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puca bearsSome of you may already be aware of this - but in case not......I really want to share........
went to the vet on Monday and he introduced us to a new dog comb , which is supposed to effortlessly remove all the dead hair from your pet's coat.............I was pretty sceptical that such a short -toothed implement would do the job on our Leonberger's long THICK fur - but OMG - this thing really works! It's so nice these days to find a product that actually delivers on the manufacturers promises.
Anyway - it's called the "FURminator" (nice!?!).........so if you want to know more, just Google it...............and I would thoroughly recommend it!
and Nounours, who positively HATES being brushed was really relaxed about it - think we combed out enough to make another dog!
huggies
Maria
PennsylvaniaCan you say, "Chiengora?" 
Country BearsMy dog runs a mile when there's a brush in the room lol!! You may have to needlefelt another dog with the fur you get!! 
Thanks for sharing will take a look...xx
Back Road BearsI worked in a vets office and we sold tons of Furminators! They are awesome and work great on any dog with a thick undercoat of fur.
***It is not for use on dogs with "hair" or who have single layer coats like many terriers, poodles, etc. That's why it's call the "Fur"minator and not the "Hair"minator!! 
I'm just pointing this out as it seemed clients at the vet's office didn't always understand this.
Posts: 227We had a Retriever/Lab cross and holy geez did that brush work like a charm especially when she was shedding, I swear I got a whole puppy off of her in less than half an hour.
I also found it worked on my Ragdoll cats, just had to be sure to brush very gently.
puca bearsHiya
I figured some of you would have come across the FURminator before now...............and you're right, Daphne - I should have pointed out it's for getting all the undercoat out. But how I wish these combs had been round a lot earlier........Nounours is our second Leonberger, and a hatred of the BRUSH seems to be the norm ...........would have saved me an awful lot of work!
As for needle-felting a pup ..........takes me forever to just do a bear face. But I have (in pre-bear days) spun some lovely yarn from Leo undercoat - it's very soft, and NOT scratchy!
PennsylvaniaThe dog in this video seems to like getting brushed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuuiugFEmu4
He's all rolling around as if to say, "Scratch me here!" :D
I read that a lot of people spin their dog's hair into yarn and knit things from it. There is a name for it, even: Chiengora: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiengora
They say that chiengora is even warmer than wool.
Posts: 227The dog in this video seems to like getting brushed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuuiugFEmu4
He's all rolling around as if to say, "Scratch me here!" :D
I read that a lot of people spin their dog's hair into yarn and knit things from it. There is a name for it, even: Chiengora: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiengora
They say that chiengora is even warmer than wool.
But what about wearing your sweater in the rain....don't know if I'd want to smell like wet dog :crackup:
puca bearsAHA!!!!!!!!!! Chiengora explained..........thanks! :crackup: :crackup:
And I'd have to agree - wet dog is NOT the nicest smell!................
PennsylvaniaWell... You wash the yarn before you knit it! Don't you?
Maria,
Thanks for sharing. You are one of many who have boasted about the fur-minator. So, I'm going to have to break down and buy one for Dolan. He's a black lab and a HAIRY BEAST! Next bear I sell, I'm buying my Dodie a fur-minator. He LOVES to be brushed.
Hugs,
Alison
The company that makes the Furminator also make a shampoo and a conditioner called de shedding solution. The de shedding solution is fabulous. I used a regular shampoo and then the de shedding solution on my Leonberger then used a regular rake brush on her and she didn't shed for three weeks. Normally I could brush just her hind end every day and get a ton of hair out--after using the solution though it was three weeks before hair started coming out.
She hated being brushed too.
Oh how I miss her!!! But I did cut a lot of hair off her in the week preceding having her put to sleep with plans on making my own plush Sienna the Leonberger, utilizing her fur for the leg and ear feathering. Her death really put me in a blue mood and haven't made much of anything lately. But I am starting to come out of it so hopefully I'll get started on that soon. I'll share pictures once I do have it made.
Maria, Does Nounours like to suck on anything? Sienna would suck on a big fuzzy ball for hours. I have seen pictures of other Leos that like to suck on things too. i might make my plush Leo with an open mouth and her own snuggly ball to suck on.
Beth
puca bearsOh Beth - I am so sorry about Sienna..........you have my heartfelt sympathy! I still miss Liu, our first Leo - and she died 7 years ago.........it's awfully HARD, isn't it?
Actually neither of ours have ever been into sucking things........even FOOD (which rules their lives!)
The de-shedding conditioner sounds good - I'll have to investigate...........I've never known any dogs which shed as much as Leonbergers.
Oh - and BTW - LOVE your black bear avatar! I've been working on a couple more black ones, but the rate I'm going, I'd be better off if I WAS a bear - then I could just give birth to them!
AND YES - (US bears).........I DO wash the yarn before knitting it! I normally blend the dog fur with a bit of wool before spinning (and I use unwashed wool)........and Leo wool comes out almost like angora, as the undercoat is SO soft
ALISON - lucky you - a dog who.loves to be brushed! the only one we've ever had like that was our bloodhound - and he hardly needed it! I'd really recommend the Furminator .............
huggies all
Maria :hug: :hug:
PennsylvaniaWhen I was a kid my dad used to breed dogs. We had anywhere between 6 and 10 dogs, not counting puppies.
Every summer, the dogs would shed. Even the short haired ones would shed a little. We spent all kinds of time brushing the dogs. We just used a regular curry comb like they use on horses. But, of course, we had bigger dogs so the metal comb wouldn't hurt them.
We used to end up with mountains of dog hair! A few times, I remember we had to use a lawn rake to clean it all up. All of it got thrown away. But, even as a kid, I used to wonder if all that dog hair could be made into something.
It wasn't until just a few years ago that I heard it was becoming fashionable to knit your dogs fur into sweaters and things. I read that some people even go so far as to keep the different colors of hair separate so they can make different colors of yarn without having to dye or bleach it.
I laughed when I first heard the euphemism, "chiengora!"
I think it would be a neat way to remember your dog who is no longer with you if you knitted something from its fur.
Beth, if you really miss your dog so much, it might be therapeutic to make something from the fur you kept.
