# Which comb and conditioner to get?



## DogMomtoFonzi (Mar 30, 2012)

I have Chris Christensen's shampoo and an oblong pin brush, as well as a cheap plastic cat slicker, that I use for my Bichon. She is kept pretty short, in a puppy cut, so I don't generally use conditioner or spray stuff for her. 

Now Fonzi is coming on the scene and I'm confused about what kind of conditioner to get for him and also what kind of comb would be best. He has longer hair, that is a mix of Havanese and Tibetan Terrier (?), and I want to be sure that I get the right products to prevent matts and make grooming as gentle as possible. 

What product do y'all recommend? I know that the Christensen items are expensive, but I'd rather invest in something that will work well and hold up to a lot of use than end up in going through a bunch of cheap stuff that doesn't work.

Thanks so much for your suggestions and recommendations!


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Welcome and congratulations on your new family member! Many forum members seem to like the Chris Christensen #5 buttercomb, which I still haven't gotten but it is on my list. As far as conditioners, you will get a myriad of answers on that one. What works well for one dog, quite likely won't be the best for another, although it seems I have noticed several folks liking the Ziggy's products. Some also like Coat Handler's conditioner - I have tried it, but it was not a favorite here. Others like human Pantene conditioner, the specific one - I could not tell you. I went looking and there were tons of them and did not know what to try. My favorite combination for Augie is Pure Paws Ultra Reconstructive shampoo with my own human ISO Hydra Condition conditioner. He has more human-like hair. Finn's is softer - I also like the Pure Paws on him and I use the ISO on him as well, but the results aren't as good as with Augie. Ziggy's is next on my list to try. 

There have been a fair number of discussions on grooming products. You might try a search in the grooming section of the forum for more reading.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

You will get almost as many conditioner recommendations as there are forum member... every dog seems to need something slightly different, and it takes some trial and error. I use Biogroom Silk, which is inexpensive and works really well on Kodi's coat. I also sometimes use Espree conditioners, which is a brand Petco sells.

I suspect that if Fonzi has been left with a longer coat in a rescue situation, he probably doesn't mat much anyway, and he's old enough that he should be through with all the blowing coat stuff. A good quality pin brush WITHOUT balls on the ends of the pins (the balls pull out hair) and a good comb will probably do most of what you need. You may also want a small-tined face or flea comb for removing boogers from the corners of his eyes and getting crusties out of his beard.

I bought a number of cheaper tools before caving and buying Chris Christensen brushes and combs, but it was false economy. I ended up buying the better tools later anyway, and tossing the ones I'd bought earlier.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Yes, there will be many different recommendations, it will be a process of finding out what works best on your dog. For best price point and quality, I would suggest Coat Handler on Petedge.com. You can try the regular sized bottles out first to see if you like it, but you get a reallly nice price per oz. on the gallon ones. They also carry Biogroom in the gallon sizes as well, and some people like that brand but I've found it to kind of underwhelm me.


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## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

Question, the slicker brush yall talk about without the balls on the end, does that not scratch the skin. I was going to get one, but, they seem like they would scratch? Should it be the shorther one? I have the comb for mine, do I need the brush also?


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

There aren't a lot of slicker brushes with balls at the end. I have a cheap little one for puppies, but Hanna hates it! There are pin brushes, which are best used on poodles with long hair to fluff it up. If you want a pin brush, order a nice one such as Chris Christense, #1 All Systems, Laube, etc. For a puppy starting out, I think it's fine to buy a really soft slicker, you just don't have to scrape the skin with it, just use a fluffing out motion.


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## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

Sorry, I was thinking of the sharp slickers, not the pin brushes. So, in the long run, I need a pin brush? You said you use them for poodles, not havanese? Guess I am confused, but that is not unusual, lol


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Pin brushes are fine (as long as they're not the cheap kind) for separating the coat, but the only thing that will prevent mats from forming is a greyhound comb, used correctly. Puppies hair is still short and they are babies, so you just need to introduce them to the concept of getting brushed out all over. A soft slicker will be fine, a comb used gently and everywhere, but for short periods of time. I usually use my CC brush (which is a pin-brush-like) to soften the coat up (If I just go straight with the comb if she hasn't been combed out recently, it will probably snag on something and I don't want to pull too hard with a comb, the brush will separate the tangles, the comb separates the hair even more).


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

As Atsilvers said, I use my CC Buttercomb (Greyhound type comb) for all heavy duty grooming. I make sure to get right down to Kodi's skin EVERYWHERE with the comb. I also have a CC metal pin brush, which I mostly use to fluff him while he is drying from a bath. My favorite brush is the CC woodpin brush. This is GREAT for a quick brush over to spruce him up in between serious grooming sessions. This is also his favorite brush as it is easy on the skin and doesn't pull the hair. I don't think it would be useful for matt removal though.

When Kodi was going through blowing coat, I also used a slicker AFTER the mats were removed, to remove the loose "baby fluff" that causes the mats to form. My breeder suggested ONLY using a "Universal" brand slicker, as the pins are less sharp and don't scratch the skin the way a lot of brands can. The good thing is that, unlike the CC grooming tools (which are awesome and well worth the money!) the Universal slicker is cheap... Under $5. Once Kodi stopped blowing coat, I've never used the slicker again, so it's a good tool not to spend a lot of money on!


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## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks, that is great information.


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