I hate to say it but if you're afraid to get bit you're going to get bit. Getting tagged at least once is pretty inevitable. Anyway what I did for my ball who just went through the worst shed ever is after soaking get a damp terry cloth and let them rub through it. Start at her head and just let her work her way through the cloth. You can also put the cloth over your hand and make a circle with your thumb and fore finger so she has some kind of resistance to work with. When you check to see what shed is left make sure you check that the eye caps have come off completely.