I just realized I was brushing my farm dog wrong for two years

Ngl, I've been using a slicker brush on my border collie, Rusty, thinking I was getting all the loose fur out. But my buddy Tom, who runs a sheep farm near Boise, pointed out I was just skimming the top layer and missing the undercoat completely. He showed me one pass with an undercoat rake, and suddenly I had enough fur to stuff a pillow. Has anyone else been using the wrong tool on their working dog's coat?

3 comments

3 Comments

jones.brooke22h ago

Wait, you're telling me I've been wasting two years with a slicker brush too? I did the exact same thing with my heeler mix, just skimming the top like it was doing anything. Tom sounds like a real one for showing you that undercoat rake, I swear it's a game changer for double coated farm dogs. How many times a week do you hit Rusty with the rake during shedding season?

karen_hart19h agoMost Upvoted

Oh man I totally thought the slicker was doing the job too, but once I actually got down to the skin with the rake I realized I was basically just petting him with a brush for two years. During heavy shedding I do Rusty about 3 times a week and it's insane how much hair comes out, way more than I ever got with the slicker.

christopher40213h ago

Are you guys really acting like brushing a dog is some kind of rocket science now?