How to Brush a Dog With a Shedding Blade

Dogs with thick double coats, such as Alaskan malamutes and Samoyeds, require grooming beyond a basic brushing, especially when shedding. A shedding blade works several ways to remove loose fur, but it requires that you exercise caution to avoid injury to your dog.

There are two ways to hold and use a shedding blade. The first way is holding the handle with one hand, pressing the loop flat against the fur, brushing it first from head to tail, then from tail to head to loosen and remove fluffy undercoating. The other way is holding it with both hands and pressing the loop on its side so only one flat side touches the fur, to remove any leftover clumps and reset the fur back to its normal style.

Do not use too much pressure when brushing with a shedding blade, especially around sensitive areas like the groin and bony projections. You can use shedding blades on dogs with less fur, like Labrador retrievers, but be careful to not scratch their skin. The two-handed method is a safer way of grooming dogs with short and thin coats.