# Can you overdo it with the undercoat rake?



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I purchased












 based on the suggestion of someone here on the forum. Jasper has always had a very, very thick undercoat. Man, that rake is the best investment in a grooming tool that I have ever made! The amount of undercoat that I was able to get off from him with very little work was amazing. I have been trying to use it every weekend on him and each time, I get a ton of hair off from him. I have used it on Danny, but he has almost no undercoat so by yesterday, I wasn't getting anything off from him. 

So my question is, is it possible to over use the rake? Or should I continue using it every weekend?


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

People with more grooming credentials will probably offer better advice on this than mine, but since the tool has blades, I think it would be possible to overdo it.

There's another version of a grooming rake that has pins instead of blades. Here's one from amazon. I use a single row version for cleaning out dead undercoat and also (in combination with Cowboy Magic) as part of my burr removal regimen. It doesn't have blades, so it might be good as the more frequent brushings.

I haven't had a mat on any of the dogs since getting the grooming rake, and I'm not religious about grooming daily or even weekly. They get brushed when they're dirty, ticky, or after getting towel dried. As another bonus, the grooming rake takes out more dead undercoat during seasonal shedding than any other tool I've used.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I use the kind Tippy posted above (except with only one row instead of two) as my main grooming tool and use the heck out of it. But anything with blades I am careful not to overdo.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

By blades, are you referring to the teeth? Because there is nothing sharp on it, it's not like the furminator. Oh, and I did buy the Cowboy Magic, too and have been using before every grooming. Thanks for the replies!

Oh, I have that other type of rake. It doesn't get much of his dead undercoat out at all, it may be because of how heavy his undercoat is. Heck, I used to use a comb and "tease" to get the undercoat out and that didn't work well either.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

fostermom said:


> By blades, are you referring to the teeth? Because there is nothing sharp on it, it's not like the furminator. Oh, and I did buy the Cowboy Magic, too and have been using before every grooming. Thanks for the replies!
> 
> Oh, I have that other type of rake. It doesn't get much of his dead undercoat out at all, it may be because of how heavy his undercoat is. Heck, I used to use a comb and "tease" to get the undercoat out and that didn't work well either.


Just reading the description of it on Amazon, it looked like those teeth did some cutting and stripping as you brushed with it. That's the part I'd be afraid of overdoing.

Does your pin rake have the long pins? A short-pinned rake won't do a GR that well. You need to get one for long-haired breeds. I also don't know if the double row is as good as the single row one I have.


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## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

The undercoat rake does cut fur and you CAN overdo it. Just wait til I post the picture of Harley's tail :-(


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> Does your pin rake have the long pins? A short-pinned rake won't do a GR that well. You need to get one for long-haired breeds. I also don't know if the double row is as good as the single row one I have.


It has the long pins. Honestly, I have no idea where I got it, I think someone gave it to me. Okay, I will not groom him with it every weekend, then. I know he has to feel better because he was always so hot because of all of the dead undercoat.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

fostermom said:


> It has the long pins. Honestly, I have no idea where I got it, I think someone gave it to me. Okay, I will not groom him with it every weekend, then. I know he has to feel better because he was always so hot because of all of the dead undercoat.


Hmmm...maybe it just works better for some kinds of coats and not others 'cause it's amazing for us.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> Hmmm...maybe it just works better for some kinds of coats and not others 'cause it's amazing for us.


Or maybe you have a better quality one than I have. Like I said, I have no clue where mine came from. Jasper is my first permanent golden, prior to him I only fostered them, so I never had them long enough to deal with grooming issues. I learn something almost every day about grooming them that I honestly didn't know before (I have always had labs and lab mixes, totally different coats).


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

I have to chime in here as well. That looks exactly like the one I purchased for Cole as his coat is like triple the undercoat than Duke had in his most healthiest years.

The only difference is that the one I bought has a blue handle by Oster. I started using it and, like you, thought OMG, this is absolutely great. I kept using it thinking that eventually that undercoat would be maneagable - until I took him to his obedience class the next week and everyone said something about Coley getting a hair cut. Of course, I was appauled that anyone would even think that I would do such a thing.

So, when I got home I used it on myself. Although it doesn't look like it has blades, it does. And, when I used it on my hair it pulled and cut the hair. I never ever used it again. If you look very closely at the teeth, they turn sharp at the inside curve - if yours is in fact like mine. Try it on yourself. See what happens. If it doesn't have blades then you won't hear them cut your hair and I would imagine it wouldn't pull, either.

I do have one that has the "pins" and they have an outside layer that turns when you use it so it's very comfortable and doesn't pull. I love it.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I'll try that Duke's Momma!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

fostermom said:


> Or maybe you have a better quality one than I have. Like I said, I have no clue where mine came from. Jasper is my first permanent golden, prior to him I only fostered them, so I never had them long enough to deal with grooming issues. I learn something almost every day about grooming them that I honestly didn't know before (I have always had labs and lab mixes, totally different coats).


Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Maybe that's why. There's definitely something about the free rotating pins with the two thicknesses that makes it work well.

I didn't have one with my first Golden, and I was really upset and dismayed to find mats in between his back legs when he was a couple of years old. I got the mats out with a mat breaker and a comb, and I was always careful after that to comb him back there, so it never happened again.

Then, later, I discovered the grooming rake. The slicker just doesn't do enough in the long hair. I've noticed for tails, chests, and pants that the rake is able to loosen up the hair and pull the dead undercoat much, much better than anything else. With the addition of Cowboy Magic (thanks LJilly!), I literally haven't had a mat since, and I do not groom religiously.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Here's a picture to show you kind of what I am dealing with when it comes to Jasper's coat. He is on the left, Danny and Luke are on the right.










And one more. You can really see how heavy his undercoat is in this one:


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I too, have the one with two rows of pins. I use it daily, followed by the slicker and it works great! Maggie does not have a ton of hair yet, but at least she is used to the grooming for now.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

fostermom said:


> Here's a picture to show you kind of what I am dealing with when it comes to Jasper's coat. He is on the left, Danny and Luke are on the right.
> 
> And one more. You can really see how heavy his undercoat is in this one:


He sure is a fluffy guy, and a handsome one to boot.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Wow! Look at that tail! OMG!


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

He is very handsome. His coat is similar to what I think Coley's will be when mature.

Let me know what the "experiment" renders.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Yes, i think you can over do it with this, i would limit how often i used it


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Make sure to use a light hand. It can cause a razor-like burn if you press too much.


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## eeneymeanymineymo (Oct 5, 2009)

The Oster rake is a similar tool to the Mars Coat King. You do not want to overuse it. Make sure you use the tool going with the coat growth (never against) and with a light hand. It will pull out excess undercoat but can also make your dog bald if used excessively! It will cut the coat if used improperly.

Guide to choosing Mars Coat King to suit your dog breed

Great tool to use on the ears to get the thickness out and make the hair lay flat. Can be used on the rear feathering to smooth and the topline as well. Under the chin & ears to give the dog a neck again too!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks eeneymeanymineymo! That helps a lot. I am a total novice when it comes to grooming and poor Jasper ends up being my guinea pig because his coat is so thick. 

Thanks everyone else for their advice and suggestions. Please feel free to add more, I can always learn more things about grooming!


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Just a question, I tried the Furminator on my own hair, and it neither cut nor pulled.. Do you guys have a different experience? You don't speak too well of it, but it works pretty well for Summer and I! People do comment that her coat is short for a golden, but I thought it had something to do with her being 9 months old.. Comments? Thanks!


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

Well, maybe I'm just using mine wrong but I know it pulled and cut my hair and I don't want to do that to Cole so I'm using my "pin" rake. I love it.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Duke's Momma said:


> Well, maybe I'm just using mine wrong but I know it pulled and cut my hair and I don't want to do that to Cole so I'm using my "pin" rake. I love it.


Summer's Mom is talking about the furminator, not the rake I use. Now I'm confused about which one you used on your own hair.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I have the master groomimg ones, from pet edge, had them for several years, use them , just every so often, they really pull the hair out, much like the one posted. There is also, a matt breaker brush, that looks like the one posted, use to have that, for the old english, we had, she was hard to groom.


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

fostermom said:


> Summer's Mom is talking about the furminator, not the rake I use. Now I'm confused about which one you used on your own hair.


I use the one like you use. I'm really ignorant regarding the different rakes and thought that the furminator was like the one that we use. Did you try the experiment yet? I'm really curious if yours cuts and pulls like mine. They look exactly alike except for the handle.

eeneymeanymineymo mentioned that if used improperly they can make your dog bald and if you use it improperly it can pull and cut. That and the comment about the furminator made me think I'm just using it wrong.

I don't know......now I'm really confused as well but I do know that the Oster that I have cuts and pulls so I don't use it anymore. Have you ever had a razor cut on your hair? The way it sounds is the way this Oster rake sounds and feels when I used it on myself and then when I looked at it after using it on me, omg, the hair that was on it! I was even scared to look at my hair! lol I have short hair anyway so it didn't make that much difference with the way it looked. But, my undercoat was certainly stripped. haha


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I haven't tried it yet, I honestly forgot last night. The furminator is totally different from the undercoat rake. I do use the furminator on my lab because she has a short coat and does have an undercoat that blows in the spring. But I don't use it on my goldens.


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