more resistance on the neck and butt chaps behind the hips?

Hi there,

THanks for this great thread. I am still a little confused about what undercoat rake to get and as this seems to be such an important piece of equipment it was to get it right and I want to get quality.

The Oster seems to have different types; the all metal one which looks quite different from the Mikki ones I have seen images on. I am also confused about single and double rows and what is most suitable for a sibe.

I have a Chris Christiansen pin brush and slicker as part of my kit.

Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated.

Does anybody have experience with the Evolution W6110 Undercoat Rake?

*links to amazon

Thanks for posting here Harmon! I wish I would have seen this before I bought our Furminator. xX Oh well. Maybe I can donate to someone somewhere. At least we got $10 off, plus the cheaper and tax-free military price, so it's not a total loss.

Shredder13 wrote:

Does anybody have experience with the Evolution W6110 Undercoat Rake?

*links to amazon

I've never used the double row undercoat rake but the single row has always worked great for me.

Those of you that asked for pics above, here are a couple pics of what I typically use. I do a thorough job with the undercoat rake, then the finishing touches are done with the slicker brush. I also use some spray-in conditioner from time to time. If you aren't careful your dogs fur can get sunburned and change the color. There are spray-in conditioners with sunscreen just for that.



I have pics I took myself somewhere... but I take so many pics it will take me a while to sift through and find them.

On the topic of sunscreen,  what do you guys use for their noses, if anything? Our guy has a liver snow nose and we want to protect him from sunburn.

I use an undercoat rake you use for livestock like alpaca.

Shredder13 wrote:

Does anybody have experience with the Evolution W6110 Undercoat Rake?

*links to amazon

Actually, thats the *exact* undercoat rake I have. I absolutely love it.

I'm so glad I read this part BEFORE I went and dropped money on a FURminator. Wont be making that mistake.

Thanks!!

We have added another tool to our collection which is invaluable.

Grooming comb

We use the coarser side first and then switch to the finer side once it's combing nicely and easily. Does great work on the pants region as well as the tails.

I'm another advocate of the grooming comb, love them! I have a selection of various widths and teeth lengths and they are great! I start with an undercoat rake, then line comb Orion right out then finish up with a slicker, works a treat especially now he is in full winter coat

Im so sick of all the hair lol. He has been shedding for like 1 1/2 months now. I dont see the end coming anytime soon!! Lol.

Last night i brushed him (not sure what typenof brushes they are) then i used the HV dryer on him and then brought him in and used to vacum to suck up loose pieces on him still. I do think im going to get both brushes you guys talked about though.