Question on brushes
 

Hi
Right now I am using a pin brush I bought at Petco (or could have been Petsmart) a year ago when I first got Beamer. It's a pin brush one side and bristles on the other side.
Is there a lot of difference between the pet store brushes and the pin brushes I see on the various websites? Am I better getting a pin brush like the Madan?

I love my Madan pin brush you can get them from YT member mimimomo she has a website and she is in the sellers forum. I think her website is toplinepet.com she has awesome prices and super customer service.:)

thanks Michelle
What do you love about the Madan brush? is it better for my Beamer's coat than the pet store pin brush? Will I also need to get a bristle brush?


I appreciate the feedback for the Madan brush.

Oh boy great question. Should get lots of varied opinions. Dont' know the make of the brush you have, or the type of coat you are dealing with.

But a good brush properly cared for can last you a lifetime and is well worth the investment.

Now no matter what brush you buy you want to make sure you brush right up to the roots of the hair shaft. For Yorkies I feel that you don't want a harsh bristle, or pins. And you just need to feel the different pin brushes to start to assess their harshness. If there are dog shows near to you, try visiting one as vendors may be present selling lots of different brushes.

Having said all this if you are happy with your current brush, then no need to change it.

Show folks with show Yorkies are always looking for ways to minimize hair loss, maximize hair growth and sheen, so we are pretty choosey on our brushes/combs, and willing to invest the money in high quality good performance brushes, of which Madan is one manufacturer of.

I've not used a bristle brush regularly on my Yorkie. I've only used one to smooth out the topknot, but not for regular brushing.

I am not sure of the make of the brush. There is some kind of logo on the handle, but I can't make it out. the bristle side sort of has a paws design.

Nearest dog shows are in Orlando. But I don't travel well at all and rarely leave the house -except for doctor visits and a trip to the commissary once a month. I don't drive. Haven't been able to since 2005. I have RA.

Beamer isn't a show Yorkie, but I still want to minimize the hair loss, maximize the hair growth and sheen. And I am willing to invest the money in his grooming tools. I am a big believer in "you get what you pay for"

I don't quite know how to tell the type of coat Beamer has. He is two years old. I do brush him every day and he does love being brushed.
I have a groomer that comes to the house and bathes him for me regularly.

You don't need a show dog to need a good brush. Since my memory of wanting a yorkshire I picture a little dog with a long straight coat and a red bow. Not sure why people feel a pet quality purchase should mean a poor representation of the breed. They should be that vision unless in a cut down.
You'll never be sorry for buy a brush unless you buy a cheap one or a finishing one. Simple because you aren't finishing a show dog and you get what you pay for. If you spent the money to buy a good example of the breed, do the coat justice and buy the proper brush you will never regret it. It makes people want to buy other things that are better because the benefits are immediate gratification.


I'd suggest you start with telling more about your coat type. That would be better than saying what brush would be best.

The pin brushes you get at pet stores have balls on the tips which snag and break the hair. :thumbdown

Madans are the best brushes hands down IMO.

toplinepet.com

Elle,
thank you for replying:)

I know I saw a thread when looking through the forums the other day on how to tell what kind of coat your Yorkie has. But I cannot find that thread now, but I know I saw one.
Was something about the Yorkie's eyes, and the color when a light is shone into it? I know when I take Beamer's photo his eyes shine green - Lil Bit's shine red.
Lil Bit is kept shaved down, she is happier that way. But Beamer loves being groomed and loves a bow in his hair.

You are correct, I spent good money to get a good example of the breed, and I don't begrudge spending the money to get the right brush.

You are right - the pin brush I have does have balls on the tips!

Now to figure out which coat Beamer has so I get the right brush for him.

That sounds like a cotton and a silk red being the cotton. But there's more to it. Especially with picking brushes. If he's in full coat now you will care more about the correct brush. But because you haven't been using one, anything will be an improvement.

I like the Madan. Many people on this forum like it, a very sweet lady her sells them very cheap. It's worth buying. But I don't think it's a one brush solution no matter which one you buy. Even though I a few of them & like, it's not the brush I'd suggest to a person unless they are going to buy more than one.
I would go with the Special master pin
Dog Bows: Yorkie Bows, Maltese and Shih Tzu Show Dog Bows & Show Leads

The 20 mm Gold series pin brush is a little more but it's the one I keep going back to.
Pin Brushes

I love the Vellus brush. Vellus Inc. - Vellus Brushes and Comb

It is one of my favorites. I don't know if you will like it as much a I do. There are more pins in it. It's harder to keep clean.

No knock on the Madan, just not my favorite. But I don't think for the price it's a gamble. I listed these brushes assuming that you have a normal coat. These brushes are good for lots of coat types. You don't have to switch them. They're made great. They feel good.

Hi Elle
he isn't in full coat - he is only 2 (Beamer is my avatar).
I have been using the pin brush I got from Petco on him. But I realize it is not a good brush. I brush and comb him every day (sometimes more than once if he has been "gardening":D)

What are the reasons for needing more than one pin brush? You say it is not a "one brush solution"

I like my Madan brush, but I don't love it. I like to use a small stainless steel comb instead and it works better on my dogs' coats. All three are silky coated.

i just ordered my 2nd madan from jen. when i first got maddie i was using 1 of my old pin brushes with balls on it. i was seeing alot of hair breakage when brushing maddie, and that was not what i wanted to see while i have been trying to grow her coat out. i talked to jen and with her help decided on a very soft pin brush for maddie. since then i havent seen hardley any breakage. i just ordered a 2nd smaller brush to get to the smaller hard to reach areas. Also remember to spray the hair with water or your choice of grooming spray prior to brushing. If you talk to jen, she will help you in choosing the right brush for your furbutts hair, it has made a huge diffrence in maddies hair-----ohhh and while your there check out her bows, they are awesome!;)

I'm sorry to hear that, are you easily able to manipulate the brush you have? One place my RA is is in my wrists and the shape and thickness of the handle is important for me when I try to use the brush.

There is another thread on here that talked a lot about the brushes, I'll see if I can find it. I like the Chris Christensen pin brush.

I think alaskanyorkie put up a video of his two yorkies one a cotton coat one a silk, to show difference. Quite a funny video.

What is the difference between brushes?

Here is the thread I was talking about it is here in the grooming section

Yes, I can manipulate the brush I have OK. I have pain patches I keep on my hand. But it does hurt me brushing him sometimes. I couldn't brush him first thing in the morning, it would be too painful. I also have to sit down to brush him. I put a cloth out of his traveling kennel (which is what he came to me in) on the table and I sit down to brush him. he stands real well for it. As soon as he sees me get the bands and bow he lays down with his head towards me so I can do the topknot. He is so good.

I'll look through all the threads on here for the thread you mention.

Doesn't the coat need brushing as well as combing to get a sheen?

The pin brush with balls is probably why I'm seeing hair breakage.
I always spray Beamer with Miracle Coat prior to brushing.

I have the Chris Christensen Gold series pin brush, that Elle mentioned & really like it.
But the one that I always go back to & use every day is the Isinis brush.

I can't comment on the Madan brushes as I've never been able to find them here in England.
Once the knots are out, I use the Kent bristle brushes or one of the really soft silver backed antique bristle ones I've collected over the years.
You can get them really, really cheaply at fairs if the back's a bit dented.

which Isinis brush? I see several when I googled them.

Where in Lancashire are you? I am originally from Rochdale

It's the large oval brush I bought, it was about £19.

What a small world! :)
I'm near Rivington, if you know it.

My OH is a great Mike Harding fan.....now I suppose you're nearer the real cowboys eh? :D

Wow - isn't Rivington a very small village near Chorley??
I left England in 1973 originally, a couple of years before the Rochdale Cowboy became known. I don't think he ever lived in Rochdale though.
I only heard of him when we went back to England 1982 through 1987.
I'm in Florida.

and the fact that pins come in different softness---the ones i have now are softer--;)

How do you know how soft the pins need to be?
Looks like Beamer's coat is silky.

I not sure I can explain it too well. If you place your palm ontop of the pins they shouldn't feel sharp. You want the pins to flex easily with light pressure.

Not sure if you've used a wrist brace when brushing but sometimes that helps me out too. Also if I have no choice and I have to brush him out in the early morning, I've used a cold pack on my wrist to try to get the pain/inflammation down.
Also I about gave up with the very tiny and very firm topknot bands, I use a light weight topknot band and also use the band scissors which cuts the elastic without taking out the hair.
I now have a couple of small bows with the barrettes on the back - they are a whole lot easier to put into place.

I have heard that the boar bristle brushes give an amazing sheen to the coat, and are used after tangles knots are out. I don't have one yet because I've not found one that I think is soft enough.

Here are a few of things I've been told (by yorkie exhibitors) about growing and keeping a long coat.
Never brush the coat dry, or when it is dirty.
Always wrap/protect the coat. Although another exhibitor told me she doesn't wrap, but then again her dogs never go outside and play in the grass etc.
For the moustaches oil them very well and don't start banding them until they've grown inch below chin level.
For removing tangles use both a wide toothed comb and the end of a rat tail comb.
Trim a little bit off the coat about once per month.

Of course then you get into what do you feed, what additives to the food do u use, and the various types of shampoos and conditioners.

Good luck with your search for that perfect brush for you
and beamer

BTW I love your quote on your signature line

I just bought the bands from Laineeltd as recommended on YT. But I do have some of the larger size bands that I got from Susan at Bowbiz that I can manage. The smaller ones were too hard for me. And I buy the bows with the alligator clips on them from Susan. I just love them.

I have lidoderm patches I cut small and put on my wrist when it hurts.

I never brush him dry - that was one of the tips that the breeder gave me - to use Miracle Coat, so I always spray that on Beamer when brushing him.

As to food, he is on Diamond Adult Maintenance, as that is what his breeder had him on (he was a year old when I got him) and I didn't want to upset him by changing his food.

I think I own the same dual brush. Mia despises the pin side. But doesn't mind the bristle so with a few strokes I can change over. A couple of groomers I know prefer the JM or JW. I will have to watch the Alaskan video!

I just ordered two Madan brushes from Jenny. A small one and a regular one.

(Just don't tell my husband LOL):D