Best Dog Brushes for Different Coat Types

These dog brushes were chosen from the makers’ published specifications and live UK retail listings, checked October 2026. We have not tested the tools. Coat length, pin type and cleaning method come from those listings and from UK welfare pages on how often to groom.

Which Brush Suits Each Coat Type?

A short, dense double coat needs an undercoat tool, while a long or curly coat needs a slicker or pin brush that can reach the skin without ripping hair. PDSA sets a simple timetable: long-haired dogs need a daily brush, medium-haired dogs a few times a week, and short-haired dogs about once a week, with extra sessions in spring and autumn when the coat turns over.

A deshedding brush for dogs with a stainless edge, such as the FURminator Undercoat deShedding Tool Medium Short Hair, is built for a short coat under 5 cm on a medium dog. The maker tells you to work 10 to 20 minutes, one or two times a week, and to stop if the skin reddens. That tool is the wrong first buy for a non-shedding poodle cross, whose curls knot rather than blow out.

A slicker brush for long coats uses fine bent pins on a cushioned pad. The Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Dog Brush and the Ancol Ergo Self Cleaning Slicker Brush both retract those pins so you can dump a wad of hair in one press. The Chris Christensen Big G Dog Slicker Brush uses extra-long angled pins on a deeply curved head, which the maker aims at doodle and poodle coats that need fluffing as well as detangling.

A pin brush and a porcupine mix sit between those two jobs. The Chris Christensen 20 mm Oval Wood Pin Brush uses wooden pins that stay cool on a damp coat. The Mikki Porcupine Grooming Brush pairs long hard nylon bristles with a shorter soft set so one stroke can reach the undercoat and polish the topcoat on a thick double coat.

A rake and a rubber curry finish the set. The Mikki Undercoat Rake pulls dead undercoat with rounded stainless teeth on a flexi-head. The KONG ZoomGroom Red is a raspberry rubber curry with nubs that lift loose hair and work shampoo into a short or medium coat. The Tangle Teezer Pet Teezer Large De-Shedding Grooming Brush and the Tangle Teezer Pet Teezer Large Detangling Dog Grooming Brush are palm tools with two-tier polymer teeth: one for heavy seasonal shed, one for light tangles on long hair.

How Should You Measure the Coat Before You Buy?

Measure hair length on the shoulder, not the plume on the tail, and note if a soft undercoat shows beneath the guard hairs. If the shoulder hair is under 5 cm and you can pinch a dense underlayer, a short-hair deshedder in the right weight band is the matching tool. If the hair is longer, or curls back on itself, start with a slicker or a pin brush and keep a wide-toothed comb for the last pass.

Weigh the dog if you are buying a size-banded undercoat tool. The medium short-hair FURminator listing is for 9 to 23 kg. A lighter dog needs the smaller band of the same range, not a harder press with a larger head. For a puppy still growing, a rubber curry or a polymer palm brush is gentler while you teach the routine, and the puppy starter checklist covers the other kit you will replace as they grow.

Feel the skin while you part the coat. A slicker that is too firm on a thin-skinned sighthound will scratch; a rake that is too short will bounce off a Newfoundland undercoat. If the dog flinches, switch to wooden pins or rubber nubs and shorten the session. PDSA also says to check the coat for ticks, fleas, dandruff and mats while you groom, and to call a vet if the skin changes.

How Do You Keep Brushes Clean and Kind to Skin?

Hair left in the pins rusts metal and harbours grease, so clean the head after every session. Retractable slickers such as the Hertzko and Ancol models drop the wad when you press the button; rinse the pad and dry it with the pins facing up. Polymer palm brushes rinse under warm water. A rubber curry peels clean when you rub the nubs together. Wooden pin brushes need a cloth, not a soak, so the timber does not swell.

Never bath a dog just to make brushing easier. PDSA notes that dogs do not usually need frequent shampoo, because it strips natural oils, and that human shampoo can irritate skin. If the dog comes in muddy, rinse with warm water and dry before you use a deshedder. A slicker on a wet curly coat can felt the hair into a mat. After a wet walk, a dog dryer on a low setting can get the coat fully dry so the next brush stroke glides.

PDSA is blunt on mats: do not try to carve them out at home. A mat against the skin pulls and can hide sores. Book a groomer who belongs to a trade body such as the Pet Industry Federation, then keep the coat open with the right brush so the mat does not return. Cat owners looking at similar tools should use the cat grooming brushes page instead, because feline skin is thinner and the stroke pattern differs. Horse kit is a different job again and lives on the horse brushes guide.

How Should You Introduce a New Dog Brush?

A new tool should arrive as a calm, paid session, not a wrestling match on the kitchen floor. PDSA tells you to start young if you can, go slowly, stop if the dog is worried, and pair touch with food. A stuffed rubber toy or a lick mat on the floor keeps the head still while you work one body zone at a time.

1. Let the dog sniff the brush, then touch it to the shoulder for one second and feed.
2. Brush three or four strokes in the direction of growth, then stop while the dog is still relaxed.
3. Work from the ends of a tangle toward the skin; never yank a knot from the root.
4. Keep sessions to a few minutes at first, and build toward the maker’s 10 to 20 minute deshed window only if the skin stays pink and calm.
5. Check ears, paws and the trousers behind the back legs, where mats and grass seeds hide.
6. Clean the tool, then put it away so the dog does not chew loose pins or a plastic head.

How Do These Dog Brushes Compare?

Frequently Asked Questions

Last reviewed: 5 October 2026.