Oster Dog Rake and Shedding Brush, 18-Tooth Coarse, Wide (078928-300-000)

I was considering a different product that was popular, but saw a lot of mixed reviews. I choose this instead. No regrets. Hair removes easily as you comb. It's very sturdy and well made. My family used this comb for German shepherds.

Firstly, I am the proud mama of a three year old, long haired, white German Shepherd. He's my own personal shedding machine.I bought this rake three years ago, along with a FURminator Long Hair deShedding Tool for Dogs, Large. For the longest time, I only used this occasionally and stuck with the Furminator. When using the Furminator, I noticed that my dog's fur would feel broken and cracked, kind of like heat-damaged hair. I started using the undercoat rake, and I haven't looked back since.It pulls the undercoat out while leaving the guard coat intact. My dog seems unaffected by its use - it's very gentle on him and he doesn't mind this nearly as much as the Furminator, which he starts whining about as soon as I start using it on him. This is an extremely effective tool for keeping him cool in the summer; as a double coated dog, he should never be shaved down. This does nothing to keep him cool. A properly groomed undercoat is free of tangles and dirt and matting, and will allow air and sunlight to pass through his skin, keeping both skin and fur healthy and cool. When the bulk of the undercoat is removed, your dog will shed less and will be substantially cooler.This is the only grooming tool I use on him, aside from scissors to trim his leg and belly fur, and the fur that grows wild between his toes. He is brushed weekly; he doesn't have any "big dog smell" (everyone knows it - it's not just big dogs, but that greasy feeling and awful smell on your hands after you pet a dog that hasn't seen a brush probably ever) /because/ I brush him so frequently. Actually, his coat kind of smells like ground pepper. Weird, but better than dog stink! I work at PetSmart and am constantly steering people away from the dozens of brushes we have and instead direct them to this handy little fur-destroyer. I recommend it to everyone who asks me what they should use for their double coated dog. Get this and don't look back.

1 year update:Still a 5-star purchase! Excellent quality that will last a lifetime. The rake never pulls but still manages to get tons of dead hair out, without making him look bald. Easy to clean and easy to use. Head of the tool can easily be tightened with an Allen wrench when it comes loose (which isn’t often).Review after using for 2 months:This rake has been a godsend for grooming my 4 month-old Newfoundland puppy. It does an amazing job at getting rid of dead fur, while never pulling or irritating him. Even if he was brushed with a slicker brush or pin brush immediately before, this rake still manages to pull out the hair other brushes missed. His coat is gorgeous and he constantly gets compliments on it.This rake has significantly reduced shedding when used every other day or so (he’s still a puppy and sometimes being still for a long time is tough).He doesn’t mind this rake being used on him and is rather indifferent to it. Other brushes he sometimes acts as if they pull his hair or annoy him.The brush is easy to use and extremely easy to clean. The hair easily wipes out. It does have some weight to it, which helps keep it close to his skin to be the most effective, but some users may have trouble with this if they have hand/wrist issues. It’s not “heavy” heavy, but it’s not a cheap piece of plastic.I absolutely recommend this brush to any long-hair/double-coat dog owner!

This is by far the best brush I have ever used on my husky. Compared to the Furminator, the teeth are spread wider apart, and each tooth is rounded rather than sharp. This allows you to brush your dog deeper and closer to their body in order to better get at their undercoat without the chance of scraping/scratching your dog. The insides of the teeth (that do not touch the dog) are slightly sharp to cut through matts and tangles in their undercoat, but it is not sharp-sharp, more like a dull serrated knife. You can easily touch and run your finger across these "sharp" parts and be completely fine, but they work well on hair. Because the teeth are farther apart, this rake does not pull my dog's hair like the Furminator did, and it bypasses the top coat. The Furminator would do well to take out my dog's top coat, but once the top coat had been completely brushed, it wouldn't get down to the undercoat and would keep pulling at the top coat, pulling hair that wasn't ready to come out.Therefore, I would recommend using both the this undercoat rake and another brush (like the Furminator) to thoroughly de-shed your dog. While great for its purpose, this rake is only works for a dog's undercoat, so if your dog doesn't have an undercoat, or you specifically need a brush for a top coat, this is not the brush for you.

We have a huge German Shepard whose favorite thing to do is to shed around the house. His undercoat is what he always sheds--especially in the summer--and we needed a pet grooming brush that would get the undercoat out of the dog.Pros: it does just that. It gets all of the undercoat out of the dog without harming him or making him uncomfortable. It leaves the top coat much silkier and I can see a noticeable decrease in shedding after an intense brushing.Cons: the fur goes everywhere when brushed. The brush collects some of it, but most of it falls off and has to be picked up later. Because of this, I usually brush my dog outside, where the fur can just blow away. Granted this isn't that big of a deal, but it makes it harder to brush the animals when I can't go outside.Overall, this is a very good brush that does everything it promises and should be present in every home with a shedding animal.