Maybe you never thought you’d rake your dog, but Rover Rake would like to change your mind about that. This is literally a rake that’s meant to be used as a dog brush. It’s obviously caught your attention so let’s see if it actually works.
Overview
If you have a large breed dog with lots of hair, you probably feel overwhelmed by how much comes off during the hot months, or maybe even all year round. There are several brushes that have come out in recent years that claim to get to the undercoat and get all of the hair out before it has a chance to shed all over the place.
The Claim
The Rover Rake is claimed to be able to help eliminate hot spots on your dog, and massage out the undercoat. They say it can cut your grooming time in half and that by massaging out the fur that’s already loose on your dog you’ll save time and hassle later. They say that it can be used on dogs of all sizes, and with all hair types. They say that it is easy and fun to use, and that its unique shape means that the clawlike fingers can get down into the coat and both massage your pet and get the hair to come out.
They say that you won’t have to rip to tear the hair out, and that it will gently just come out using a massaging action. They also point out that it has a tummy scratcher, which can be used specifically on their belly to both make them feel good and groom that area. They also say that there’s special grooves on the sides of the rake to get under your dog’s ears. They say all of this results in a faster and more effective grooming session than what you’re currently using.
The Hype
Dog owners want what’s best for their dogs, and so it’s easy enough to sell products to them as long as you can show the potential benefit to the pet. But here the hype is completely in the concept of the product itself, since nobody would have ever thought to use a rake-like device to brush their dog until seeing this in action. Once you get over the design factor though, it starts to make sense and looks like a legitimate way to groom your dog, as long as they’re the right size.
The Cost
The Rover Rake can be yours for $17 and comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Keep in mind that you’ll only be getting back the $10 price of the item and not the full amount. They have a buy one get one just pay shipping offer so you can get two of them for $24 if you’re so inclined. The guarantee is still in place, but on that one you’d be paying $!4 in shipping and only $!0 for the actual product which makes it a riskier deal if things don’t work the way you expect them to.
The Commitment
This is pitched as making it easier and more enjoyable to groom your dog. For a big dog this would definitely cover more ground with each pass. If you have a large breed dog with long hair this would most definitely shorten the time spent because it’s sized for a dog that big. A smaller breed dog it seems a bit awkward with, and like overkill. If this helps you vacuum one less time, or have to go over everything with a lint brush one less time, it would be worth it.
Evaluation
The Rover Rake is definitely an interesting product with a bit of wow factor, but at the end of the day you have to try to determine if your dog is going to let you come at it with this thing. It’s got a pretty big reach on it, so their claim that it works for smaller breeds might be a little much. Large breeds could probably benefit from it the most, and it appears to cater to long haired dogs where a dog brush just gets easily overloaded.
We like all of the different features it possesses, and they didn’t leave a square inch of the thing unused, putting tummy massages on the one side of the rake, and ear scratchers on the sides. They’ve really thought it through and have made this with dogs in mind. Even though it’s a bit bizarre, it is still a well-thought out idea and it appears like they’ve manufactured it well too. Users are a bit split as far as how well it performs, which is only natural for a product meant to be used on a wide range of dogs, all with different types of hair in different conditions.
Final Rover Rake Review
Rover Rake is getting our Try rating, based on the likelihood that it may work just as well as a dog brush, but also because your dog might not like it. It’s really hit or miss when it comes to dog brushes that dogs will allow you to get near them with.
Our Recommendation
If this doesn’t work out for you, give the Furminator a try. This is one brush that we tested out and was shown to work well, getting piles of hair off the coat that didn’t end up all around the house.
Yes this is a bit bizarre. I don’t think this would be applicable to small dogs, but for the bigger ones, it might be worth trying out. The real question of course is – does it work better than a regular dog brush and will your dog be comfortable with you raking him. Some don’t even like to be brushed.
This is a pretty cute idea. It seems like more of a stunt than anything, but it’s clever and looks like it works pretty well. The design of a rake isn’t really functional other than just the fun of it looking like a rake, but it seems like the dogs like it, and it gets a lot of hair off of them.
I would try this, but mostly just because it has a lot of brushing features, rather than because it looks like a rake. That part almost deters me a bit, because it seems almost not nice to actually rake your dog. But I’m assuming the bristles are soft enough to feel nice on the dog, and it looks like they’re come up with a lot of different types of brushing techniques to utilize. This is a cute and creative dog brush.