What Kind of Brush Do Dog Groomers Use?

Your dog groomer regards her grooming brushes almost like magic wands. By using the best brush for your dog's coat, and brushing him before and after his bath, she delivers a top-notch result that makes you smile. Maintain your dog's good looks at home by sticking to a regular brushing schedule. Brushing distributes beneficial oils through his coat, helps remove dirt from his skin and discourages troublesome and painful mats.

Brushing a dog with a rubber curry brush is almost like giving him a massage. A curry brush consists of a rubber pad with soft nubs that stimulate your dog's skin and coat. Run the curry brush briskly over your dog's coat, making sure you brush in the direction of the hair growth. A rubber curry brush makes an ideal grooming tool for whippets, boxers and other dogs with extremely short coats.

A bristle brush closely resembles your human hairbrush, although doggie bristle brushes have been tailored to varied canine coat types. If your dog is a smooth-coated Great Dane or bulldog, for example, a brush with short, soft bristles will banish loose hair without harming his delicate skin. Brush your medium-coated dog, such as a shepherd or retriever breed, with a brush featuring more widely spaced bristles.

A square or rectangular slicker brush, featuring multiple rows of small metal pins, offers a great grooming option for many canine coats, notes grooming expert Linda Erickson. You can easily maneuver this short-pinned brush close to your dog's skin, helping to distribute natural oils through his coat. Slicker brushes also help dislodge loose undercoat fur on your double-coated pooch. Purchase a small, medium or large slicker brush that matches your dog's size.

A grooming rake resembles your stiff-tined garden rake, but burrows through your dog's top coat to reach his matted undercoat. Light pressure removes undercoat clumps, dirt and skin-clogging debris. Look for a grooming rake featuring pins as long as your dog's coat length. If the rake pins are too short, you might not be able to reach his bottom undercoat layer. Excessively long pins might dig into his skin and cause discomfort.