Ah, dog shed. Maybe if you’re lucky, you have a dog that doesn’t shed hardly at all, ever, like a yorkie. Or maybe you’re like me and you have always had big, furry dogs that grow thick coats in winter or anytime the weather gets cold and then sheds for weeks once things warm up. We recently went through this with Eira, our Alaskan shepherd. She seemed to be shedding her thin summer coat in order to prepare to grow a thick winter coat: all over the house, black hairs fell. She didn’t even have to shake in order to release bazillions of hairs from her body. All she had to do was walk across our light-colored floor and boom, the whole space would be covered in very visible dog hair.
I don’t mind a little dog hair here and there. I have a good vacuum and an excellent pet carpet cleaner that allow me to clean up pet hair pretty easily. But a couple weeks ago Eira’s shed was so bad that with a normal dog brush, I got 13 brush-fulls of hair from her one night before I allowed her inside. And then she still shed hair all over my floor! I knew at that point that I needed to find a dog shedding brush designed to efficiently remove the hairs a regular brush doesn’t get.
We had one of those slicker brushes, which always worked well on my dog Bella, but Eira hated the feeling so much that it was almost impossible to brush her with them. So we had to look at other options.
Because of all my research, I’ve rounded up the best dog shedding brush for every dog. Get ready to relieve your house of all your dog’s extra fur!
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Best Brush for Long-Haired Dogs: The 2-Sided Undercoat Rake by Pat Your Pet
This dog brush is perfect for dog breeds with extra-long hair. I’m talking about Newfoundlands, Collies, Maltese, Havanese, Komondors, Irish Setters, and more. These dogs can grow gorgeous coats, but these coats can be extra-difficult to care for. Thankfully, this 2-sided undercoat rake brush from Pat Your Pet is an excellent de-matting and de-shedding tool for your long-coated dog. The rake features two sets of teeth: the teeth that meet your dog’s skin are rounded so as to prevent injury, while the inner teeth that snag all that dead fur are sharper but expertly designed to leave your dog’s skin untouched.
The shedding brush’s handle is designed with a pet parent’s tired hand in mind. It’s got a soft, ergonomic grip to provide maximum comfort during grooming.
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Best Brush for Thick-Coated Dogs: Petgle Dog Shedding Brush
Eira is a thick-coated dog. She grows long, fine outer hairs and thick, dense undercoat hairs. All of this fur means she needs an extra-special but extra-comfortable brush. And for her, slicker brushes were too aggravating. So I bought the Petgle Dog Shedding Brush, which I’ll introduce you to below.
It comes with three parts: the brush handle, a removable metal fine-toothed comb, and a comb cover. Even though the comb isn’t sharp enough to cut (which I accidentally said in the video — what I meant was scratch), the cover helps keep you from getting scratched on accident when you’re done with the brush.
The Petgle de shedding brush comes in a small box, but that’s because it comes taken apart. In the video below, I show you how to attach the parts.
Here’s how to attach the metal comb to the blade:
Now, my biggest fear when opening this brush was that Eira would hate it. Honestly, it seemed so heavy and metallic that I wasn’t sure she’d find it comfortable.
Eira looks askance at her new shedding brush. Will it feel as terrible to her as the slicker brush did?
To my surprise, Eira loved the brush. She even rolled onto her side and relaxed as I combed her fur! By this time she didn’t have that much shedding fur left, but I still got a decent amount of wavy undercoat hairs off of her.
This dog shedding brush is fantastic for dogs with medium-length coats who have undercoats beneath longer outer hairs, like Eira. It would’ve worked really well for my childhood German shepherds, too, and would be a great brush for Golden Retrievers, Alaskan Malamutes, Australian Shepherds, Airedale Terriers, and more. Even though Eira’s shed has slowed to a stop, I still use this shedding brush every day to make sure as many hairs are removed as possible. During the springtime, this brush will be our best friend.
Eira loves her deshedding brush from Petgle.
If you want to get this brush for your dog, find it below. You can get it in a 2.5-inch comb size or a 4.0-inch (which is what I got for Eira). The smaller size is perfect for little dogs with thick coats.
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Best for Any Dog: FURminator for Dogs Deshedding Tool
The reason this brush is a perfect choice for any dog is that it comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. Not only that, but the brush also comes in two separate models: one for long-haired dogs and one for short-haired dogs. There is literally a version of this brush to suit any dog. This brush features the same type of stainless steel comb that Eira’s Petgle brush does, but unlike the Petgle brush, it also features a “FURejector” to push dead fur out of the blades. In this way, it’s much like a slicker brush but without the discomfort some dogs feel when a slicker brush gets combed through their hair.
In addition, the FURminator comes with an extra-ergonomic handle designed for absolute comfort. If you have to spend a lot of time grooming your dog, this is the brush to get. Your hand won’t start aching or cramping from holding the brush for long periods of time.
Another advantage of this brush? It’s got a curved edge to match the curve of a dog’s body. It costs a little more than the Petgle brush, but the upgrades may be worth it for you and your dog.
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Best for Dogs With Short Hair: Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush
Eira may hate slicker brushes, but that doesn’t mean your dog will. These short, bendy bristles are perfect for dogs like Boxers and Mastiffs with their shorter coats. That doesn’t mean you can’t use this on other dogs too, though. When I used to brush Bella with a slicker brush during her spring shed, the brush would come away with tons of thick inner-coat fur. The problem, though, was that I had to constantly empty the bristles to be able to keep brushing her because the bristles are so short. Because of this, slicker brushes are ideal for dogs with short coats.
The handle on this brush has a similar squishy ergonomic grip to the Petgle brush but isn’t quite as high-tech as the FURminator.
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Bonus Brush for All Dogs: SleekEZ Original Deshedding Grooming Tool
If none of the other types of brushes work for you and your pup, try the SleekEZ Original Deshedding Brush. With a wooden grip and a wave patterned blade, the brush removes miraculous amounts of shed hair from your dog’s coat. Unlike with the comb and slicker brushes, the SleekEZ is designed to release combed hairs through the blades. The fur will drop into little piles on the floor for you to easily pick up (or leave there if you’re outside). No need to scrape the brush out, which is a huge time saver.
A huge plus with this brush is it’s not only for your pet’s coat. You can also use it to get dog fur off of furniture, car seats, dog beds, and more. And you can even use this brush on animals besides dogs, like cats and horses. If you’ve got a menagerie at home, check out the SleekEZ brush for an affordable and convenient solution to your animals’ needs. You can get a 2.5-inch, 5-inch, and 10-inch comb.
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These 5 brushes will help dogs of any shape, size, or fur type enjoy well-groomed coats, and they’ll save your floors and furniture from being deluged with fur. Happy grooming!
Laura Ojeda Melchor grew up with two beloved German shepherd dogs—Clancy and her daughter, Bella. From the time her family brought Clancy home, Laura took on the duty of pooper-scooper and potty trainer. As a teenager Laura helped her mother care for Clancy during her pregnancy. She still remembers fondly the exciting, frigid winter night when the seven special puppies were born. Laura kept the youngest puppy—Bella—and potty trained her, too. She taught Bella important commands, took her for long walks, and spent hours throwing tennis balls for her.
In November, Laura brought home a sweet new puppy, Eira Violet. Eira is half Alaskan malamute and half German shepherd, and Laura loves her deeply. She chose not to use a crate to potty train Eira and was pleasantly surprised at the results. She now has a sweet, energetic dog who always uses the potty outside, plays well with Laura’s toddler, and enjoys long family walks in beautiful Alaska. If you were to meet Eira, she’d bound up to you with a wagging tail and get you running around the yard with her in no time.