(Part 3) Top products from r/greatpyrenees

Sure, so I can walk you through what I did in the grooming salon whenever a dog with a lot of hair came in (that was shedding).

Ok, first thing you need to do is find a self-serve dog wash. It has to have a high-powered hair dryer like this. The dryer is very important.

Ok, so get your dog tied in the tub securely, and before you do anything else, turn the dryer on and blow out the loose hair. Your results will vary for this, it's especially effective on huskies/malamutes, but it works on my Pyr as well when he's blowing his coat out. You want to be slow with the dryer if your pup has never experienced one before. They are quite loud, and most dogs really hate the air in their face. So, hold the hose behind your back, turn the dryer on, and just wait and see how your dog reacts. If they seem scared by the noise, try to be really calming and reassuring to them. If it seems like they are okay, bring the dryer up, and slowly tilt the nozzle down onto your dog's rump. Move slowly to let them get used to the feel, making sure to gently correct when they are fussing, and reward them when they behave. I've found it helps my dog to tie a towel around his head over his ears, as he's not bothered as much by the feel of the air as he is by the sound.

Anyway, blow from underneath, focusing around the upper leg area especially. A lot of people focus on the back/neck, but in my experience, more hair comes from the belly where it joins with the back legs, and the leg itself. Blow and maybe lightly/gently brush to loosen up the hair and blow it free.

Ok, now you're ready to start the bath. Get your dog wet, and then apply shampoo liberally. You want to use a type of shampoo that is specifically designated for deshedding. I personally love the Furminator shampoo and conditioner. It smells like a pina colada, and more importantly, it works. Really do not be afraid to lather it in there, really work the shampoo in with your fingers, applying more water as you need to. Let the shampoo sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

Next, apply the conditioner. Same thing, really work it in. Let the conditioner sit for as long as you can be patient for, up to 10 minutes. Now, here is the thing that really works wonders: blow dry your dog while the conditioner is still in. I'm not sure if it's the heaviness of the conditioner, but that will really get a lot of hair out.

Rinse the conditioner, it's really important to make sure you rinse really, really well. Make sure to do touch tests. If the hair feels slimy or slick, there's still conditioner in there. Work from the top down and really pay attention to the belly, chest, and armpit areas.

Ok, that's it! Dry your dog off with towels, and the blow dry all the way. You will be surprised at how much hair comes out for the dryer. It really makes a huge difference in how soft/manageable to makes their coats, too.

If you want, you can also brush with a deshedding brush. I would recommend a mix of a slicker brush, deshedding rake, and a Furminator. The slicker brush you'll mostly use to make sure there are no mats or tangles, as the two deshedding brushes will hurt if they go over tangles or mats. So, brush through with the slicker brush, and then go over with the deshedding tools. As you work with them, you'll figure out where each tool works best.

That's what you would get if you came to me when I was still working at PetSmart and ordered a Furminator package. It will not eliminate shedding, but it will help a heck of a lot. I do this for my Pyr every 6 months or so. Regular bathing will also help with shedding. For a Pyr, once a month, or every 6 weeks or so is best, with regular brushing.

Let me know if you have any other questions about bathing/grooming!

WOW! so much great info! exactly what I was looking for! So you would recommend the DIY self service > PetSmart Furminator package?

Thanks for getting me the info while on mobile, i looked at furminator brush but thought that cant be the only thing i need, and couldn't find a specific grooming source this was super helpful. I will look into both DIY & Furminator.

Just to make sure i got the DIY procedure down:

1. Find self service dog wash with high power dryer ( i found a "Petco- unleashed" nearby ~$10/visit)
   
   
2. Buy Furminator brand Shampoo/Conditioner ( ~$10 each)
   
   
3. Buy Oster undercoat rake (~$16 bucks online) + bring my own regular brush...
   
   
4. Bathing-
   
   

• Wash dogs down first, get completely drenched
  
• apply shampoo (let sit in for ~5 min while rubbing?), wash dog again
  
• apply Conditioner to entire coat, then wash out again?
  
• Then begin drying with high powered dryer (~1hour?).
  
• Once completely dry i can then start to use brushes, correct?
  
• start with regular detangling brush, then use Oster brush.
  
• for my Pyr her hair seems to be heavily concentrated on her hind legs and chest. Any recommendations for these areas?
  
• Continue HighPowered drying while brushing? or once dry no need anymore?
  
  Thanks for the help! seems like DIY could cost me about ~$50-60. I just thought it would cost more for the tools they had in this grooming pyranees video

For the real fine floof, use a slicker brush like this

If you want to get the undercoat out, use a deshedding tool like this one

Brush first with the slicker brush and get all the tangles out before you use the deshedding tool. You may also need a comb to get some of the finer hair straight before going with the deshedding tool. If you really want to manage the hair, make sure you are washing regularly, every 4-6 weeks or so and using a shampoo and conditioner designed to reduce shedding. I really like the Furminator shampoo and conditioner. It helps if you are able to use a high powered dryer to dry them, that will take out so much hair you won't believe it. It will make it a lot more manageable to brush in between baths. If you don't have access to one I recommend you take your dog to a professional groomer.

Source: Worked in a grooming salon for a year

Game and maze toys are great! They also help to get my pyr to eat since she isn't usually inspired by the food in her bowl. My pup loves these two toys and will nudge them around the house until they are empty. Congrats on the new pyr :)

OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-hrMzb3WWTK2W

StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Pet Toy, Large
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JQLNB4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RirMzb483MJ7Z

We got this one, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UTA1G4/ref=twister_B074MZ9LGR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 , for our GP mainly because it was cheap and had somewhat decent reviews. We didn't want to spend $80 on a pack he wouldn't ware. We did a couple of dry runs around the house and then on shorter hikes (less than 4 hrs total) with no issues. It's a great beginner pack, but can be a bit of a pain to adjust the straps because of the fur. It holds his collapsible water bowl, two 1L nalgene bottles, and poop bags. I think we will probably end up getting a nicer one that is easier to adjust when this one bites the dust. The best part of the pack IMO, he can carry his own poop bags 12 miles :)

We use this Ecollar every day with King. It has levels 1-100 and we normally have it at a 2 for everyday commands. At 2 it's just enough to get their attention but not enough to make them scratch at the collar. You can try it on yourself and at 2 you get a warming sensation. But we also use it to correct bad behavior like food aggression, jumping of the glass door, or barking in the yard.

Example:
We gave King a large ham bone which triggered some animalistic aggression/protection behavior over the bone which carried over to all treats and food. He never had that problem before. King would snap and make contact but never a real bite, but it still hurt. We solved this by turning the collar up to 60 and when he would snap would would tap the button. It took 3-4 tries for him to understand and he never did it again. We call this the "Hot Burner" method, you only touch the hot burner on a stove once because you learn your lesson as a child.


The Ecollar when used and taught properly is an amazing tool that really helps you communicate with your dog. We sent King to a trainer in New Orleans, Pro K9 Solutions, and they taught King for 3 weeks how to use the collar. The trainer recommended Blake Rodriguez if we ever needed videos to watch for training. There is a video on his youtube page that teaches the basics of how to use and train with the Ecollar.


If you have any questions feel free to DM me.

We have a pressure-activated cooling mat from Amazon. This one in size XL.

The Green Pet Shop Cooling Gel Pad for Dogs

We’ve only had it a couple of months, but our Pyr seems to like it. He won’t lay on dog beds or even blankets, so this thin mat is perfect for him.

If you want to understand more about it and are willing to spend time on training, I would suggest this book: https://www.amazon.com/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942 It is written for dog behavioralists, but as a fellow Pyr person I have found it very helpful in understanding resource guarding in my own dog. The strategies described in the book have been very helpful to me.

The only toys my GP doesn't destroy are Plubber toys. https://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Plubber-Bald-Eagle-Large/dp/B003NSBW80/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466391897&sr=8-3&keywords=Plubber
Her favorite one is the skunk. She also loves the filled dentley bones from petco.

We've gotten the Kong bear which lasted a while but eventually ended up without a skeleton after about a month. We immediately bought a replacement after seeing how sad he was that his new favorite toy was no more.

Does that rope giraffe hold together pretty well? Every rope toy we've gotten (except the bear which had the body to protect the rope) has shredded after he starts grinding on them with his back teeth.

I use these.

Worked great on my last dog (G. Shep / Lab) and so far so good on Bree (Pyr/Blu Heeler)

We have this one! Multi-species approved, except by my Pyr who distrusts it deeply and strongly prefers her water to be served in a river.

I use something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Grooming-Desheddinator-Undercoat-shedding/dp/B00CE7ELXE

Amazon! When we got our little guy the breeder had that sign at the end of their driveway I had to have it!

Dog Yard Sign "Caution Area... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040N1ZOS?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

That's a Julius harness

This solved all our problems:

https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Elevated-Feeder-Airtight-Storage/dp/B004C33M38/ref=sr_1_10?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1526048682&sr=1-10&keywords=dog+food+storage

Yes! We have always had doggie doors to our fenced backyard. First we had the kind that fits alongside a sliding glass door (within door frame), but then one of our older males started having trouble getting through so we checked out what else was available.

Amazon super large doggie door

You have to be willing to cut thru the wall but we have not looked back. Actually we first got the slightly smaller size but then ended up getting this one. We have had no problems re heat loss/AC loss, other critters coming in. Our 2 cats go in and out as well. (People can too--but we live in a place where that hasn't been an issue!) Plus there is the heavy plastic insert you can slide in for "security" if you need it to be closed. Well worth the money and effort!