Brushing and the couch is still furry? Wrong brush for the coat.

Match the brush to the coat

Short, smooth coats (labs, beagles, pugs): a rubber curry brush or a grooming glove.

Long, silky coats (goldens' feathers, collies, Yorkies): a slicker brush, then a metal comb.

• Double coats (huskies, shepherds, malamutes): An undercoat rake, then a deshedding tool.
• Curly or wiry coats (poodles, doodles, terriers): A pin brush or slicker, worked in sections, plus regular grooming.
• How we picked: Specs, sizes and the job each pick does.

The wrong brush either glides over the hair that's about to land on your couch or drags at a coat it wasn't made for. Your dog notices before you do.

Short coats: rubber does the work

• Why rubber: Short hair doesn't tangle, it just sheds a little every day, forever. Rubber nubs grab loose hairs and lift them out.
• Glove or curry: A curry brush or a glove both work, and some dogs who dodge a brush will put up with a glove. More on whether grooming gloves work.
• Skip: Steel deshedding tools. There's no undercoat for them to reach.

Long coats: slicker first, comb to check

Long hair tangles, and tangles become mats. A slicker's fine pins work through the coat; a metal comb afterward finds the knots the slicker skipped.

• Depets slicker: The self-cleaning button pulls the pins back so the fur drops off in one clump, which makes it more likely you'll actually use it.
• The catch: The button mechanism can wear over time, and it's not for very short coats.
• Technique: Work in sections, brush down to the skin gently, and never yank through a mat. Badly matted coats are a groomer's job.

Double coats: rake, then deshed

These dogs drop their undercoat in big seasonal sheds. A regular brush slides over the top and leaves the undercoat to fill your house.

1. Undercoat rake first. The Maxpower Planet rake is two-sided: 9 teeth for stubborn tangles, 17 for thinning, with rounded teeth. The catch: use it too much and it can over-strip. Not for single coats.
2. Deshedding tool second. The FURminator's steel edge reaches through the top coat to the loose undercoat. The catch: double coats only. Light pressure, about once a week, and pick the right size and hair-length version.
3. Do it outside. The fur will fly. The birds will thank you.

Full how-to: our FURminator guide.

Curly and wiry coats: gentle and in sections

These coats shed little but mat easily, close to the skin where you can't see it. A pin brush or slicker works best here. Part the coat and brush small sections from the skin out, and keep up with grooming appointments. Skip deshedding blades on curly coats; FURminator says so too.

Signs you have the wrong brush

• Your dog walks away every time it comes out.
• Red skin or scratches after brushing.
• The brush comes out clean but your couch doesn't.
• Cut hairs on the tool instead of loose fluff.

Keep the brushes working

• Pull the hair out after each session.
• Wash them now and then in warm, soapy water and let them dry fully.
• Replace bent or missing pins. They scratch.

Shedding more than usual, or with bald patches or sore skin? That's a vet question: normal shedding vs. a vet visit.

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