Howdy all! So my sister is bringing home a barbet puppy next month! She got an email from her breeder with a list of suggested grooming supplies which included the Chris Christensen Big G Coat Slicker. It’s a bit out of her budget so I am wondering if anyone here has a suggestion for a similar but more affordable option! Thank you in advance
Edit: I’m pretty surprised at how aggressive some are being about this. My sister did 2 years worth of research, barbet meet and greets and shopped around with several breeders before making a decision. She knows what she is getting into. She saved up money for the puppy bought an airline ticket to go pick her up and fly her home. She has changed her monthly budget to accommodate a dog and understands that grooming either professionally or at home is expensive and time consuming. She wants to do the right thing which is why we came here seeking professional advice instead of just doing whatever. Her breeder suggested 3 60$ brushes which seemed a little excessive for brushing one dog at home several times a week.
Thank you to those being friendly! I have passed it along for her to do some research on reviews on top of what y’all have said here! I appreciate it!!
@dvm0071 There are a lot of similar slickers out there. Tougher Than Tangles has a good one, Miracle Coat slickers are okay.
Barbets are a very high maintenance breed, though. Your sister definitely needs to be willing to spend the time and money to make sure the dog's coat is going to be properly cared for. Whether this means investing in some good equipment and taking the time to learn how to maintain the cost or finding a groomer to help her, it's 100% going to be necessary unless she's okay with neglecting her dog.
@livelifeliving33 Preaching to the wrong person my friend! she is well prepared for the grooming cost and training effort. I’m not worried about the dogs health(edit: in the sense that my sister is trying to do the right thing), which is sort of why I came here, to help my sister find an affordable option to take good care of her dog.
@dvm0071 The extra $40 once in a lifetime expense being out of budget is what’s setting off a bunch of groomers alarm bells. Barbets need minimum four grooms a year, ideally six-eight. In my shop that’s $120 a groom every six weeks. The $40 out of budget feels like this could end up being a dog doomed to a once a year shave down.
I have a Barbet and she goes to the groomer every 4 weeks and it costs about $120 each time (including tip). Their grooming requires a lot of work and money to keep them healthy. Owning a high velocity dryer is also recommended.
As for cheaper options for brushes, I recommend the brand Artero. They have a lot of the same options as Chris Christensen. Although, I recommend getting Chris Christensen bathing products (like Ice on Ice conditioner, tear free facial cleanser, and Just Divine brushing spray).
@dvm0071 Not a professional groomer I used a big G knockoff from Amazon with my Samoyed puppy and it worked okay until his adult coat started coming in. His adult coat was much thicker so the tines on the knockoff weren’t long enough anymore. If it helps, we got the CC big G from Cherrybrook when there was a brush sale (it’s not advertised as a sale but big G is $59?? Usually $70) and $20 off $100 order with code “THX20” (one use per account I think)
@dvm0071 Artero makes the best alternative that I’ve found but it’s still not as good as the original CC. I’ve used a ton of slicker brushes but always go back to my Les Pooch and Chris Christensen. None of the dupes are every truly as good as much as I wish that they were. You sister will spend more money trying to find a cheaper alternative than she would just buying the good brush in the first place.
Barbets are insanely high maintenance. Trying to pinch pennies when it comes to their grooming is asking for trouble.
@dvm0071 Honestly as a groomer on a budget I use “ miracle care slicker brush “ from Amazon. That being said with that breed putting in some extra $ for a brush that will last years, I’d say just bite the bullet. If you don’t get a good brush, even if she’s brushing and combing every other day there’s a chance of hidden knots and matting which will cost her at the groomers.
@dvm0071 My favourite is the Wahl Pro Groom Curved Slicker series. They're like $15-$17 Canadian. They're the same shape as the CC ones. They're basically identical. I also really like the Miracle Coat brushes.
@natalia2019 CC is expensive because they last longer on average than the knock offs do. My CC is going on 4 years, the Zolita one I bought didn’t last 6 months. There was a batch that came out defective at some point that garnered a lot of hate for being fragile, but I’ve not found that to be the case.
@baotoan I am going to second this. I've had a cc for about 5-6 years and it's in great shape. My Les pooch brush lasted about 10 years of daily semi hard use. I had a zolitta and a gem knock off and they lasted about a year. I think they would work much better for an owner than a groomer though. My gem brush is in my show kit now and is holding up great but I don't think they last for a groomers daily usage.
@dvm0071 For my standard poodle puppy I was recommended a rubber tipped slicker brush. It works great for her puppy coat and is gentle on her skin. Idk how similar the coat types are but that might an option for a little while. And you can find them for under $10
@udliam I would never recommend a brush with plastic or rubber tips. They are usually cheaply made and the pins are filed smooth since they have a tip put on them. So once a tip falls off those sharp pins of the brush are exposed.
Flying Pawfect Long-Pin slicker brush can be found on amazon.
This is my favorite brush for my extremely thick coated sheltie. It's quite comparable to the CC coral (we have a few at the shop I work for so I have been able to compare them directly). I found that the Tuffer Than Tangles brush that gets recommended as an alternative has too stiff of bristles and it tugs more than this, which has flexible bristles like the CC brush!
