Double-coated breeds do not shed evenly through the year. They blow the undercoat in great drifts twice a season, and an ordinary brush simply glides over the top of it. A rake sets widely spaced metal pins in a single row, long enough to pass through the guard hairs and pull the dead fluff out from underneath, which is where the shedding is actually coming from.

The handle is turned wood, rounded to sit in the palm, and it makes more difference than it sounds on a long session. Raking out a husky or a german shepherd in moulting season is twenty minutes of repetitive work, and a thin plastic grip is what makes your hand ache first. Work in short passes in the direction the coat grows, and ease off when the pins meet resistance rather than dragging on through.

• Single row of long metal pins for dense coats
• Rounded wooden handle for a comfortable grip
• Reaches the undercoat beneath the guard hairs
• Aimed at large and thick-coated breeds
• Weighs 120g
• Arrives in a 25 x 14 x 4cm pack

What a rake will not do. It thins and removes loose undercoat; it does not cut through a solid mat. If the coat has felted down to the skin, forcing a rake through it hurts, and that job belongs to a dematting tool or a groomer's clippers. It is also the wrong tool for a smooth or single-coated dog, where the pins reach skin instead of undercoat.

Who it's for: Owners of huskies, malamutes, german shepherds, collies and other heavy double coats facing a moulting season twice a year.