Keeping your dog’s coat in tip top shape is part of parcel of owning a dog. He doesn’t need to look like his ready for Best In Show, just clean, shiny and free of matted clumps. But there are so many different tools on the market, it’s hard to know which one to use. Here’s our guide to what’s what.

Brushes

Regular brushing is essential to keep your dog’s coat in tip top condition. It’s also great for bonding with your pet. Be gentle, use a stroking action, and avoid pulling out any matted tangles. You want them to enjoy the experience – it’ll make it much easier next time.

There are lots of different shapes and styles of brushes. Here’s our guide:

Bristle brushes can be used on all types of dogs and can add shine and remove dirt. Choose bristle brushes with widely spaced bristles if your dog has a long coat, and a short, stiff bristle brush for dogs with coarse haired coats.

Wire-pin brushes are great for dogs with medium to long hair, as well as curly coats or really thick hair. Don’t use a wire pin brush if your dog’s coat is short.

The thick wire pins of Slicker brushes are great for removing mats, tangles, and dead hair in a thick undercoat. Use a slicker brush if your dog’s hair is medium to short – if the hair is too long it will pull and snag the hair.  

A de-matting rake has long prongs, great for dogs with matted coats and long hair. When brushing out the matts, you’ll need to tackle  each matt separately. Be very gentle. If your dog is very sensitive, it might be easier to get your dog clipped short, and regularly brush the dog, rather than deal with constant matting.

A shedding blade is a loop of metal with teeth on one side, and is used to grab loose, shedding  hair on short coated dogs. Some dogs will shed their coat constantly. The only solution is to groom the dog daily to remove all the dead hairs.

A rubber brush is a great way to massage your dog, as well at being good at removing dead hair in dogs that tend to shed their coats.

There are also different brushing techniques for different coat types.

Does your dog have a short, smooth coat? Use a soft -medium bristle brush with short, closely-spaced bristles and brush with the grain of the coat.

A short, wiry coat? Use a slicker brush or a firm bristle brush with short, closely spaced bristles, and brush with the grain of the hair.

Does your dog have a long coat? Use a wire pin brush or a soft/medium bristle brush  with long, widely spaced bristles. If there are mats and tangles, you’ll need a slicker brush as well.  

If your dog has a harsh, outer coat with a soft woolly undercoat, you’ll need to brush with the grain on the overcoat, and against the grain on the undercoat. Use a wire pin brush or firm bristle brush with wide-spaces for the outer coat, and a slicker brush for the tangles and matted hair underneath

A thin, delicate coat? Use a wire pin brush both with and against the grain, and a slicker brush for tangles and mats.

Clippers

If your dog’s coat grows continually, you will probably need to clip it at some stage. You can purchase electric clippers from your local pet shop, or you can find a pet groomer to do it for you.  A good quality pair of electric clippers will set you back around $150, although professional brands can cost more than double. It’s important to check that the clippers don’t heat up too much – or you can burn your dog’s skin. Clip against the direction of hair growth for a longer cut, or with the hair growth for a short clip.

Toenail clippers  

Its important to keep your dog’s toes manicured. However, it can be risky, as it’s easy to cut too close to the quick (the soft tissue), and make the dog bleed. So start with small cuts. As soon as you start to see a whitish or grey circle in the middle of the toenail you know you’re getting close to the quick. 

If you do cut too close, you’ll need to stop the bleeding. There are styptic powder products you can purchase from a pet store or pharmacy that will stop the bleeding, but you can also make a DIY paste from cornflour.

Apply it onto the damanged nail with a cotton bud and apply pressure for 30 seconds, leave it on for several minutes until the bleeding stops.  

If you don’t have time to regularly groom your dog, you’ll need to outsource it. Find a pet groomer near you, here.