Grooming Qs about shedding American Eskimo

If the dog is well behaved and used to the process I will lie them on their side and take a slicker brush starting at the bottom of the foot and work my way up and then to the dogs side, and then up the back foot going up to the rear. I will brush against the grain to help loosen up some of the dead undercoat (being careful not to hurt the skin) and then I go back over my work with the grain to help pull out what i’ve loosened up. I’ll check my work with a large metal comb going to the skin and pulling out. I start in small sections and eventually get all the way around the dog.

If it has been months since i’ve seen the dog..I also use a dematting tool to help split matted areas of the coat. I don’t like doing it since I hate ripping coat..but I also wish people would bring in their big hairy’s more often!

In the tub.. I will lather the dog up with a good shampoo and then once the dog is soapy i’ll take a normal de-shed type rake tool and brush into the coat while the dog is soapy. I can get out clumps and clumps of packed coat. I’ve taken dogs other groomers wanted to shave and removed the undercoat this way. It works well, you can also take the HV dryer while the dog is soapy and blow out tons of undercoat..and repeat with a good conditioner (my favorite is the best shot ultra max, and i like their finishing spray as well!)

If you have a recirculating bathing system (and you probably don’t if you are just a pet owner) you can add a little bit of silicone based finishing product to the recirc when you are getting conditioner on the dog and it also helps pull out that undercoat..i keep “the stuff” on hand for that purpose and it works really well.

Then of course, rinse, rinse and force dry completely. It takes a lot of time but i don’t kennel dry dogs getting the undercoat removed..i force dry and brush while drying and follow through with a comb. It’s A LOT of work, but I’m always happy with the end result.

This is my neighbor and friends dog after I did undercoat removal on him..he’s some kind of malamute mix!

I seem to get all the big hairy de-sheds at work. This is my routine and how I was taught..but everyone seems to do it differently.If the dog is well behaved and used to the process I will lie them on their side and take a slicker brush starting at the bottom of the foot and work my way up and then to the dogs side, and then up the back foot going up to the rear. I will brush against the grain to help loosen up some of the dead undercoat (being careful not to hurt the skin) and then I go back over my work with the grain to help pull out what i’ve loosened up. I’ll check my work with a large metal comb going to the skin and pulling out. I start in small sections and eventually get all the way around the dog.If it has been months since i’ve seen the dog..I also use a dematting tool to help split matted areas of the coat. I don’t like doing it since I hate ripping coat..but I also wish people would bring in their big hairy’s more often!In the tub.. I will lather the dog up with a good shampoo and then once the dog is soapy i’ll take a normal de-shed type rake tool and brush into the coat while the dog is soapy. I can get out clumps and clumps of packed coat. I’ve taken dogs other groomers wanted to shave and removed the undercoat this way. It works well, you can also take the HV dryer while the dog is soapy and blow out tons of undercoat..and repeat with a good conditioner (my favorite is the best shot ultra max, and i like their finishing spray as well!)If you have a recirculating bathing system (and you probably don’t if you are just a pet owner) you can add a little bit of silicone based finishing product to the recirc when you are getting conditioner on the dog and it also helps pull out that undercoat..i keep “the stuff” on hand for that purpose and it works really well.Then of course, rinse, rinse and force dry completely. It takes a lot of time but i don’t kennel dry dogs getting the undercoat removed..i force dry and brush while drying and follow through with a comb. It’s A LOT of work, but I’m always happy with the end result.This is my neighbor and friends dog after I did undercoat removal on him..he’s some kind of malamute mix!