Hair today, Brush...... working overtime. (Four Paws Dogs Shed N Blade)

Member Name: rune_tune

Product:	Four Paws Dogs Shed N Blade
Date:	03/06/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Grooming made easy!

Disadvantages: None, absolutely none.

Four Paws Dogs Shed N Blade

Hair today, Brush...... working overtime.

~ So why have we got this? ~

As some of you might know (if you've read the review I've done) we have a rescue German shepherd bitch, and she is now 7 years old. A wonderful dog in just about every way.......except shedding hair. It is everywhere. We've become a household whereby the vacuum cleaner does overtime, you can't go anywhere without sticky mitts for your clothing and try as you might, groom as often as you might, she still shed's her fur everywhere.

That was until my Mother handed me this Shed N Blade.

~ What does it look like? ~

Well it's a little hard to explain, but I'll try my best.
Its two leather handles (One with the Four Paws logo in gold imprinted on it), with a long flexible blade between them, with teeth one side. I suppose you could say it looks a little like a saw when opened out.

This is then also looped around in a circle, and the handles held together by an 'O' metal ring that is held firmly in place on the top edge of one handle. This means the blade is either not quite circular, or open depending on your preference. Personally I've never used it open, just closed as the picture above shows in its 'circular' state, but its good to know you have that flexibility if I did ever need it.

~ So how does it work? ~

Well to work it is simple enough. You just grasp the handles, and pull it (teeth facing the coat) through your dogs coat.

From that we've noticed a number of good things about this grooming tool.
First of all, Tasha (the dog) has always hated being groomed. Obviously the previous owner did it roughly, and particularly around her hind legs and tail area, she has always been very unhappy about it. Its taken a full year to really be able to brush her completely, and even then we have to do it in short bursts other wise she begins to get upset.
This blade is one she rarely notices is being used on her, even when she is going through a moult. So obviously it is far less harsh than any other brushes or combs we've got, and this is a massive plus in its favour.

But the biggest difference comes in how it works. It doesn't take much pressure to run it through the coat, and the hair it removes is almost unbelievable!
Within seconds it removes far more dead hair and undercoat than anything I've ever used before (including a specialist stripping comb as its known).

Not only does it remove a large amount of hair very quickly, it also doesn't clog up in the same way that a brush does, but simply comes off the blade and often flies around you as you groom (I would recommend you do this outside because of this).

It takes a fraction of the time we would normally have to do the same thing. Honestly I would say for every hour normally grooming on Tasha, I achieve the same sort of results within 5 to 10 minutes of using this blade. So this benefits not only Tasha (who as mentioned hates being groomed normally) but also me, because since I suffer with arthritis I struggle with a normal brush now. Not only do I find I don't have to grip it as tightly, but not using it for as long means the hands don't seize up as much.
You can also easily get to all the main area's on her body, including the back legs, chest and around her tail. The only area I don't use it is on the face near her eyes etc (I go as far as the back of the head and ears). I use a soft brush and sponge for those areas.

~ Final results ~

When Tasha is in full moult we use this blade every day for about 10 to 14 days. Otherwise, we find just once (or on occasion) twice a week is more than enough to keep her coat in excellent condition. It has a shine to it she didn't quite get before, and overall since it is far less traumatic of an experience for her, she benefits in more ways than one now.

We've also noticed that since using the blade, while she still does shed hair on most things around the house, again the amount is far below what we've been used to, and our use of sticky mitts and vacuum cleaner have even been reduced, and this is a huge bonus.

We've also used the blade on the other dog we have (A Gordon Setter, Collie Cross) and while his coat is completely different to Tasha's (and so doesn't moult as much for a start) he also benefits from a weekly brush down with this blade.

We still use the normal brushes just to 'finish' the grooming off, but if I had to give up all but one grooming tool - I would let everything but this blade go. My only complaint - I didn't know about it sooner!

~ Final thoughts ~

For dogs (and apparently there is a cat version as well) that need a lot of grooming, particularly with their undercoats, then I would recommend this without hesitation. It is by far the best grooming aid I've ever come across, and I just wish I'd known about it sooner. Its plus points are:

· It removes hair quickly and efficiently, without the same tugging actions a lot of other grooming aids have.
· It's removal of dead and unwanted hair is unparalleled. It doesn't clog up in the same way a brush does, and removes the hair quickly and efficiently.
· It is fast!
· Doesn't need to be done every day, except during the heaviest periods of moulting.

A full five out of five stars from me. I wouldn't be without it now.

~ Availability ~

Since I was given mine, I don't know how readily available this might be via Pet Shops or Stores. However, a quick search online and I found the following:

From an online company called Premier Pet and Aquatics (co.uk web site) for the cost of £4-99 for the large blade. Other options also available - Price excludes any postage costs.

Summary: If you have a dog who moults a lot, this is something you can't be without,