Best Brushes for Shedding Season, Dogs and Cats

Brushes are sold by animal and used by coat, and that mismatch is why most households own three that do not work. A slicker built for a poodle's cottony coat does very little on a labrador, a deshedding blade that is superb on a husky will cut a soft-coated dog's guard hairs, and a cat presented with a stiff dog slicker will leave the room and remember it.

Coat type is the only useful sorting rule. A double coat has a dense woolly undercoat under a coarser topcoat, and it blows that undercoat twice a year in a way that fills a bin bag. A single coat sheds steadily and needs far less. A curly coat barely sheds at all and instead mats, which is a completely different problem needing a completely different tool. Cats mostly self-groom and need help at the points where that stops working, which is old age, obesity, and long hair.

These five cover those cases between them. Two are dog tools, one is a cat tool, and two work on both, which is the normal situation in a house with both animals and almost never how the packaging describes it.

Matching the tool to the coat

Double coats need a tool that reaches the undercoat without cutting the topcoat. An undercoat rake or a firm slicker used correctly removes the dead wool. A bladed deshedding tool used hard and often thins the guard coat, and the guard coat is the dog's insulation and sun protection. Never shave a double-coated dog for summer, because the topcoat is what keeps the heat out.

Curly and cottony coats need slicker pins that are long and dense enough to reach the skin. Matting starts at the base, and a brush that only tidies the surface leaves a felted layer underneath that eventually has to be clipped out.

Short single coats do best with rubber. A rubber curry lifts loose hair and distributes skin oils, and it is comfortable enough that most dogs lean into it.

Cats need short sessions and soft tools. A cat that dislikes grooming will not get more tolerant with practice if the practice is unpleasant. Two minutes, a soft self-cleaning slicker, and stopping while the cat is still relaxed will get you further in a month than one long fight.

Mats do not get brushed out. A tight mat close to the skin is a clipping job. Pulling at it hurts, and the skin under a mat is often already inflamed. Cats in particular get shaved for mats far more often than anyone would like, and the reason is usually months of a brush that was not reaching the undercoat.

The picks

How they compare

Tool	Coat type	Species	Skip it if
Chris Christensen Big G	Curly, cottony, dense	Dog	Your dog is short-coated
Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker	Medium to long	Dog	You need to reach a doodle undercoat
Safari Cat Self-Cleaning Slicker	Cat, short or long	Cat	The cat is already matted
KONG ZoomGroom	Short and smooth	Dog and cat	The coat has a dense undercoat
KONG Classic	Any	Dog	The dog is anxious rather than restless

Who each one is wrong for

The professional slicker is wrong for a smooth-coated dog. There is nothing for those pins to do on a boxer, and the money would be better spent on a rubber curry and a decent pair of nail clippers.

The rubber curry is wrong as the only tool for a husky, a german shepherd or any other double coat in April. It will pull the loose surface hair and leave the packed undercoat exactly where it is, and the dog will keep shedding while you conclude the brush is broken.

The cat slicker is wrong for a cat that has already matted badly. Mats close to the skin need clipping by a groomer or a vet, sometimes under sedation, and brushing at them is painful enough to lose the cat's trust for a long time.

Making the routine stick

Short and frequent beats long and occasional, for both species. Five minutes daily on a double coat during a shed keeps ahead of it. Twenty minutes once a fortnight does not, and it is also the session in which the animal learns that grooming is something to avoid.

Work in sections rather than sweeping the whole animal. Start where the animal likes being touched, which for most dogs is the chest or shoulder and almost never the feet or the tail. Finish before the animal asks you to. If you are always the one who stops first, the next session starts from a better place.

Line brushing is the technique that separates people whose doodles are matted from people whose doodles are not. Part the coat with one hand, brush the exposed line from the skin outward, then move the part up a centimetre and repeat. It is slower than sweeping the surface and it is the only method that actually reaches the base of the coat.

Questions people actually ask

How often should I brush my dog?

Daily during a seasonal shed for a double coat, and daily year-round for a curly coat that mats. Short smooth coats are fine with once or twice a week. The right frequency is whatever keeps you ahead of matting.

Do cats need brushing at all?

Short-haired cats manage on their own until age, weight or arthritis makes it hard to reach. Long-haired cats need help throughout their lives, because the coat mats faster than a cat can groom it.

Should I shave my double-coated dog in summer?

No. The topcoat insulates against heat as well as cold and protects skin from sun. Shaving it can permanently change how the coat regrows. Remove the undercoat instead, which is what actually traps heat.

Are deshedding blades safe?

Used gently and occasionally, yes. Used hard and often they cut guard hairs and thin the topcoat. Treat them as a seasonal tool rather than a daily brush.

What do I do about a mat?

If you can slide a comb under it easily, work it apart from the outer edge inward with your fingers and a dematting tool. If it is tight against the skin, book a groomer or a vet. The skin under a mat is frequently sore or infected.

Sources

• Cornell Riney Canine Health Center on skin and coat care
• Cornell Feline Health Center on grooming and cats that stop grooming themselves
• AAFP and ISFM guidelines on handling cats to reduce stress
• Chris Christensen Big G Slicker Brushes
• Safari by Coastal Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush for dogs
• Safari Cat Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush
• KONG ZoomGroom
• KONG Classic