Product Review: FURminator Conditioner

Hair got you down?

Shedding is part of having a dog, but that doesn't mean you need to throw up your arms in defeat and give in to the hair. As an owner of a double-coated, year-round shedder I'm always on the lookout for new ways to reduce shedding. So when I noticed that FURminator, makers of my favorite deshedding brush, had a shampoo & conditioner on the market, I was game to give it a try.

These products claim to "release the undercoat", taking more hair off the dog during and immediately after its bath. The price tag was not insignificant ($16 each) so I opted for the conditioner only.

The bottom line? It definitely took more hair off the dog than not using it, but I'm not sure it was enough to support the price tag. I got about a baseball-sized amount of hair, and I noticed that for a few hours after the bath she seemed to shed like crazy (another post-bath brushing helped). But I was hoping that, after that initial period, I'd noticed less hair coming off and I unfortunately I didn't. I did notice that she felt the softest she's ever been, so that was a plus.

I know I didn't use it in conjunction with the shampoo, and who knows, maybe I didn't have the application down as well as I thought, but overall I don't think this product lived up to the hype. I'm sticking with regular FURminator brushings instead.