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.

Our current dog, Comet, a German Shepherd mix, is blonde and reddish in color. His fur blends in with lighter colored carpets but not with dark sweaters, couch covers, or the red upholstery in our truck. Like FB, he sheds year round, but especially so in the months approaching spring. We can brush out bags of the stuff and it seems like there’s 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 is very sensitive to any pulling on his fur and makes 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 tolerates the best and which works pretty well as a fur removing device is the floor scrubbing brush. It's an oval brush about 3 by 5 inches (75 by 125 mm) with bristles almost an inch (25 mm) long. Photo to follow. We use one of the combs to scrape accumulated fur off the brush into a wastebasket.

The bristles are just long enough for his coat and apparently pull less on the fibers than the combs and spiky hairbrush. The brush also stimulates the circulation under his skin and distributes oils throughout his fur so that it feels 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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