Products in this guide
There is a drawer in most houses with three or four brushes in it, bought at different times for different reasons, and the dog gets whichever one is on top.
Brushes are not interchangeable. They do mechanically different things, and using the wrong one is behind most of the two complaints we hear: the dog hates being brushed, and the coat mats anyway despite being brushed constantly.
What does each type of brush actually do?
Each brush type moves a different part of the coat, which is why owning one of each is not overkill on a long-coated dog. A slicker separates and lifts, a pin brush works through length without dragging, a boar bristle carries oil down the hair, a porcupine does both at once, and a deshedding tool pulls loose undercoat out.
The distinction that matters most is between brushes that go through the coat and brushes that go over it. A slicker with fine bent pins reaches the skin. A bristle brush works on the outer surface and will not reach anything underneath. Owners who brush faithfully and still get mats are usually using something that only touches the top.
| Brush | What it does | Best on |
|---|---|---|
| Slicker | Lifts, separates, reaches the skin | Curly, wavy, double coats |
| Pin brush | Works through length, low drag | Long drop coats, fine coats |
| Boar bristle | Distributes oil, smooths, shines | Short and smooth coats |
| Porcupine | Smooths and reduces static | Finishing any coat |
| Deshedding tool | Pulls dead undercoat out | Shedding double coats |
Which brush suits my dog's coat?
Work from the coat rather than the breed, since crossbreeds and coat variation within a breed make the label unreliable. Push your fingers into the coat over the ribs and judge three things: how long it is, whether there is dense undercoat under a top layer, and whether it curls.
A curly or wavy coat that holds shed hair needs a slicker and a comb, and nothing else will do. A long straight coat needs a pin brush so you are not snapping the length. A short smooth coat needs bristle, because there is nothing to separate and everything to polish. A shedding double coat needs a slicker for the body and a deshedding tool for the blow.
Plush Puppy Ultimate Soft Slicker Brush
Nickel-plated no-rust pins set at an angle chosen for softness and effectiveness, so they penetrate the coat without excessive pulling or scratching the skin. The cushion is pure natural rubber, vented with a hole so air circulates underneath and it dries out if moisture gets in. Ergonomic beechwood handle. The general-purpose choice for lifting, dematting and separating.
Round-tipped pins on a vented cushion, for brushing through length without the drag a slicker creates. The round tips are the point: on a long drop coat you want the brush to pass through rather than catch, because catching is what breaks length you have spent months growing.
Plush Puppy Ultimate Wooden Pin Brush
15mm natural wooden pins that are anti-static, smoothing the coat and preventing flyaways while loosening knots with less pulling. Wooden pins do not heat up, which makes this the one to use while blow drying, and it reads as a massage rather than a brush, so it suits puppies and dogs who object to being groomed.
Plush Puppy Pure Boar Bristle Brush
100% pure boar bristle on an ergonomic vented cushion, for regular brushing of long, short and soft coats. Bristle carries the skin's own oil down the length of the hair, which is what puts shine on a short coat. It will not reach through a dense coat, and it is not meant to.
Plush Puppy Ultimate Anti-Static Porcupine Brush
100% black boar bristles combined with dialon porcupine tufts, set into an aeroelastic cushion. Dialon is used instead of nylon for its anti-static properties, so the brush eliminates static while removing tangles and loose hair. Half bristle and half pin means it adds tension and gives a smooth finish, which is why it is a finishing brush rather than a first-pass one.
Do I need a deshedding tool as well?
Only if your dog has a double coat, in which case a slicker alone will not keep up when it blows. A deshedding tool reaches into the undercoat and draws out the dead hair that is already loose but stuck, which is the material that would otherwise felt against the skin or end up on your floor.
The thing to check is that a tool removes loose hair rather than cutting it. A blade-based tool that shears through the coat thins the guard hair and damages the outer layer, and on a double coat that damage does not grow back quickly. Match the tool to hair length, since the reach needed on a Golden Retriever is not the reach needed on a Labrador.
Refuresh Gentle Deshedding Brush for Long Hair
Built for long-haired breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute, American Eskimo, Border Collie, Cavalier King Charles, Corgi and Golden Retriever. It reduces shedding without cutting or stressing healthy hair, which is the distinction that matters on a coat you want to keep. Available in three sizes.
Refuresh Gentle Deshedding Brush for Short/Medium Hair
The shorter-reach version, for breeds like the Labrador, terriers, Bulldog, Boxer, Pinscher, Dalmatian, Foxhound and Rottweiler. Same principle, removing loose undercoat without cutting healthy hair. More in brushes.
Why does my dog hate being brushed?
Usually because the brush is dragging on dry hair, not because the dog is difficult. A dry coat creates friction, friction pulls at the skin, and the dog associates the brush with a small tug every few seconds for ten minutes.
Mist the coat before you start and the difference is immediate. After that, look at your grip: a slicker held flat presses the pin tips into the skin, where the same brush angled slightly and moved with the lie of the coat does not. And check the brush itself, because a slicker with bent or splayed pins scratches even in careful hands.
The other fix is time. Short daily sessions beat one long weekly one for a dog who dislikes it, and stopping while the dog is still relaxed teaches something quite different from pushing through to the end.
How do I clean a brush, and when do I throw it out?
Pull the hair out after every session and wash the brush properly every few weeks, because a loaded brush stops reaching the coat and starts spreading whatever is in it. Lift the hair mat off with a comb run under the pins, then wash with a little shampoo in warm water.
Dry it face down so water runs out rather than pooling in the cushion. Good cushioned brushes are vented with a hole for exactly this reason, so air circulates underneath and the cushion dries out if moisture gets in. A cushion that stays wet perishes.
Replace a brush when pins are bent, splayed or missing their protective tips, when the cushion has gone hard or lost its spring, or when bristles have flattened. A worn brush stops doing the job it was bought for and starts scratching, and no technique compensates for that.
Notes for professional groomers
The brush conversation is worth having at handover, because most home matting is a tool problem rather than a diligence problem. Owners who are brushing every day with a bristle brush on an oodle are working hard and getting nowhere, and they need to hear that from someone who has just combed the dog out.
Wooden pins are the useful recommendation for the anxious dogs on your books, since they do not heat up under the dryer and the sensation is closer to a massage. Porcupine as a finishing pass on a drop coat cuts the static work considerably. Keep the comb central to the advice you give: it is the comb that tells the owner whether the section is actually clear to the skin, and no brush will tell them that. See combs and grooming tools.
Common questions
How many brushes do I actually need?
Two for most dogs, and three for a long or curly coat. A slicker and a metal comb cover the majority of home grooming, because the slicker lifts and separates and the comb tells you whether you have reached the skin. Add a pin brush for length, or bristle for a short smooth coat.
Can I use a human hairbrush on my dog?
Not usefully, and on some coats not safely. Human brushes are built for hair that grows from a scalp with no undercoat, so they skim the surface of a dog coat without reaching anything. Ball-tipped nylon pins also tend to catch and snap coat rather than pass through it.
Should I brush my dog wet or dry?
Never bone dry, and never soaking. Mist the coat lightly before brushing so the brush glides instead of dragging, which is the single change that makes most dogs tolerate grooming. Brushing a soaking wet coat overstretches the hair, so wait until it is around three quarters dry before working through it properly.
Why does my brush not seem to reach the undercoat?
Either the pins are too short for the coat or you are brushing over the top of it. Work in narrow horizontal sections from the skin outward rather than sweeping across the surface, and check each section with a comb. If the comb stops, the brush has not finished, regardless of how much hair came out.
Is an expensive brush actually different?
The differences that matter are pin quality, cushion and handle. Plated pins that do not rust, a cushion with enough give to flex over the body, and a handle that does not force your wrist into a bad angle all change how the coat is treated and how long you last. A worn or badly made brush scratches skin, and that is the practical difference rather than the badge.
What to do this week
Take everything out of the brush drawer and look at it honestly. Bent pins, a hard cushion or flattened bristles mean it goes in the bin. Then work out what your dog's coat actually is rather than what the breed is called, and check you own the two brushes that coat needs. Mist before you brush, and finish with a comb so you know whether you got there.