FURminator size suggestion?

We got a furminator, Max is a 'large' dog and we got a medium size furminator for $50.00. I think the small one would be good for you. I see the larger ones for thick haird doggies.

As for actually getting it, I think it's great! It's an awsome tool. I sat and brushed Max all out just twice, and the 3rd time I got virtually NOTHING! It's perfect for the summer, a nice alternative to shaving since it takes out the under coat and excess hair. I reccomend it to everyone!

A Westie does not have the type of coat that needs a Furminator.  In fact, I think that they might even be listed as a type of dog to NOT use it on (I don't have my packaging anymore, so I couldn't say for sure).

Westies don't really shed all that much.  There is no undercoat for the Furminator to pull out.  The blades of the Furminator could be very uncomfortable on a Westie coat.  I won't touch my Westie with my Furminator.

Save your money.  There is no need for you to buy one for CoCo.

Actually, a Westie coat is perfect for the FURminator.  It is basically a stripping knife with a different handle.  A westie with a good coat would NEVER be touched with clippers and only with stripping knives.  They do have a very harsh double coat which is used to protect them from the elements.  

From the AKC Westie standard:

 Coat
Very important and seldom seen to perfection. Must be double-coated. The head is shaped by plucking the hair, to present the round appearance. The outer coat consists of straight hard white hair, about two inches long, with shorter coat on neck and shoulders, properly blended and trimmed to blend shorter areas into furnishings, which are longer on stomach and legs. The ideal coat is hard, straight and white, but a hard straight coat which may have some wheaten tipping is preferable to a white fluffy or soft coat. Furnishings may be somewhat softer and longer but should never give the appearance of fluff. Faults--Soft coat. Any silkiness or tendency to curl. Any open or single coat, or one which is too short.

I have Parsons and I use stripping knives to card their coats often...which is pretty much the same as the FURminator. 

KarissaKS

There is no undercoat for the Furminator to pull out.

 i have a border collie & got a medium. they are worth EVERY penny!! it's amazing what they get out.  i even use if on all of my cats.  with 3 dogs & 4 cats - it's priceless!!

The replies following mine have been interesting, indeed!  My family's Westie has always been clipped by the groomer, so he doesn't have a "show coat" or anything resembling it.  He most definitely does not have a double coat and I stand by what I said about never wishing to use my Furminator on him.

Not to mention that it just doesn't seem necessary -- he doesn't shed much at all (no more than I do!).  I completely see the purpose of the Furminator when used on my double-coated dogs, but not the Westie.  I can brush him just as completely with a $5 brush.

 I even get hair out of my short hair dogs. Not really sure if they technically have an undercoat or not. but the hair that comes out looks like it - it's fluffy.  Brushed my friend's dogs with it this weekend, she was really impressed about how much it go out!

 I actually don't like the Furminator. Like Colleen said, it's a stripping tool. It's also heavy and uncomfortable to hold on to, IMO. Of course, I hold grooming tools all day, not just for one dog. It breaks coat, seemingly because of it's weight. I use a dull #40 to card Emma's coat with. Works perfectly. An inexpensive stripping knife would probably be fine to use on Coco.

 I think its a good idea for a tool.  But, I can definitely see the weight issue.  Plus, with my dogs, I wouldn't be able to use it as well since they are small.  It would be difficult to move around exactly how I want.  I like my $10 stripping knife that does exactly the same thing.  I have also used clipper blades when I worked with a groomer and I liked that as well.  I think I would maybe use a Furminator if my dogs were bigger.

thanks so much for the tips and insight guys!  *mWah*

I have no children and CoCo is like my child....so I spend an awful a lot of money on her, so money has never been an issue.  (I'm quite thrifty when it comes to buying stuff for myself though.... go figure... lol....by the way... anyone needs cute dog clothes?  CoCo decided when she was a year old she was absolutely NOT going to wear any clothes....she's too funny... she'll let me put it on her, but she aint moving... no where... she'll just stand there with this look on her face as to say.... MOM!!!  And if I leave it on her, she'll simply run outside, roll around in the mud and rub herself on the corner of our house and have ripped countless dresses/shirts... lol.  Now she's just naked all time but she has a plethora of clothes!)

 Anywho.  Back on topic.

I received the small blade today already (Prime amazon member, so super fast shipping.) and am glad I got the small size, as CoCo is so little.  She definitely has an undercoat, and I do have a Mars stripping blade.  I used to strip her, and she would simply lie down on one side and go to sleep, but I had the opposite problem: my wrist started to hurt.  I have arthritis, so with the Mars blade, I was very careful with it as to get her undercoat out, and not pull her live hair out....so I guess the way I held my wrist, it started to ache after a bit.

I gave her a nice meaty beef bone on the deck and used the FURminator, and she was too into the RMB to care what I was doing.  I only used it for a little bit, but it got TONS of hair out right away.  So far I'm impressed....

As with her shedding, I brush her thoroughly every other day (I have about half a dozen brushes/comb) and even though I do get a lot of hair out (Not nearly as much as with the FURminator....brushing her completely gets about the amount of hair I get in 3 min with FURminator.), she still shed a lot!  Well, to me, cause CoCo is the only dog Ive ever owned, and the majority of my house downstairs (3600+ sq ft) is dark hard wood floor, and her hair collects on the edges of my wall.... no biggie since I run my two roomba every day.  I LOVE the roomba!

 Thank you guys!

So, Coco the vermin hunter doesn't kill Roombas? I've been eyeballing them, but afraid they'd be too tempting for Miss Emma. Hmm... that's interesting about your wrist. I found that the Furminator made mine hurt, LOL. Stripping knives and clipper blades don't bother me a bit. Go figure. Emma's like Coco. Brush me, brush me, brush me. Ohhhh, get over here. She looooves being carded, and brushed, and plucked. You'd think it would bother her. It doesn't, though. Of course, I'm probably doing it wrong, LOL. 

lol no emma seems like a dream to groom... i can only groom coco when she's tired or with a handful of treats...lol

as with the roomba...she ignored it at first....until it stole her treat! lol then everytime it passed her, she would attack the little brushes that comes out of it... its kind of funny....lol but she got a good "leave it" and now she just viciously eyeball it when it goes past her.... lol

the roomba is AWESOME though.  i just love it!  we dont even have to sweep barely anymore!  you can schedule it to run whenever you want, and when it runs low on battery, it automatically go back to its home base and recharges itself.  i'm always AMAZED with the amount of dust and debris the thing picks up daily!  not to mention doggy hair!  if you just look at my house, it looks clean...but looks can be deceiving!  the thing maneuvers under tables and chairs and what not, but when it goes to the stair, it senses it, and backs up.  it also senses extra dirt, and will automatically circle itself repeatedly on a certain 'dirty' area.  And it adjustes itself on different flooring we have: hardwood, tile, carpet.

the only gripe about it which is no big deal is that it would get 'stuck' on our area rug with tassles... we just removed that area rug... that's how much we love the roomba!  we sacrafice the area rug for it!

 Emma is the dog of a groomer, LOL. She's been groomed half to death, and groomed again. I guess she just gave up! She used to bite at the brush. Now? She loves it. She gives me dirty looks for grinding her toenails, though. I think that makes her a little sore.

Hmm... I'm going to have to look into those Roombas, again. I don't have carpet, and it'd be cool to not have to sweep!