Seasonal undercoat removal in long coat

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It looks like have yet again lost the genetic doodle lottery in terms of seasonal shedding (Luna shed seasonally as well).  The last few weeks as it's been getting warmer there's been an increase in hair "tumbleweeds" around the house and I've noticed more mats in Riley's hair during her daily brushing.

I spent a good part of my day today attacking Riley's coat with a de-shedding rake and got about a soccer ball sized amount of undercoat.  She feels a lot less "bulky" now but I'm definitely not done yet!  

I initially started using a combination of the pin brush and metal comb:

It worked okay but the comb felt quite inefficient and the pin brush wasn't getting a ton of hair out.

I switched to this style of undercoat rake:

That seemed to work a lot better but I'm not sure it's the right tool... though it does sound like that's what it's supposed to be for.

Any tips?  We have a furminator too though I think it's the kind that's supposed to be for short coated dogs and would damage Riley's hair.

I may just be in need of some technique tips since with Luna I would just brush her hair in short strokes with the grain and that's all that was needed.

Riley's hair is quite long though and the short strokes don't work too well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think the difference here is shedding versus non-shedding coat, and curly versus straighter. I would never have used the Activet or Les Pooches style brushes on Jack, or any slicker bursh (because that's what they are, slickers as opposed to pin brushes), but for Jasper, they are a MUST. I would say Ned's coat is probably much closer to a Poodle's coat than either Jack or Riley.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Ok, that makes sense.  We used a slicker on our Bichon and it worked well but she was super curly and poodle like.  I tried the cheap slicker we have on Riley the other day and it didn't seem to do much good.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned IS much more poodley in his coat. Serious matting constantly. His coat is cottony soft.  High quality slicker is a must for him.   Charlie has a dense fairly straight/wavy non-shedding coat.  I can use different brushes on it.  He mats but mostly I can brush the mats out.  His coat is more silky soft.  Clancy has a mixed coat with some very soft and some wiry = the wiry is his red color. He has an undercoat. He sheds quit a bit - we have both furbunnies AND individual hairs everywhere.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Clancy's coat sounds a lot like Jack's. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I'm pretty sure theirs are very similar.  Clancy is honored that that is so.  :-}

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Update 

Riley seems to need a "de-fluffing" every week or so, the amount of undercoat I've been getting seems to be decreasing a bit.  I think her undercoat sheds but not her top coat.

Haven't pulled the trigger on giving her a scissor cut, maybe soon:p  I have no excuse now; we have the grooming table and my new 7" shears came in :p

For now I just brush her daily and comb out mats as needed..and trim her face.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Looking forward to seeing how the grooming on Riley goes.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It's definitely going to be a multi day event with the newborn around.  Everything happens around here in 20 min intervals lol.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

A few follow up questions to all this...

What type of detangling spray do you like for your dogs?  I've seen cowboy magic mentioned a few times but it is SO expensive here (I checked Amazon and walmart sites).

This one looks promising:

https://www.amazon.ca/Vets-Best-16-Ounce-Moisture-Conditioner/dp/B0...

Also - I think I need a dematting tool for the tough spots (under "arms", leg joints, behind ears)

What do you think of this one?  It has pretty good reviews.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00ETOTCHA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?s...

This one has great reviews too but it looks far more dangerous with a wiggly puppy...

https://www.amazon.ca/Coastal-Safari-Matting-Comb-Dogs/dp/B0002ARR2...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One word of caution about "leave in" grooming products. If anyone in your household has pollen allergies, these kinds of products will exacerbate them. They will attract any pollens in the air or on the grass to stick to the coat, and then your dog is bringing that into your house. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

My husband is allergic to well... all of the outdoors pretty much lol.  He has been on allergy shots for years though and they are much less severe than they used to be.  I was planning on just using it on the trouble spots not her whole coat so it shouldn't be too bad.  I have ragweed allergies too but they only last a few weeks.  Thank you for the heads up!

[Carol and Truffle]

I have actually clued into why I was having allergy attacks after burying my face in Truffle's fur ... duh ... even though she doesn't produce allergic reactions, her fur is holding onto the pollen !!!