apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a papillon and a blue heeler. We bought the medium dog size Furminator a couple of months ago and think it's worth every penny!

i bought it a few weeks ago for my 2 cats and one VERY hairy pug and i absolutely love it! i noticed the difference right away and now i brush them all once a week and it really cuts down on the hair problem. they don't mind it as much as the other brushes i have tried either... it is pretty amazing how much comes off of a small pet when you brush them for the first time. kind of gross...

Oh my goodness. I was also very skeptical upon buying one for my cats, but they are completely worth it. Make sure you read the breed restrictions, because they can make curly-haired breeds go bald! I've recommended it to several family members and friends, and even had them try mine and they all love it. I have a short haired cat and a medium haired cat, and after I use it, I barely find any fur in my house for at least a month. It is designed to get the undercoat out, where it gets trapped when they shed it, while leaving the silky top coat. Let me tell you though, make sure you do it outdoors and wear clothing you don't plan on wearing later! I absolutely love it... its not like any other brush out there. And no, I don't work for the company :)
Pros: Gets the fur out for at least a month. Quick and easy to use.
Cons: Breed restrictions. Cover yourself in fur. Can produce bald spots if you over-do one spot... but you just have to watch what you are doing!

It is TOTALLY worth every penny. I use it monthly on my 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and it pulls out all the dead hair and makes them look oh so sleek and glossy!

Yay! I just bought one on ebay and I'm thrilled to read such great reviews!

My lab sheds like there is no tomorrow. Since I have started using the ferminator, it's drasticaly reduced the shedding and like Monica's Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, his coat is so glossy, he looks like he is ready for the Westminster dog show. Only if they had a category for crazy hooligans, though.

I have the cat version so it wasn't too pricey but I think it works.

I noticed that the poof of hairs that used to fly up when I pet the beasts seems to be less. Also, I brush them maybe once every couple of weeks and it always pulls off a great big mound o' fur.

They will, however, always shed somewhat - unless, of course, you shave 'em.

I have one and it works well...but our cat HATES it.

I got the cat one for my orange short-haired cat, and it did reduce shedding quite a bit. However, I also recently saw a very similar tool to the Furminator at Target made by Bamboo Pet called the "FurBuster" which seems like it might be the same thing, for a fraction of the price. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but I want to say it was like $10-$15, which is a lot cheaper than the Furminator, and I'm guessing they probably make larger ones for dogs, too. Has anyone tried the FurBuster?

http://www.bamboopet.com/all_products/detail.php?ID=202815062&nID=3z1

*best* $60 you'll ever spend. OK, maybe that's overstating it a bit, but I think you'll find it worth every penny! we bought the cat-sized version for our 2 kitties and it's phenomenal. one of our cats has a very thick coat (short, but thick) and it does wonders on him. plus he loves it (like a day at the kitty-spa for him), which helps. our other cat is less enamoured, but with a bit of encouragement, she let's us have a go with it. it really gets at the undercoat, which makes them shed a lot less.

go for it!

Fantastic. Totally works for my goldens. They love it too. I wouldn't buy it from a pet store - too expensive. Get it from eBay. And don't worry about size. The smaller ones work the same as the largest one and are cheaper.

I endorse it 100% I have TWO german shepherds in a NYC apartment and the furminator makes all the difference. I like to brush them at the beginning of a walk because its dificult to get ALL of the hair off the dog once its been brushed off. During the course of the walk or a visit to the dog run, the little bits of fur that you missed will fly off and you'll be set!

Its Friggin Great. I have a very hairy dog and its was just like the commercials. Its like you pulled a Chinchilla off your dog.
I bought mine off of Ebay and save about half the cost. It was the real furminator and was unused.

A money-saving tip for big dogs-- you don't have to buy the large furminator. We saved a bit by purchasing a medium furminator for our golden retriever, and it does the job just fine. Plus, the smaller size lets you brush narrow areas more easily. And it really IS worth every penny. Our dog LOVES it-- he has hated every other brush, but for some reason he adores being furmintated.

There are also some reviews on Amazon.com. Not all of them are as glowing as these reviews (keep in mind that disappointed folks are more likely to post a comment than content shoppers), but they are overwhelmingly positive.

I bought something like that at Target and it works great too.

I have the large one for my large black lab. While it doesn't keep my house shed free, it does take out an astonishing amount of fur each time. And it definitely takes out the undercoat while leaving the shiny topcoat.

My dog doesn't love it though - he'll tolerate it for a bit and then get up and lumber off.

Note to those shopping for these on ebay - I bought my first one that way. It was advertised as the real thing, but I got a knock off. Look for the logo on the product - it's obvious. If yours doesn't have one, you've been ripped off.

100% totally worth it.
i got one for my cat a few months ago in a desperate attempt to try and stop her from throwing up everywhere and it totally worked. she was a hairball-aholic and nothing i did was helping. shes on really good food and i tried all sorts of supplements and i had a different cheap-o brush that i'd use on her but since i splurged on a furminator she hasn't thrown up at all. joy!
you do have to be careful though, too much brushing in one spot can really thin the hair out.

After reading about it online, I decided to go to my local Petco to buy one until I found out the cat brush costs $36. I was like, no way can it be worth it!! But someone at work lent me hers for me to test out on my kitty, and I have to agree. It's totally worth it and am now planning on buying one on amazon for $25. What's different about this brush is that it gets out all the underfur. Pretty amazing and my cat didn't mind it at all.

The furminator is essentially comb with an ergonomic handle with very tightly packed comb teeth. I have a miniature schnauzer, a breed whom for all intents and purposes does not shed, and the furminator worked wonders. It keeps the mats and tangles at bay and helps my dog keep cool. I got mine on sale at Amazon.com. I too was skeptical of the price, but with the discount I got, I couldn't say no.

Just bought one, I hope it works as well as everyone says.

I love my de-shedding tool, I got a cheaper non-furminator version that works just as well. I think it's called a Fur Buster or something like that.

I think on your huskies it should be amazing. My dog is a lab-x but he has almost no undercoat, he's a little wiry, and it works but it's not blow-your-mind or anything.

Azure - thanks for the heads up on the Amazon deal. I just ordered the Furbulfurter (or whatever) in cat size for $23.

oh wow. i JUST bought one of these this weekend. it's amazing. I can tell right away. i have to usually vacuum every two days bc of my two dogs. i haven't seen a hair since saturday in my house.
you should have seen the amount of hair that came off of them...

don't do it! this works just as well and is less than $10!

http://www.petco.com/product/10259/JW-Pet-Grip-Soft-Cat-Shedding-Blade.aspx

100% worth the $50 (which seemed nuts at the time). Keeps my German Shepherd from shedding with a once-a-month brushing. Freakishly effective.

I've heard Ebay is the spot to get a deal - I paid full price at my local pet store.

It's much cheaper on Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/6m2rgy

My wife got one for our dogs. My brother got one for his cat. Both say it's the best whatever amount they paid that they've ever spent.

Definitely do the Amazon deal.

YES it's amazing! I have 4 cats and it works wonders on them. Drugstore.com has a good price (that's where I bought mine). It really, really is worth it. It removes the undercoat while miraculously leaving the overcoat in tact.

There's also more discussion on the Furminator in last week's Simple Green cat hair post (the one with the cute orange kitty).

clearly by now you've assessed that it's worth it. Just another voice in the choir, here. Love it.

Oh. You wanted the pros AND cons.

Cons: not a good idea to brush your pet indoors with this tool. Go outside to do it, or plan to spend the following hour vacuuming.

The Furminator is great. I have a schnauzer-poodle-miscellaneous mix, and he doesn't seem to shed a lot but a lot of hair comes off when I Furminate him. He loves it. And definitely check eBay -- I got mine for about 1/2 the retail price.

My sister bought a similar thing at either Target or Petsmart/Petco. It has the same metal teeth part as the Furminator, but the overall shape is more like that of a comb. I think it was around $10. I've seen them, but can't remember what they're called.

This may have been mentioned already, but if you want it for cheap, check eBay. I got mine new for $10 and saved about $30. VERY WORTH IT. I had no idea my Corgi was actually a Teacup Chihuahua underneath. I'm just sayin'.

I have a Corgi mix with a thick coat, and it works great, but do it outside if you can.

When I visited my parents and their very hairy Border Collie mix earlier this summer, they threatened to steal it. $$ well spent.

Totally worth it! They have tons for sale on ebay and I got a brand new brush for less than half price (including shipping.)

it does the job, but my cat hates it.

Its awesome. Makes living with a 160 pound Newfoundland a little less furry.

For HUSKIES -- RUN, don't walk and get one. It won't make your home 100% fur free, but it will decrease the amount like nobodies business. However,for short haired hounds, like bassets/beagles with sensitive skin, it's not something you would use on a daily basis--more on a weekly or every 4 day basis.

Oh my god, YES! We use these on our Retriever/Lab and our Border Collie and took pictures to document the glory because we didn't think anyone would believe us when we described the mounds of hair we got off our dogs. Our Border Collie looks as though she's lost about thirty pounds. And, if I dare admit, the dogs are even more pleased than we.

This is what sold me. It's guaranteed. I figured, if I bought it and it didn't work I could return it. I have an Australian Shepherd- which means a double coat - in other words, I adopted a dog and a family of ever reproducing dust bunnies. The brush works. When she is brushed regularly the dust bunny population is noticably less! As other noted, the pets, they are hairy,, so the hair doesn't disappear, but its much much better.

I bought one for cheap from omahavaccine.com. I got a med sized one that I could use on my three cats & my lab mix. It is one of the most amazing products I have ever purchased for my pets!

(p.s. I loooooove omahavaccine.com! You can find all sorts of stuff for cheap on their site!!!)

You all have convinced me. And that dog in the photo is the cutest thing ever. Next to mine, of course...
http://flickr.com/photos/halfmad/2461534047/in/set-72157594175363412/

My labrador hates it. She thinks it's torture(and it does look kind of scary). But it does do a good job at removing fur. My dog does look sleeker,and that certainly is one of the allures of the Furminator( she's kind of overweight,but that's another issue). I have to chase her around the house, but it does work.

This tool only works if you use it. Yes, it removes a ton of fur but but my ornery cat absolutely hates it. I'm not sure I'm interested in pinning him in a head lock while I submit him to weekly Furmination.

I have one for our Maine Coon, and it is wonderful. Only problem is that she doesn't like it much. She'll tolerate it for a while but then decides to bite it. Still, it has done wonders for our carpets and she hasn't had a hairball in a long time. I bought it on Amazon at a pretty good discount.

I just got mine this week for my large black lab and I absolutely love it! Worth every penny--(although I got my large one on Amazon for 1/2 the price). After just a couple uses, his coat looks amazing the shedding has been drastically reduced and an added bonus...he absolutely loves when I brush him with it. I can't believe I didn't get one sooner!

this is definetly worth it. i previusly used the rake but i ended up ginving and i bought the small furminator. i have have a blue heeler that blows his coat once a year and it gets REALLY bad. one week after getting him groomed at petco we used the furmintaor on him and it took off an entire grocery bag FULL of hair. it was disgusting!! i use this thing every week all the time. its a definete good buy for anyone with pets.

i have a husky/lab mix. this works very well, but i can use the Furminator on him until my arm gets sore, and still the fur keeps coming off him. it just never stops. the only thing that keeps him from shedding in the house is shaving him, even if i furminate him every day.

I have been eyeing this for sometime now but I'm afraid it might scare my dogs. Only one of them actually likes to brushed(my chocolate lab who sheds like there is no tomorrow- i think she sheds more than my cat, sheltie, and border collie combined) and my cat runs when we go near him with a brush.

This is so amazing!!!! I never believed it would work like it does in the photos, but it really does. I used it on my two english cocker spaniels. One was keen on it immediately. The other took a little time to warm up to the furminator. They were shedding so much in the winter, probably because they weren't outside and didn't need the thick coat they grew (i could be totally wrong on that...), anyway it really helped to get the undercoat gone...and they looked so much healthier and happier afterwards; with all of that itchy extra hair gone that wasn't attached to them anyway.

just bought and used the Furminator today and it works amazingly well. One cat LOVES it and the other tolerates itwhile he's eating. I never knew so much fur could come off of a short-hair cat!

I have several cats and a dog. I like the furminator, but the cat that needs it the most doesn't like it. I have to sneak up on him when he's eating and brush him for a few seconds at a time. It has made a huge difference in his coat in just a couple of days. I took out a huge amount of fur and his back looks really sleek. He used to have thick, dandruffy fur on his back and he shed every time I tried to pet him. Now I can pet him without stirring up a hair cloud and I can also use a cleansing cloth on his back and clean the fur and skin. I have gotten rid of the oiliness and dandruff on his back. I just wish that he liked it and would let me work on him for longer instead of just a few seconds at a time.