Why is brushing and combing so important?
Brushing on a regular basis removes loose hair and keeps the skin clean. This
reduces the chance of getting any skin diseases or parasites. Natural oils are
more evenly distributed over the coat, which allow individual hairs to lie more
smoothly and look shinier.
For longhaired and double-coated breeds, brushing will remove dead hair from the
undercoat before it mats, and new hair growth will be stimulated. It also allows
shampoo to penetrate down to the skin during bathing.
How often should I brush?
That depends on the type of coat your dog has. If it is long and thick, you'll
spend more time and need to brush more often. If your dog's coat is short and
smooth, a quick once-over a couple of times per week does the job. Dogs with
long, flowing hair should be brushed every day. Dogs with coats somewhere in
between these two benefit from a brushing 3 to 5 times a week.
What type of brush should I use on my dog?
The type of brush depends on your dog's coat. You may actually find that using a
combination of two different brushes gives you the best results for your dog's
coat.
Slicker Brush
The slicker brush is a good brush to use on all breeds to remove dead hair. This
curved-wire bristle brush is especially recommended for long or dense coats, and
tangled and matted coats.
Pin Brush
The pin brush works well on dogs with long, flowing hair such as the Lhasa Apso
and the Yorkshire Terrier. The tips of the bristles are rounded and smooth to
avoid skin abrasions.
Traditional Bristle Brush
Those brushes that look most like human brushes are used to polish and add shine
to the coat. These work best on dogs with short coats, and dogs with long,
flowing coats, such as Afgan hounds or Maltese.
Hound Glove
A hound glove has the bristles of a slicker brush embedded into a glove, or
mitt. This serves the same purpose as a slicker brush, but some prefer slipping
their hand into a glove rather than holding the handle of a brush.
Rubber Grooming Mitt
These mitts are used on shorthaired dogs to polish and add shine to the coat
once dead hairs are removed.
Undercoat Rake
The best-kept secret of the grooming tools! Also known as a rake comb, it is
ideal for removing dead undercoat hair and is best used on coarse-textured or
large breed dogs, such as the Golden Retriever, Collie or Samoyed. You'll
generally see one to three rows of teeth that are long and spaced far apart.
Combs
Combs can be fine-toothed, medium-toothed, wide-toothed, or a combination of
these. The fine-toothed comb is used for soft, thin or silky coats. The
medium-toothed comb is used for average coat textures. The wide-toothed comb is
used for thick, heavy coats.
Flea Combs
Flea combs are very fine-toothed combs that are generally used for removing
parasites. However, this comb is also very useful as an extra-fine-toothed
facial comb that can remove residue and dirt caked in the facial hair around the
eyes.
