With the holiday shopping season in full swing it’s fun to keep an eye on new products in the pet category. Dyson’s Groom tool is self-cleaning and mess-free, sucking up dog hair before it falls to the floor. But will your dog tolerate it?

According to James Dyson: “A moulting dog isn’t man’s best friend. Conventional grooming tools create a fur cloud and more cleaning. We’ve engineered the Groom tool to hygienically remove fur, without the mess.”

The Dyson Groom tool’s stainless steel bristles remove loose hair and dead skin. Bristles and air flow are controlled via thumb pressure on a tab. As the thumb is lifted, pressure is reduced and the bristles retract. Simultaneously, air flow is re-directed to suck hair and allergens into the clear bin – hygienically. Suitable for medium or long-haired dogs, it fits the hose of most Dyson vacuum cleaners. The length of the bristles can be adjusted by pushing down on the trigger. And because the bristles do not protrude, it’s easy to store.

The Dyson Groom Tool is now on sale in the UK for £40 and should be available in the US any time now. While pricing seems reasonable, I’m not convinced that a brush and standard vacuum hose would not do 95% as well as the Dyson with none of the investment. What I’m more curious to know is what percentage of dog owners could actually make use of this. While Nigel is legendary for his nerves of steel, our Labs would kiss the cat long before they would let us get anywhere near them with the vacuum.

Is your dog afraid of the vacuum? Could you use something like this? If so, Dyson is offering an alert for interested consumers: sign up at their site.