My dogs lived in an outdoor kennel so it was never a problem.

Horse products Mane n Tail Detangler or Show Sheen are helpful with burr removal and don’t have the greasy residue of Pam, nor do they retain dust. With 3 Setters and 1 Springer working in what must be the burr capital of the world, we spend about as much time cleaning dogs daily as working them. And yes we body clip the adult Setter in June, the Springer gets a blanket cut about every 3 months. They all look pretty Butch, but functional. And still we occasionally have to suspend training to remove burrs. When we get to the Lake States I marvel at how clean the coverts can be in comparison.

Garry, the picture of your setter with those small burrs immediately reminded me of how Gracie looks when she emerges from those covers. I hate those worse than the cockles.

Here’s a thought - has anyone tried Musher’s Secret? I use it to prevent snow balls between her toes and pads and I would imagine it would make for easier burr removal. It is non-staining and is made from natural waxes.


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Dean, we always keep the large size Musher's in the dog gear (right next to the Skunk-Off!), and use it during snowy conditions. Not sure about how it would work for those SE MN devils, but we may give it a try. Thanks!

Or four!

Show Sheen works well too. We use that on our taxidermy. Helps repel dust.

Do you apply these products before hunting or after to help remove the burs?

Andy, the de-tanlger "stuff" we use is applied before to help facilitate burr removal. We have different kinds of brushes for different burrs. You learn what works best...and, yeah, it takes time. But, most days, it's worth it. (Here's Alder before and after from an early season SE MN grouse hunting trip. Again, cockleburs are worse, and sometimes their ears look like clubs. We don't trim their ears as much as their body and leg hair. We leave the tail feathers, but by mid-season they're gone and they've developed what we call "monkey finger.")

Andy, pre-hunt.

Andy: All of the suggestions are applied pre hunt. I kept a bottle of baby oil in the truck for "tough" work. Show Sheen is actually the best as it dries and is not as messy as the oils. Used it on our horses and dogs and never had a problem.