At a bit of a loss, really need some grooming tips/advice for my Aussie

[jaceew79]

Summertime is always really difficult for my Aussie (I'm not much of a fan of it either tbh) and I've tried a number of brushes with minimal success. I've got a slicker brush, two different types of furminators, an uncoat rake, and of course those double-sided brushes. I will say, I get far more out with the two types of furminators (as one would expect) but there are two problems I'm running into with them.

1) Brush burn. It seems like if I focus around one spot for too long, even though I'm still getting plenty of hair out, his skin is becoming visibly red so I know it's causing pain/irritation.

2) The hair on his upper back (below the neck, on the shoulder blades) is super weird, I've not seen another Aussie with it as it actually lays in the opposite direction as one would expect, and the furminators catch on it really badly, like, almost immediate yelps of pain so that's a big N-O.

The slicker brush and undercoat rakes get through it just fine but it doesn't seem to get anything out - though, it's entirely possible I'm obsessing over it since I've never had any luck with that part of his coat and that's not what I should focus on.

I'm veering a bit off course here, really my goal is to help him get through the summers. Anything above 60 degrees it seems is too much for him. I'm afraid to take scissors to the majority of his body because of the issue with cutting a double coat too short though I've had to a few times with the area behind his legs, still not a fun time.

I think anyone who's willing to help will get the gist of it at this point - if there's any questions or specifics I can answer, I'd be happy to. Advice, tips, or video links are greatly appreciated.

 

[chaz1268]

@jaceew79 So many people use the Furminator wrong. They’re meant to be a long term solution, not something that you only pull out in the summertime when your dog is dropping their coat.

When using the Furminator, set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes. When brushing, don’t go over the same spot more than two times. When the timer goes off, put the brush down. You’re going to be tempted to continue because hair will still be coming out, but when you brush too much, you’re no longer removing undercoat and instead you’re just just causing damage/cutting into his upper coat.

You do this ONCE A WEEK. No more than that. If you keep up with it, you will notice results over time. In between using the Furminator, you want to continue to use a slicker brush as well as a comb.. The comb will grab lots of loose hair. Using a moisturizing/conditioning spray will help as well because clean, moisturized hair cooperates much better than dirty hair.

If you really want to go all out, invest in a decent velocity dryer. You can find them for less than $200. This will really help loosen up impacted undercoat both before and after a bath which makes brushing it out much easier.

Line brushing is the perfect way to make sure he’s properly brushed out. If you use this technique and are able to get a brush and a comb through his hair with ease, then he’s brushed out and you can stop.

 

[jaceew79]

@chaz1268 For what it's worth, I do brush him all year round but with the aforementioned issues it's obviously not helping him much - I'm sad to say I definitely have been using the furminator wrong so I'll practice what you've mentioned, moving forward.

 

[chaz1268]

@jaceew79 I apologize if I came across as accusatory as that wasn’t my intention at all .

 

[jaceew79]

@chaz1268 Not at all! I certainly don't mind being called out on my mistakes anyway, especially if I'm doing something wrong that could hurt my dog, so it's all good. Honestly, I appreciate the information so much.

 

[lilypham0606]

@jaceew79 There are already some good answers here. Just wanted to add a link for a blow dryer I got off Amazon that I use at home for blowing out my husky. It works great for only $80.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WLQPJ58/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_jxiWEbB3RDWKG

 

[jaceew79]

@lilypham0606 Awesome, thanks! Definitely going to check into this - doesn't seem like a bad price either. Appreciate it ^_^

 

[tbvsthienloc2020]

@jaceew79 Be careful with furminator brushes. They are technically a blade. I have seen some owners say they use the brush multiple times a week they have used it so much that they stripped the guard coat off which can make shedding worse. Also hurt your dog. Like others have said use a velocity dryer they help get a lot of hair out. Around his neck he probably has cowlicks. So brush in the direction the hair lays. Not against it to ease irritation.
Taking him to a groomer would really help your pup. Also remember this is a breed that always sheds. You’re not going to get the shedding to completely stop.

 

[bds800]

@jaceew79 Are you washing and blow drying him frequently?

 

[jaceew79]

@bds800 Since he's an indoor dog, I don't wash him super often, about once every 4 weeks - I've found in the past it results in his skin allergies flaring up, regardless of what anti-itch shampoos we use on him. Usually, I just towel-dry him as much as possible then let him air-dry the rest of the way but can certainly check into getting a dryer for him.

 

[bds800]

@jaceew79 I see, unfortunately with his skin issues the furminator brushes are always going to cause redness and possible brush burn if you’re using them too much, I agree with the above commenter about severely limiting use with that particular brush.
Line brushing is your best bet, if possible and he’s not allergic to it’s ingredients I would highly suggest the furminator shampoo and conditioner, it works like a charm to get undercoat out and will reduce brushing times. Washing once a month is definitely enough.

As far as haircutting I’d suggest nothing more than a good sanitary clip, foot trim and a trim on the feathering, anything else,!like you mentioned in your post, can cause damage to the undercoat and actually make them hotter in the summer and cause more problems than it’s worth.

 

[jaceew79]

@bds800 Just the feathering and paw pads - that much I'm confident with

I'll have to give the furminator shampoo/conditioner a try. It's not an exact science with his allergies I'm afraid - so we'll try that stuff out and just see how he reacts.