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The right tool
How to choose a dog brush
Plenty of dogs own a brush that is wrong for them, usually a soft bristle brush gliding over a coat that needed something to reach the skin. The coat decides the tool. Here is how to read your dog's coat, which brush goes with each type, and how to tell after a week whether you chose well.
Before you buy
Before you buy, work out which of five coats your dog has, because the coat decides the brush
Part the hair and look at it from the skin out. A smooth coat lies flat and short, like a boxer's or a beagle's. A double coat has a soft, dense undercoat beneath longer guard hairs, as on a husky, a golden retriever or a German shepherd. A long, silky coat is fine and flowing, as on a Yorkshire terrier. A curly or wavy coat, as on a poodle or most doodles, keeps growing and tangles at the skin.
A wire coat, the fifth type, feels harsh and springy, as on many terriers. Mixed breeds often sit between two types, and a doodle's coat can change as it grows up. The ASPCA's advice is to ask your veterinarian or groomer which brush or comb suits your dog's hair, and a groomer can usually tell you in a minute at pick-up. Knowing the type before you shop saves the drawer of unused brushes most owners collect.
- Smooth: short and flat
- Double: soft undercoat under guard hairs
- Long and silky: fine, flowing hair
- Curly or wavy: grows and tangles at the skin
- Wire: harsh and springy
Coat by coat
Match the main brush to the coat, and add a steel comb for anything longer than a smooth coat
The AKC's guide to brushes sorts them simply. Bristle brushes are best on short coats and can finish a double coat with some shine. Pin brushes, with medium-spaced wire pins, are finishing brushes for long coats and can work through tangles on wire coats. Slickers, with short, tightly packed wire pins angled to clear the skin, suit medium, long, wire and curly coats. Undercoat rakes reach the undercoat on double-coated dogs of any length, and rubber brushes suit short coats only.
Humane World for Animals adds a rough rhythm: a rubber brush once a week for short, smooth or wiry coats; a rubber brush or slicker every day for long, silky or curly coats, followed by a steel comb if needed; and an undercoat rake or de-shedding tool once a week for double coats. The table puts the two sources together. Treat it as a starting kit, since your own dog may need one tool more or one fewer.
| Coat | Main tool | Add | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth and short | Rubber brush or bristle brush | Nothing else needed | Weekly |
| Double | Undercoat rake, pins matched to coat length | A slicker for dense spots and a steel comb | Weekly, more during a heavy shed |
| Long and silky | Slicker, then a pin brush to finish | Steel comb | Daily |
| Curly or wavy | Slicker | Steel comb to check to the skin | Daily |
| Wire | Slicker | Pin brush for tangles | Weekly |
The steps
Choose the brush in six steps, from reading the coat to a one-week trial
Size and feel matter as much as type. A slicker head that suits a Bernese is clumsy around a Maltese face, and a rake with short pins only skims a deep undercoat; the AKC says the rake's pin length has to match the length of the coat. Press any brush with pins against the inside of your forearm before you buy it. If it scratches you at gentle pressure, it will scratch your dog.
Then give it a fair trial. Use the new brush the way the coat needs for a week, ending each session with the comb. If the comb now passes from skin to tip without catching, the brush is doing its job. If it still snags at the skin, or you see pink lines on the skin, change the tool or ease the pressure rather than brushing harder. The AKC also suggests using a brush session to check for cuts and sore spots.
- 01
Part the coat and decide which of the five types it is, or ask your groomer.
- 02
Pick the main tool from the table, sized to your dog.
- 03
Add a steel comb for any coat longer than smooth, and a rake for a double coat.
- 04
Test the pins against your forearm; gentle pressure should not scratch.
- 05
Brush in short sessions for a week, finishing each one with the comb.
- 06
Keep the brush if the comb runs through to the skin; change it if the comb still catches.
Mistakes we see
The mistakes we see are bristle brushes on thick coats, a heavy hand with the slicker and no comb
A bristle brush on a doodle or a Bernese is the classic mismatch. It smooths the top and never touches the tangles forming underneath, and the owner is surprised when the groomer finds mats. The opposite mistake is a slicker used like a rake. The AKC says to keep a light touch with a slicker, because pressing down hard is uncomfortable, and a dog that has been scraped once will hide when the brush comes out.
Skipping the comb is the quiet mistake, since the brush can look as if it is working while the layer at the skin felts. Another is dragging a rake through a matted coat, which tugs at every knot. Last, one brush shared by two dogs with different coats. A Lab and a doodle in the same house need different kits, and a shared brush is usually right for one and wrong for the other.
- A bristle brush on a thick or curly coat
- Heavy pressure with a slicker
- No steel comb to check the work
- A rake dragged through mats
- One brush for two different coats
When to call us
Call us when the comb will not reach the skin, or the coat has changed and the old brush no longer works
If the comb stops at the skin whatever brush you use, the coat is matted underneath and a new brush will not fix it. Dematting at Dogtown is $15 per 20 minutes on top of a bath from $55 or a full service from $75, priced by size, and the groomer will say at check-in what can be worked out kindly. Shed Release, $10, is the add-on for a double coat that is coming out in clumps.
Cape Ann asks more of a brush than most places. Salt water and sand from off-season beach days dry stiff in a coat, with Good Harbor open to dogs on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days at the time of writing, and a brush-out after the fresh-water rinse stops them grinding at the skin. From April to November, the brushing session doubles as a tick check. Grooming needs no evaluation, and booking the next visit at pick-up saves $5.
- The comb stops at the skin: dematting, $15 per 20 minutes
- Coat coming out in clumps: Shed Release, $10
- Bath from $55 or full service from $75 by size
- Next visit booked at pick-up: $5 off
At Dogtown
When the brush is not enough
Baths and full services by size, dematting by the 20 minutes and Shed Release for double coats, bookable on a daycare day.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
What is the best brush for a dog that sheds a lot?
Is a slicker brush safe for my dog?
Do I need a comb as well as a brush?
How often should I replace a dog brush?
What brush should I use on a puppy?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: how to choose the right dog brushes
- Humane World for Animals: how to groom your dog at home
- ASPCA: dog grooming tips
- City of Gloucester: beaches
- CDC: ticks
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
The right brush, a calmer coat.
Book a bath or full service by size online or in the Dogtown app, and ask the groomer at pick-up what they found in the coat. No evaluation is needed for grooming.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
