Having dogs means dealing with dog hair. A lot of it. Even more than you’d think. The second you finish vacuuming, there’s dog hair everywhere. It’s just part of the pet ownership journey. Regardless of the length of your dog’s fur, proper grooming is essential to keeping this problem to a minimum. While a lot of loose fur is likely to come off during baths, more regular maintenance is required, especially during seasonal coat changes or in the case of long-haired dogs. The most straightforward way to handle this is by combing and brushing your dog frequently.
Help rid your home of dog fur and keep your pup’s coat healthy with the top ten contenders for the best dog shedding brush.
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1. Furminator deShedding Tool for Dogs
Pros:- Easily reaches into and pulls loose fur out of the undercoat
- Ejector button frees loose fur from the tool
- Various sizes to suit your dog
Cons:- Pricey
- Too aggressive for many dog coats
- Potentially better for specific knots
If you have a long-haired dog that sheds like crazy, you’ll want to consider the Furminator, possibly the most ubiquitous fur-removal tool out there. It’s so popular that even knock-off competitors like this Chirpy Pets version net a ton of sales.
The proper Furminator comes in a total of ten different variants: options for short hair and long hair in extra small, small, medium, large, and giant sizes. This allows you to choose the right tool to fit the size of your dog, as well as the coat length.
That being said, this is probably overkill for a lot of thin-coated dogs, so you’ll want to consider this for medium to long-haired dogs, especially those with a pronounced undercoat. The ejection button makes it easy to drop a clump of hair in the trash and keep combing. It’s also got quite a wide handle, which makes it easy to maintain a grip when dealing with thick coats.
Need more options? Browse more Furminator products here.
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2. SleekEZ Original Deshedding Grooming Tool
Pros:- Smooth, comfortable grip
- Available in three sizes
- Works just as well on upholstery
Cons:- Potentially better for medium to large dogs
- Aimed at short and smooth coats
- Won't work on long, fine hair
While most grooming tools are aimed at the longer-haired dogs — and for good reason — this one is specifically for dogs with shorter or smoother coats. The teeth are very small, providing just enough groove to drag out loose fur. The steel blade is set into an ergonomic poplar handle, and the whole unit is made in the U.S. Choose from three different sizes to suit your dog: 2.5 inches, five inches, and ten inches. It’s a novel approach in a world of Furminator take-offs.
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3. Pet Thunder Brush Glove Deshedding Tool
Pros:- Easy to use
- Adjustable closure for a range of hand sizes
- Equally good for bath and normal brushing
Cons:- Not the most effective option
- Somewhat difficult to clean
- Better for short to medium hair dogs
If you struggle with handled brushes, you might consider this approach, which puts the “bristles” in the palm of a glove for ultimate ease of use. I have one of these, as well, and while it doesn’t remove nearly as much fur per pass as longer-bristled options, it is far easier and more comfortable to use. It’s much more like just petting your dog, while incidentally removing some fur; this makes it great for daily use.
I’ve known a few dogs that really didn’t like anything vaguely resembling a comb or a brush, but didn’t mind a glove one bit. They’re also probably the superior option for cats, if you happen to have both.
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4. Oster Large Combo Brush for Dogs
Pros:- Two sided to address different coats and issues
- Comfortable handle
- Inexpensive
Cons:- Only slightly more advanced than a common hairbrush
- Too large for smaller breeds
- Not exactly specialized
We begin with a fairly normal, straightforward option. On one side is a traditional bristle brush for daily maintenance and to distribute skin oils through the coat. Unless your dog has extremely sensitive skin, this should be safe to just just about everyday. On the other side, there’s a pin brush with rounded tips for working through snarls and mats.
This will also pull out any loose fur from the undercoat, but should be used on long-haired dogs primarily. It’s quite large, so it will make quick work of most dogs, but that means it’s also a bit too big for smaller breeds.If you’re just looking for a simple dedicated dog brush, this is the one for you.
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5. JW Pet Gripsoft Dog Slicker Brush
Pros:- Inexpensive
- Extremely effective at removing loose fur
- Great for long haired dogs
Cons:- Vigorous brushing will break your dog’s skin
- Can be somewhat difficult to pull through some coats
- Somewhat difficult to clean
Though I own a few of the options on this list, this is my go-to solution for brushing my husky mix. Being a mix, he has a medium-long coat with a tough undercoat. It can be difficult to free all the loose hair hanging around in there, and these brushes do an excellent job of getting to it. They can be a bit difficult to use, requiring quite a lot of strength to pull through.
Though the pins are rounded, I sometimes find that I’ve brushed a little too hard and broken the skin. There’s definitely a balance to be struck. Luckily for me, my husky is either impervious to pain of any kind or doesn’t seem to notice, because these will absolutely remove a great deal of fur. My recommendation would be to use this outside, because you could probably form a second dog from the fur you’ll be able to remove.
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6. Le Salon Essentials Rubber Grooming Brush
Pros:- Equally good for bath time and everyday brushing
- Excellent for short to medium haired dogs
- Easy to use
Cons:- Probably not going to cut it for long-haired dogs
- Not at all useful for tangles or mats
- Tricky to clean
What’s great about these all-rubber options is that they serve two purposes. The obvious one, and the one most germane to this list, is daily combing. The soft, short bristles have three fingers on them to gently pull loose fur out of your dog’s coat. You can also use them at bath time to lather up the dog shampoo and work it down to the skin.
For the most part, my oldest dog doesn’t much care for brushing, but he seems to like this, both dry and in the bath. Simply run under the faucet to remove the fur embedded in the brush. They also make a curry brush options, as well.
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7. Kong ZoomGroom
Pros:- Equally good for bath time and everyday brushing
- Longer, tapered bristles make it a little better slightly longer coats
- Massages as you brush
Cons:- No strap to secure it to the hand
- Not at all useful for tangles or mats
- Somewhat small
Compared to the Le Salon option above, this version from Kong makes the trade off of multi-faceted bristles for longer, tapered ones. Though this still probably won’t work for long-haired dogs, this will reach deeper into some coats and grab more fur. It’s still made of rubbery plastic, so it can be used at bath time, as well as rather vigorously without fear of scratching your pup. There’s another trade off here, too: While the Kong is much cheaper, it doesn’t have a strap to slide your hand through.
Once you get it soapy and your dog starts squirming, it is likely to pop out of your hand easier. That said, it’s an excellent option for everyday dry grooming. Some reviewers note that they use it in concert with the Furminator for maximum effect. This is the normal version, which measures 4.75 by three inches, but there’s also a small version in blue and raspberry that measures 3.75 by a little over two inches.
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8. Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush
Pros:- Combines a slicker brush with the ejection mechanism
- Comfortable, anti-slip handle
- Easy to use
Cons:- Vigorous brushing will break your dog’s skin
- Can be somewhat difficult to pull through some coats
- May be too large for some breeds
You guessed it: I also have one of these. What can I say? Three dogs generate a lot of hair. If I didn’t have a bunch of different options laying around, I’d have drowned in dog hair awhile ago. At its core, this is a fairly basic slicker brush, but it includes an ejection mechanism like the Furminator above. Because it’s so much larger than the Furminator, you will generate perfect rectangular dog fur carpets with this, which are easily deposited into the trash.
I find this the easiest to clean of all the dog brushes I own, and frequently turn to it for use on my husky. The same warnings apply here as to the JW Pet option above, so find that right balance of a firm pull without getting too near your dog’s skin. It only comes in the one size, which is best suited to medium dogs and larger.
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9. Safari Pet Products Dual Sided Stainless Steel De-Shedder Tool
Pros:- Made for tough coats that require industrial-strength grooming
- Two sides and flexibility allow for maximum effectiveness
- Excellent for larger dogs
Cons:- Not for short-haired dogs
- Too large to use on smaller breeds
- Doesn't condition hair like other brushes
If your dog has a very dense coat in need of serious grooming, the last two items on our list are for you. This is a pretty standard de-shedding tool, but it’s also the big guns. If nothing else on this list has worked, you’ll want to look to this to do the bulk of dragging out that stubborn loose fur.
This is especially good for dogs that haven’t been groomed in awhile, as it’s probably overkill most of the time. It can be used looped as seen here, straightened, or flexed in any number of ways to ensure the best coverage. There are two different teeth sizes on either side to match the task at hand. Ultimately, you’re probably less likely to break the skin with this than a slicker brush, but it is essentially a miniature saw, so some tact is required.
Safari also makes a standard two-sided brush and a mat remover to complete your set.
Buy the Safari Pet Products Dual Sided Stainless Steel De-Shedder Tool here.
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10. GoPets Dematting Comb
Pros:- Excellent for sorting out mats and difficult tangles
- Rounded ends very unlikely to damage skin
- Comfortable gel handle
Cons:- Not suited to daily brushing; this is a supplemental tool
- Probably unnecessary for a wide variety of coats
- Will need to use this in conjuction with another brush
Sometimes a brush just won’t cut it. When you come upon a difficult mat or a tangle of fur, you’ll have to reach for something like this. This two-sided tool offers two different combs. The “low-density” side is for dematting, while the “high-density” side is an undercoat rake. Those blades are rounded on the ends to prevent any discomfort, but also sharp on the inner part to cut through difficult tangles.
It features a generous, silicone gel handle that is both non-slip and conforms to your hand. You’ll probably only need one of these very occasionally, and as a sidekick to one of the other options on this list, but it does its job very well.
In addition to a deshedding brush, you'll want a few other tools at your disposal. First, you'll want an array of pet hair removers for clothes and furniture. We dedicated a post to those here for you to consider. You could also invest in a decent air purifier, which will do its part to remove a large amount of hair from the environment in your home. To complete the effort, you'll want to go to the source.
For short-haired dogs, this will be somewhere in the neighborhood of twice a week. I brush my blue nose pit about once every other week since he doesn't shed very much and he's got extremely sensitive skin. For longer haired dogs, you can brush as often as once a day. My husky could certainly use it, but I can attest to this being a difficult thing to work into an already-full schedule.
Make sure you choose the right tool for their coat and skin. For the most part, this comes down to bristle length and material. You'll want softer, shorter bristles for thinner coats and you can go for the more rugged options for especially difficult coats. If you're not sure what to choose, consult with your vet or groomer. Additionally, as you're combing, be on the lookout for excessive shedding or bald spots. This could signal a problem that requires more than just a combing. Same goes for dealing with gnarly mats; if it's not too bad, you can use a mat removing tool, but if it's really tangled, you're better off having the groomer cut it off.
Brushing confers several benefits aside from reducing free-floating pet hair in your house. The excellently-named Will My Dog Hate Me? lists some of these, but chief among them are the time spent bonding with your dog and the natural conditioning that occurs when you brush their skin oils through their coat. Any way you look at it, it's a worthwhile activity for any dog owner.
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