Best shedding tool for most dogs

Your dog's hair is starting to come out in clumps and clouds.  How can you hurry up the process and direct the flow toward the outdoors  instead of throughout your house?

The best tool for at least 70% of the dogs out there is a shedding blade, available in virtually any pet store or feed store, since this instrument is also used for scraping hair, dirt and sweat off horses.

The old-fashioned shedding blade works wonders on dogs with short-to-medium-long, straight coats, particularly if there is also an undercoat.  Think Labs, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Swissies, and all mixes of these types of dogs.  Short-haired breeds like greyhounds and boxers can also benefit from this device.

Be sure to do the job outside, as the hair will come off in sheets.  Bear down on the blade, as if you're scraping the hair off your dog.  Scrape in the direction of the hair growth (with the "nap") and go very easy on bony areas like legs and hipbones.   If you're tempted to by a $50 "Furminator" to do the same job, save your money and buy the $6 shedding blade instead.  I've had contests with people to see which tool works the fastest, and the shedding blade always wins.