Stop Dog Shedding:
Homemade De-shedding Tool

We wish we had a magic formula to stop dog shedding!

Since we don’t, the next best thing we can offer you is a de-shedding tool that you can try out on your dog for a very low cost.

We’ve been surrounded by furdrifts for years. With FB, the black Lab mix who lived to be 13, there were always clumps of black fur showing on our light colored floors and garments. He seemed to shed pretty much all year in the central California climate.

Comet, the German Shepherd mix we had, shed mostly blond fur. This blended in with lighter colored carpets but not with dark sweaters, couch covers, or the red upholstery in our truck. Like FB, he shed year round, but especially so in the months approaching spring. We could brush out bags of the stuff and it just kept coming - it seemed like there was an endless supply.

In previous years, we were too busy with the kids or outdoor projects to concern ourselves much with all this dog hair. Occasionally, one of us would find a comb or spare brush and try to keep on top of the shedfest. Since Comet was very sensitive to any pulling on his fur and made no bones about it, we didn’t feel inclined to brush him very often.

However, after moving into the confines of a travel trailer with him, we could no longer ignore this phenomenon. We started searching for possible tools that he would find acceptable.

An online search turned up several products, including a de-shedding tool for around $60. The reviews for this item were mixed for dogs such as Comet. For that price, we didn’t want to take a chance. Instead, we tried all the various implements available to us in the trailer – a couple of spare combs, an old spiky hairbrush and a floor scrubbing brush.

To our surprise, the one item he tolerated the best and which worked pretty well as a fur removing device was the floor scrubbing brush. It was an oval brush about 3 by 5 inches (75 by 125 mm) with bristles almost an inch (25 mm) long. Photo to follow. We used one of the combs to scrape accumulated fur off the brush into a wastebasket.

The bristles were just long enough for his coat and apparently pulled less on the fibers than the combs and spiky hairbrush. The brush also stimulated the circulation under his skin and distributes oils throughout his fur so that it felt softer and looks better.

So there you have it. If you can’t stop dog shedding, you can at least keep it under control without having to spend a whole bunch of money.

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