Frequently Asked Questions
Aren’t There Already a Lot of Pet Combs and Brushes On The Market?
Yes, but no other grooming tool on the market is designed to work like the CoatHook. The CoatHook is uniquely engineered to gently and effectively remove shedding undercoat while leaving attached undercoat and outer guard coat alone — it will not cut fur the way that some steel-bladed combs will.
- Long tines with small hooks on the end reach down to the base of an animal’s fur to collect loose, shedding undercoat.
- Rounded edges on the hooks are gentle against skin — they don’t scrape or scratch; instead, they give a gentle massaging sensation.
- The hooks are gentle on fur — there are no sharp edges, so they don’t cut fur or skin.
- And the tines are flexible, so they're gentle on elderly animals’ boney joints and lumps and bumps.
You won’t find another pet grooming tool out there like the CoatHook, and many of our customers tell us their cats or dogs who don’t like to be combed or brushed either do not mind getting combed or actually love getting combed with the CoatHook.
Does The CoatHook Work on All Cats and Dogs?
We developed the CoatHook specifically for our elderly short-haired cat who had stopped grooming himself, but we discovered that it works phenomenally well on long-haired cats as well as dogs with a double coat; an outer “guard coat” with a downy undercoat.
It reaches through the outer layer of fur to remove undercoat without cutting attached outer guard coat the way some steel-bladed combs can.
The CoatHook works extremely well on most types of cat coats, and especially long-haired cats. It also works well on rabbits’ coats. And it works really well on most types of double dog coats, such as Retrievers, Shepherds, and Collies, etc.
We have found, though, that it’s just not heavy-duty enough for dogs with extremely long, thick, and dense coats like Samoyeds, Chow Chows, Siberian Huskies, Malamutes, Great Pyrenees, Akitas, and other similar-coated dogs. We are, however, working on a larger, heftier version of The CoatHook for more challenging coats on large-breed dogs.
What Is a Double Coat?
Dogs that have double coats have two types of fur at once:
One type is the outer or top layer (the “guard” coat), which is typically straighter and heavier. The guard coat serves to block moisture, dirt, and wind.
The other type is the inner or bottom layer (the undercoat). The fine and downy undercoat serves to insulate the dog against extreme temperatures, hot and cold. Dogs who have a dense undercoat appear fuller and fluffier.
Double coats provide protection from the elements for dogs who are bred to spend a lot of time outdoors herding, hunting, guarding, and sledding.
Dogs with double coats should not be shaved because the combination of guard coat and undercoat helps to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. So, grooming tools that cut fur should be avoided. The CoatHook never cuts fur the way that some steel-bladed shedding combs do.
The undercoat typically “blows” — it comes loose in chunks — twice a year. Usually, coat blowing lasts from several weeks to several months. Maintenance of the coat — frequent combing with the CoatHook — during this seasonal shed is essential to keeping your dog’s fur free of mats and your home free of “tumbleweeds.”
| DOG BREEDS WITH DOUBLE COATS | |||
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HERDING DOGS have double coats in varying length and thickness. The CoatHook handles shedding double coats in this category quite well. • Australian Cattle Dog • Australian Shepherd • Collie (Rough) • Collie (Smooth) • Bearded Collie • Belgian Sheepdog • Beauceron • Belgian Malinois • Belgian Tervuren • Briard • Border Collie (rough) • Border Collie (smooth) • Bouvier des Flanders • Canaan Dog • Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) • Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) • German Shepherd Dog • Norwegian Buhund • Old English Sheepdog • Puli • Shetland Sheepdog • Polish Lowland Sheepdog • American Water Spaniel • Swedish Vallhund |
SPORTING DOGS are bred for their hunting instincts in water, woods, and fields. The CoatHook handles shedding double coats in this category quite well. • Boykin Spaniel • Chesapeake Bay Retriever • Cocker Spaniel • Golden Retriever • Labrador Retriever • Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever • Wire-haired Pointing Griffon |
WORKING DOGS are bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds, and performing water rescues. We get very mixed reports on the CoatHook's performance with dogs in this breed category, who tend to have very thick, dense undercoats. Some customers are ecstatic with it; some are just like "meh"; and others say it’s not up to the task. The difference might be related to what part of the shedding cycle the dog is in. |
SPITZ-TYPE dogs are the fluffiest of the double-coated dogs. They were bred to live outdoors year round in Arctic climates. These breeds have very dense undercoats that are more than the CoatHook can handle effectively — but we're working on a beefier version of the CoatHook to better handle dense coats on large-breed dogs. • German Spitz • Akita • Alaskan Husky • Alaskan Malamute • American Eskimo • Chinook • Chow Chow • Finnish Spitz • Finnish Lapphund • Swedish Lapphund • Icelandic Sheepdog • Keeshond • Korean Jindo • Norwegian Elkhound • Norwegian Lundehund • Shiba Inu • Siberian Husky • Samoyed |
How Do I Quickly and Easily Remove Fur from the Hooks?
Sometimes, the fine, downy undercoat that the CoatHook removes from your pet can get caught on the detangling hooks on the top side of the comb’s tines. This video demonstrates how to remove fur quickly and easily.
Where Is The CoatHook Made?
The CoatHook is made right here in the United States; Kennebunk, Maine, to be precise. We feel it’s good business to keep manufacturing here at home. The more jobs we help create, the more customers we‘ll have who can afford to pamper their pets!
Is The CoatHook Available in Stores?
Yes, we're just starting to get the CoatHook in New England retail stores; click here to see where.
If you have a question that you don’t see answered here, contact us in any of the following ways:
- Send us email.
- Message us through our Facebook page.
- Send us a tweet through our Twitter page.
We’ll look forward to helping you in any way we can.