Grooming Brushes

Deshedding tools such as the Self-Cleaning Deshedding Grooming Comb and the Double-Sided Deshedding & Flea Comb are built to pull loose undercoat out without cutting the topcoat, and they're the right first reach for double-coated breeds going through a seasonal moult. Slicker and shredding brushes, including the Ancol Ergo Shredding Blade, work through matting and tangles in longer or wavy coats rather than shedding specifically.

For short, smooth coats, a rubber grooming mitt like the Bb Rub Grooming Mitt does a gentler job, massaging out loose hair while your dog or cat generally enjoys the sensation more than a metal comb.

Short, smooth coats — think Labradors, most cats, and boxer-type breeds — do well with a rubber mitt or a soft bristle brush used a couple of times a week. Double coats with a dense undercoat, like collies, huskies and many spitz breeds, need a genuine deshedding tool, especially during the spring and autumn coat blow.

Long or curly coats are the ones most likely to mat if brushing lapses, and a slicker brush followed by a comb through to the skin, rather than just over the top, is what actually prevents tangles turning into a problem you can't brush out.

Short, calm sessions started when a pet is relaxed work far better than one long attempt when they're already restless. Brushing in the direction of hair growth, working in small sections, and stopping before your pet gets fed up all make it more likely they'll tolerate — and eventually enjoy — the next session.

If you find a mat that won't brush out, it's usually better to have it trimmed out carefully than to keep tugging at it, which most pets understandably start to dread.