# Stripping Undercoat



## GoldenSail

I am sooo excited I got my Oster undercoat rake in the mail today. Scout has been shedding buckets since January, and blow drying and the pin brush haven't seemed to help as much. I think she must be shedding so much in part to the year and the fact that she is going to be one soon and is losing the last of that puppy fluff--

--Anyway, can you take out too much undercoat, or does it just rip out all of the dead coat? Thought I should check and be careful before I 'go to town' with it.

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*Edit: Keep in mind I am talking about a dog who is going to be shown!


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## LibertyME

I have been told that you should be able to run a comb reasonably easily through the coat.
A rake will just removed the dead coat....when the Goldens are blowing coat I rake and follow-up with a comb....

Right now...they are not blowing, so I am just using a comb all over.

I think you can over do it with any tool if you are tugging on tangles and actually breaking the hair..


I am looking forward to this thread...


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## rappwizard

At the grooming seminar I attended, conducted by Erik Strickland, he showed us with two different types of strippers how to monitor the removal of undercoat.

The key point he made is that with the removal of undercoat, it's very fluffy and white--and there is no color; if you find that with your rake, you start to remove guard hairs that contain color--stop--you're going too far--maybe work on another area instead.

To be honest, when my golden was younger, I went to town on her rear--the part near the croup--since she had a thick thatch of hair there and it did not enhance her topline. It took a while for those guard hairs to grow back--I had someone remark that it looked as if she had gnawed on herself back there--so I'm not very talented!


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## K9-Design

Here's a tip -- work on the RIGHT side of the dog first to get a feel for it. That's the side that doesn't face the judge. Yes you can take out too much.


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## Golden123

What is blowing coat?


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## JDandBigAm

Golden123 said:


> What is blowing coat?


 It is when a dog is shedding his/her coat. It is dead hair that needs to be brushed out so the new hair can grow. If the dead hair isn't brushed out the dog could get alot of matting.


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## GoldenSail

Thanks guys, what I did was use the undercoat rake until I could run a greyhound comb through it. I did take a little bit too much out of her tail--though part of me thinks it was going to come out anyway as she loses those puppy fluff feathers for more adult stuff.


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## vixen

On this subject I just got a Fuminator, and its great took out so much coat (only did a small amount to start), would seriously recomend it.

The problem in this house is currently my ferret who are all blowing there coats hair hair everywhere


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## Golden123

Happy said:


> It is when a dog is shedding his/her coat. It is dead hair that needs to be brushed out so the new hair can grow. If the dead hair isn't brushed out the dog could get alot of matting.


Okay. Thats what I thought, but I havent heard that term before.


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## rappwizard

vixen said:


> On this subject I just got a Fuminator, and its great took out so much coat (only did a small amount to start), would seriously recomend it.
> 
> The problem in this house is currently my ferret who are all blowing there coats hair hair everywhere


I also have a Furminator but I used it on my old boy who I wasn't showing and who was developing "old dawg" coat with lots of thick undercoat. For anyone who is showing their dog in conformation, a Furminator is not a good tool to use because it can pull out guard hairs too, and those hairs contain color and you don't want to strip those hairs, just excess undercoat.

My husband and I also own two house rabbits and my rabbit vet says the Furminator is the best tool for grooming their coats--I never know how much of my dust bunnies are due to my real bunnies or my golden!


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## vixen

rappwizard said:


> I also have a Furminator but I used it on my old boy who I wasn't showing and who was developing "old dawg" coat with lots of thick undercoat. For anyone who is showing their dog in conformation, a Furminator is not a good tool to use because it can pull out guard hairs too, and those hairs contain color and you don't want to strip those hairs, just excess undercoat.
> 
> My husband and I also own two house rabbits and my rabbit vet says the Furminator is the best tool for grooming their coats--I never know how much of my dust bunnies are due to my real bunnies or my golden!


Thats interesting, I didn't notice it taking out much of his guard hair, what would you use instead.

My lads semi retierd from the ring now.


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## Florabora22

Happy said:


> It is when a dog is shedding his/her coat. It is dead hair that needs to be brushed out so the new hair can grow. If the dead hair isn't brushed out the dog could get alot of matting.


Yes, Flora is a prime example of that. :doh: Moving from Illinois to Louisiana in the middle of winter caused her to blow her coat sometime in February... I didn't really notice, so I didn't brush her as much, and now she's matted all over, poor gal.


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## rappwizard

vixen said:


> Thats interesting, I didn't notice it taking out much of his guard hair, what would you use instead.
> 
> My lads semi retierd from the ring now.


Here is the link so you can see what I use--it's the first two tools listed--the white stripping knife gets out the fine white undercoat and the red knife is used first, to get out the heavy undercoat. I also have a Mars coat king but I have not used it at all on my present golden--I did use it also on my ol' boy. Hope this gives you an idea! 

http://stricklandsensations.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9


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## MGMF

This is the picture and ad from petedge.com. This is a great rake to take out undercoat when they are blowing their coat or they need to be thinned out. I think it is much better on their coat vs. the furminator that does strip top coat. When mine are shedding I always use my dog dryer to blow out as much loose coat as possible before trying to strip. You would be surprised how much will just blow out without hurting the coats. During that really heavy shedding season if you blow them out everyday for a few days it really gets a big start and only taking out the stuff that is loose and ready to come out anyway. Good luck
 


*Oster Pet Grooming Undercoat Rakes*

Oster Pet Grooming Rakes remove dead hair and undercoat quickly and easily, while leaving the coat looking smooth and healthy.
*AS LOW AS*
$19.79

Add To Cart



























These professional quality pet grooming rakes from Oster create a hand-stripped finish in minutes. Rakes remove dead hair and undercoat quickly and easily while leaving coat looking smooth and healthy. Great for thinning and finishing. Ideal for breeds with thick undercoats. Constructed of aluminum with solid stainless steel blades, these rakes are durable, rust-resistant, and easy to clean. Blades have rounded ends for safety and to help prevent skin irritation. All styles are blister-packed for easy retail display. Pet Grooming Rakes are available in the types listed below. 
All Rakes measure 7 1/2".





*Oster Pet Grooming Undercoat Rakes#OS790*

See







for Suggested Retail & Mark-up info


1. Enter Quantity
OptionsSugg. RetailPriceQuantity
 Medium 18 Teeth$30.99$26.79 Coarse 10 Teeth$24.99$19.79 Coarse Wide 18 Teeth$28.99$23.79


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## Debles

I just got back from buying a new rake because I somehow lost our old one. Selka hates being groomed, so I can only do alittle bit at a time anyway. He currently looks like he is molting! I bought one that has the handled angled in such a way so you can't scrape the dog's skin with the rake.


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## NuttinButGoldens

They make a pretty good Blender too 



MGMF said:


> This is the picture and ad from petedge.com. This is a great rake to take out undercoat when they are blowing their coat or they need to be thinned out. I think it is much better on their coat vs. the furminator that does strip top coat. When mine are shedding I always use my dog dryer to blow out as much loose coat as possible before trying to strip. You would be surprised how much will just blow out without hurting the coats. During that really heavy shedding season if you blow them out everyday for a few days it really gets a big start and only taking out the stuff that is loose and ready to come out anyway. Good luck
> 
> 
> 
> *Oster Pet Grooming Undercoat Rakes*
> 
> Oster Pet Grooming Rakes remove dead hair and undercoat quickly and easily, while leaving the coat looking smooth and healthy.
> *AS LOW AS*
> $19.79
> 
> Add To Cart
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> These professional quality pet grooming rakes from Oster create a hand-stripped finish in minutes. Rakes remove dead hair and undercoat quickly and easily while leaving coat looking smooth and healthy. Great for thinning and finishing. Ideal for breeds with thick undercoats. Constructed of aluminum with solid stainless steel blades, these rakes are durable, rust-resistant, and easy to clean. Blades have rounded ends for safety and to help prevent skin irritation. All styles are blister-packed for easy retail display. Pet Grooming Rakes are available in the types listed below.
> All Rakes measure 7 1/2".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Oster Pet Grooming Undercoat Rakes#OS790*
> 
> See
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> for Suggested Retail & Mark-up info
> 
> 
> 1. Enter Quantity
> OptionsSugg. RetailPriceQuantity
> Medium 18 Teeth$30.99$26.79 Coarse 10 Teeth$24.99$19.79 Coarse Wide 18 Teeth$28.99$23.79


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## sterregold

Rather than resorting to tools to remove coat, my shedding season trick is cheap conditioner. I buy the biggest bottle of Wella Balsalm or the like that I can find, bathe the dog, and then work the entire bottle of conditioner into their coat. Leave it sit for at least 5 minutes. Then rince out. During a bad shed point the undercoat will come out in globs. Then I force dry. Follow up with daily brushing for the next few days and the fur droppage is noticably reduced!


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## arpenn

Has anyone used the Oster Shedzilla? I found it at Walmart for $19.96, looks similar to the undercoat rake pictured above but with a different handle and frame. I was going to buy a Furminator but read they can damage the top coat, and they are pricey. I haven't bought the Shedzilla yet because I wanted to see if I could find some feedback online, but I guess it is new because I haven't been able to find anything online.


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## arpenn

Well I bought the Oster Shedzilla tonight but haven't had a chance to try it out. I did take some pictures so everyone can see what it looks like. I will post results as soon as I have a chance to try it out. I got it from Walmart for $19.96 plus tax.


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## Pointgold

arpenn said:


> Well I bought the Oster Shedzilla tonight but haven't had a chance to try it out. I did take some pictures so everyone can see what it looks like. I will post results as soon as I have a chance to try it out. I got it from Walmart for $19.96 plus tax.


 
Are you planning to use this on your puppy? If so, why?


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## arpenn

Pointgold said:


> Are you planning to use this on your puppy? If so, why?


No, I actually bought it to use on my older Lab that is having trouble shedding her winter coat.


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