At any moment, at any time, with one good shake, your pet could send hair flying all over the house. No matter the coat length, pets have a tendency to shed, particularly with the changing seasons. Grooming your pet shouldn't be more laborious than grooming yourself, and there are quick and easy tools that will have your pet looking dapper (and by extension your house looking cleaner) in no time.
Rakes
A rake used for grooming looks like a mini version of the classic garden tool. The rake is particularly handy for working through mats. Most have rotating pins that easily maneuver through hair without pulling. Because the rake has such long pins, it works well for getting through to the undercoat and stimulating the hair follicles. When using this brush, rake through the coat gently, taking special care around matted areas.
Strippers and Stripper Knives
Strippers look a lot like carrot peelers, but with a slightly curved blade that rotates a bit. The stripper knife looks just like a standard knife. Both the stripper and stripper knives strip, demat, and detangle in one step. The motion used is long strokes, just like brushing through the fur of your pet. A stripper will remove loose hair and the undercoat. A stripper is ideal for pets with heavy coats.
Shedding Blades
Most shedding blades are flexible pieces of metal, which can be looped and run across your pet's fur, or straightened out for larger areas. The type of teeth on this type of blade make it look a little bit like a saw. This tool will remove the loose hair of the topcoat, but isn't as effective getting to the undercoat. Consequently, this type of comb is best for animals with short coats. If used frequently, it will keep the shedding down and increase the shine of the coat.
Basic Combs and Slicker Brushes
Basic combs and slicker brushes don't necessarily cut hair, but will remove hair. A comb will lay flat on a level plane, and works to smooth out the top coat and around the face area.
The slicker brush has a compacted area of many thin needles all sticking up into the air. The slicker brush will remove the most hair if you first brush against the direction of growth, and then brush along the direction of growth. This helps to get to the undercoat and then end with a smooth glossy coat.
References
Writer Bio
Based out of California and Illinois, Myriah Cohen started writing in 2010. She enjoys writing about marketing, fashion, health, food, and pop culture. Cohen writes for Answerbag, eHow and LIVESTRONG.COM. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in communication from Brigham Young University-Idaho.