The Easiest Pet Product Review Ever!
I’m going to be completely honest here. I have a love/hate relationship with product reviews. I love doing them when I really like a product, but I hate the inherent sense of obligation I feel to write a positive review.
As a result, I don’t do them very often, and when I do I tend to only choose those products I know and love, trust or intrigue me.
But when FURminator® contacted me about reviewing their new line of grooming products I was more than happy to say yes. Why? Because I already have one of their products, the original FURminator® deShedding tool. It was recommended to me by a friend who also has a Lab, like Daisy, who sheds a lot. I purchased one that very same day and have used it ever since.
What I didn’t know was that, in the intervening years, FURminator® had come out with a whole new line of grooming products. I also didn’t know they had an easy way for pet parents to choose the exact right tool(s) to use with their particular pet. After answering a few questions in the Tell Us About Your Dog tool, I was told that I needed the Small Firm Slicker Brush and the Small Finishing Comb.
I knew that FURminator® had recommended the right tools because Jasper and Lady’s groomer had recommended a slicker brush and comb to me when we last saw her in March.
I’m not going to go through all the grooming details, but what I can tell you is that I LOVE these tools! Even better, Jasper and Lady actually seemed okay with their grooming session for the very first time.
Under the best of circumstances, Jasper will only tolerate me grooming him for a few minutes, then he gets all nippy, especially when I do his back-end. Lady usually shakes like a leaf (even with high-value treats in hand), so I usually groom her a little bit at a time with lots of breaks in between grooming sessions. But when I used the FURminator® tools, Lady stood there patiently and stopped shaking almost immediately. Jasper let me groom him for about 10 minutes!. Clearly, I have been using the wrong grooming tools (even though they were recommended to me by a pet store clerk).
So what made these tools different?
The Small Slicker Brush has a very unusual feature to it. The tines sit on two flexible paddles that move with the contour of a dog’s body. The first time I used it I was surprised to discover the paddles moved, but after using it on both dogs I can completely appreciate the beauty of the design. It doesn’t pull the fur, but glides through it very easily. It’s so smart!
The Small Finishing Comb did not have the sharp ends like the ones on my traditional grooming rake, and tines also have some movement to them. It helped me to get out some of the tangles I have always had a problem with in the past.
To be honest, I was amazed at the difference it made in the results too.
I could go on and on about what I like about these two products, but to me what was most important was knowing how much less stressed Jasper and Lady were throughout the process.
Writing this review was one of the easiest I have ever done. I WILL be using these grooming tools from now on.
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I wish something worked well on on my short haired beasts
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Have you tried the deShedder tool for smaller dogs?
Those sound great! I’d read somebody else’s review about the way the paddle brush was; I htought it sounded ingenius.
I have it easy with Elka, I just polish her once in awhile
LOL!!! Jen- that made me laugh. Polish her eh?
Yeah, it’s why she’s so shiny ^^
(Really, I mean more like rubbing her down with a towel, but polishing sounds so much more fun!)
Your the second review I’ve seen for the Furminator products. Looks like they worked great for your long haired dogs. (And I know what a pain that can be) I really need a new slicker brush. I’ll have to check into it.
I have a brush, but clearly it was not the right one. I was totally impressed with the slicker brush. As you know, long haired dogs can be so difficult to groom! If you do get one let me know what you think. Maybe FURminator can contact you!
FURminator … so easy to love!
Yup!
I have always been curious about furminator but hesitant due to the price–and the fact that Desmond has short, straight hair. I wonder if investing in one of these would make sense. I should take the quiz.
I swear by the deShedder tool for Daisy Lauren. I never knew that Labs shed so much before I adopted her and I have to tell you the deShedder has worked out great. I am guessing Desmond has a similar coat to a Labs – it’s all those small fine hairs that are hard to control. At least with Shelties I get clumps, with Daisy it’s everywhere.
If you decide to get one, let me know what you think.
I love “polishing” too. It just made me laugh to think of you polishing her.
I can relate to your feelings about product reviews. I think we’re twin sons (daughters) of different mothers.
That said, I’ve loved the first Furminator tool despite nearing plotzing when I saw the charge my husband had made on the credit card to buy it. Honey’s silky coat could probably use a slicker brush to prevent mats from forming under her arms (legs?). I’ll definitely check out the Furminator.
And there’s the power of doing only a few product reviews, Mel. When you protect your integrity, people know they can trust what you say.
Thanks Pamela. I think we are related for sure.:)
I’m not going to lie. I gulped when I bought my first FURminator, but it has paid for itself. I love these new tools so I hope you do too. This slicker brush is so cool.
Thank you for your kind words on product reviews. I don’t judge others who do many, I wish I could sometimes, but my darn sense of what is right for me to do keep getting in the way.
We love the Furminator, too! With two very hairy dogs in our house, it’s a lifesaver! I think the neighborhood birds appreciate the soft nest lining we leave out for them, too. lol
I can only imagine what a difference it makes with Morgan and Kuster!! I like leaving the fur out for the birds too.
Shiva doesn’t mind being groomed, other than the whole sitting still part. So we are pretty lucky. Since she also has short, fine fur, a quick once-over with a de-shedding tool every now and then does the trick. We mostly just put up with her shedding everywhere. I purposely got a grey rug for our living room to match. I know my limits and just the idea of having to thoroughly groom my dog every day makes me anxious. Thus, I will probably never live with a long-haired dog. My own personal grooming wastes enough of my day!
I didn’t realize that FURminator had developed new grooming tools – I’m going to have to go check it out. Ty is shedding like it’s his job right now, and living in such a small area has a concentrating effect on the fur balls. I’ve got to do something before we go crazy!
I hadn’t either Amy. That’s why I was so glad when they approached me. I had been looking for new grooming tools when they did. I am so happy I said Yes. Let me know what you end up getting.