The brush or comb that you will use for grooming will depend on the type of coat of the animal that you are grooming. There are four major types of coats, the smooth or short hair, the wire hair, the long or curly-coated, and the double or triple coated. Each type of coat has it’s own characteristics and each requires it’s own brush or comb.
- Bristle brushes are generally used on short or smooth coats.
- Wire pin brushes can work wonders on wiry or wooly fur.
- Slicker brushes are excellent at removing tangles or mats in medium to long hair.
- De-shedding brushes and undercoat rakes are designed for removing loose hair in long hair and double-coated dogs.
- Combs are best used for general grooming purposes or to give a finishing touch to the groom.
Explained & Illustrated: Combs and Brushes
Bristle Brushes
Bristle brushes feature closely packed bristles, either natural or synthetic, and generally used on dogs with short coats and smooth hairs. They’re not good for detangling fur, but they’re ideal for removing loose hair on shorter coats and stimulating the skin.
Wire Pin Brushes
With widely spaced wire pins and rubber tips, these brushes look a lot like human hairbrushes. They don’t do much for short-coated dogs, but they can work wonder on wiry or wooly fur. Despite their popularity, a wire pin brush shouldn’t be the only brush you use. Instead, use a wire pin brush for finishing off a grooming session.
Slicker Brushes
Slicker brushes are made up of short thin wires positioned closely together on a flat surface. They’re excellent at removing tangles and mats; dogs with medium and long coats are good candidates for this type of brush. Be careful, though, a slicker brush could scratch the dog’s skin if you use too much pressure.
Double-Ended Comb
The best type of comb for general grooming purposes is a double-ended comb between 8 and 9 inches long with two type of teeth: a fine section with close spacing and a coarse section where the teeth are set further apart.
Wide-Tooth Comb
This comb is a slightly longer version of the double-ended comb with teeth set widely apart.
De-Shedding Brushes | Undercoat Rake
De-Shedding brushes are specifically designed to help remove loose hair that hasn’t yet worked its way out of your dog’s coat. With a de-shedding brush you can collect the fur rather wait for it to slough off onto the floor. De-shedding brushes exist for dogs with short and medium to long coats. Those designed for long and medium coats can usually get right into the dog’s undercoat.
Mat Breakers
There are a number of versions of this tool on the market. It is designed as the name implies to break up mats into pieces before removing them without hurting the pet.
Rubber Brushes | Grooming Mitt
You can use a rubber dog brush or grooming mitt on dogs with all kinds of coats. These products are designed more for massage and skin stimulation than they are for brushing, so they shouldn’t be the only brush you use. However, a rubber brush or a grooming mitt can help remove some loose fur, and most dogs love the sensation.
Soft Bristled Bath Brush
This brush is used in the bath tub for scrubbing mud, debris and loose hair from the bottom of the pads. Best to keep this close to the tub, but up where it can dry, or over time it will take on an odor.
Whisk Broom
Usually used in addition to a dust pan, you’ll need a whisk brush to clean up your grooming table of left-over hair.
Final Word
If you are training to be a professional groomer learning the various types of combs and brushes will go hand-in-hand with learning the characteristics of the many breeds and their type of coat. And depending on your workload, you may want to purchase more than one of each brush or comb, as well as learn the best way to keep your tools cleaned, ready-to-use, and sanitized. Take care of your tools and they will take care of you.