Deshedding tools...please advise. I tried searching but obviously I am too stoopid. :)

[Jennett Pulley]

I brush Lolli every day with a pin head brush and get a bit of hair but nothing significant.  She is 10 weeks old and resembles a golden retriever with the long skinny legs of a poodle.

Her baby coat is very white and is shedding when I pull at it (gently of course!) with my fingers.  Her top coat is more like a terrier and is tannish/apricot colored and is growing longer by the second.

Today I brought a slicker brush on the recommendation of this group, but I also bought a deshedding tool with a rake on the other side.  I took Lolli onto the back porch (and very gently ran the deshedding tool over her and LOADS of hair came off.

When I was growing up, it was my job to brush our white Shepards until no more hair would come off.  Because I've never used one of these types of tool, I stopped while the hair was still coming off by the handful because it seemed excessive vs. what was coming off with a brush.

Are these safe?  The teeth are very blunt and I wasn't digging into her skin.  She played in my lap happily while I was brushing her and she only ran away to chase my kid when she came out to jump on the trampoline.

I searched this group with the phrase "deshedding tool" and came up with nothing so forgive me if this has been addressed before.

Are these deshedding tool safe?

What is the rake side used for?

How much hair should I comb off before I stop?

How often should I use this tool?

Thank you in advance!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I personally do not think that you need to use a deshedding tool on a doodle.  I would just use a brush at this point to get her used to brushing.  Then as she gets a little bigger and her hair thicker etc you can use the slicker brush (no problem using it now, you just probably don't really need to particularly since you say she has a retriever type coat).  All Doodles are different.  Some aren't going to shed, some are going to shed a little, some only into the brush when you brush and others will shed like crazy. 

[Jennett Pulley]

Thank you.  Do you know why it is removing so much hair from her?  It's not sharp, so it's not thinning her hair like a razor cut, it's simply pulling up heaps of hair from her undercoat.

My daughter has asthma/allergies and we are hoping to keep Lolli as "clean" as possible so there is little hair in the house.  I've got a feeling that for now I have a heavy shedder, and I do realize that this may or may NOT change.  :D

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

If you have a doodle like mine who grows in a thick undercoat that sheds in the spring, then a deshedding tool is definitely a good idea ;)

I've tried using a straight-pin steel comb but it doesn't get nearly the same amount of hair. 

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I would just use the pin brush for now until she is a little older. A deshedding tool has a blade and cuts the hair. In a double coated dog like your shepherds the deshedding tool would cut thru the undercoat and pull it out while not damaging the top coat. I have always had shepherds myself and it's lots work to get the undercoat out.

A doodle coat has no relationship to a double coated shedding dog. I think the pin brush is removing plenty of hair. You may never need more than a common slicker brush if your doodle is mildly shedding but if her coat thickens you might need a better brush like a Les Poochs brush. Combing is actually more important than brushing so get yourself a steel comb to add to your collection of grooming tools. Happy grooming. :)