Kicking off my new weekly posts to help teach the pet owner how to best care for their pets at home is something every pet needs, and that's brushing.
Yup, every pet. Short haired cats, Labs, Shih Tzus, bunnies...no matter what kind of pet you have, if it has hair, it needs to be brushed. Now, it depends on the type of coat your pet has as to how often, why and what tools to use. For example, a Shih Tzu has a non shedding coat, so you'll be brushing to separate the hair to prevent painful mats from forming, NOT to remove lots of coat. But a Husky will need brushing to keep the soft under coat from building up, 'packing' against the skin as well as to kept the hairs separated and from matting. Yes, even a short haired cat or dog can get matted!
But first we need to talk about what to brush with. There are three main tools you'll need. A slicker brush, a greyhound type comb and a detangler. For short haired animals I also like to use a Zoom Groom. These are your basics.
The Slicker Brush comes in several sizes and types. This is your basic hard back brush with wire teeth that are bent slightly at the end. The size depends on your pet and your hands. A tiny brush would take forever to brush a Golden Retriever but might be just right for your Yorkie.
I really like these slicker brushes by U Groom, available here at Clip Clip Hooray. They have a comfortable, easy to hold handle, and are large enough for a big dog, while small enough for a smaller pet as well. The best part is the metal pins. Strong enough to actually go through the coat, but soft enough to not hurt the pet.
A very important thing to look for when choosing a slicker is that the metal pins aren't so rigid that they have no give. Gently press your hands against them. If they don't give and feel painful to you, they're too rigid to use on your pet. But, if the pins are very soft and fold down under gentle pressure, they'll be too soft to brush through the coat and the brush will be useless.
Not all slicker brushes are created equal! Be sure to ignore all packaging and advertisement when choosing a slicker. Hold it in your hands, make sure it's comfortable - you won't use a brush that isn't! Check the strength of the pins. Not too strong, not too soft. I can't tell you the number of times a frustrated owner has brought in a tangled Shih Tzu complaining "My brush just doesn't seem to work! But it said it was a brush for small dogs, so I got it." Almost always they're a soft wire slicker brush that wilts at the first touch against the coat.
Now that we know how to select the right brush, let's talk about why we need one. A slicker brush is a great all purpose brush. It has three purposes for the pet owner. First, it will separate the individual hair strands. This prevents mats from forming. Second, it will remove dead hair. Finally, it will help pull apart loosely matted coat. Anything tightly clump will have to be clipped out, it can't be saved. All pets will have hair that either falls out or breaks. These hairs can get stuck in the coat for various reasons and need to be removed. A slicker brush is the best brush for removing these hairs, removing undercoat and breaking apart loose tangles in the coat.
Next, is The Greyhound Comb, or at least greyhound type comb. A one sided metal comb with the teeth placed fairly close together. Often one side is spaced differently then the other. Some are fine/medium for example, with a portion of the teeth very close together and the rest spaced a bit wider.
Using a comb after brushing with a slicker will check your brush work. The comb should be able to glide effortlessly through the coat after a good brush out. If it snarls or gets stuck you'll have to go back with the slicker. The comb is perfect for making sure the coat is 100% tangle free, all loose undercoat is removed and great for picking apart burrs or tangles. But no matter how useful, this should never be used as the sole detangler/ coat remover. It will pull too much on the skin and be painful for your pet.
Finally, a good leave in conditioner spray or coat polish is essential for brushing your pet. Be sure whatever you're using is safe for the kind of animal you're using it on! Remember, anything applied to the coat often will end up licked and digested by the pet, so make sure it's safe.
Remember those Pantene Pro V commercials? Where they showed a damaged, scaly hair shaft? Often matting and tangling is caused by the hair shafted being damaged or scaly. Those loose scales lock together. As more and more damaged hair shafts get locked together mats form. A spray will help smooth the scales down, making it easier to break apart any mats formed and to help prevent mats from forming.
Here's the thing: dirt is abrasive. And unless your pet is freshly and thoroughly bathed and immediately dried all the way to the skin, he's got dirt on his hair. Doesn't mean he's covered in mud, but he's got dander, dust, and dirt particles on him. These things are picked up outside, on the couch, on the floor...it's just a part of life. And if you brush your dog without being perfectly clean, what you're really doing is scraping tough metal against abrasive dirt, against the delicate hair shaft. Which becomes damaged and scaly, which will then tangle against its neighbors, which will mean you'll brush even more, which will make the hair more damaged...see where I'm going with this?
I like Tangles Away, since it seems to work for a variety of coat types. It can be tricky finding the right conditioning spray. It needs to be easy to apply, so it doesn't leave greasy patches. Some can be too heavy for a fine coat. It's one of those things you might have to play around with a little to find one that works just right for your pet. You'll want to lightly mist the entire coat before you brush. You can also add more to any trouble areas to help ease the hair apart. Even if your dog is cleaned and perfectly dried out, a nice misting of a conditioner or polish will make it easier to brush everything out, as well as protecting the hair shaft and preventing static.
So those are your basic brushing tools. Useful on almost every type of coat (and yes, a slicker can work wonders on a short haired cat or a Lab!) but there's two more 'brushes' that are very handy for short coated pets, or on short haired areas, such as the back of Goldens or Cockers. First, the Zoom Groom. This is basically a soft rubber curry comb with conical 'fingers' to massage, loosen and even remove dead coat. It's fun to use a Zoom Groom in the bath, too!
You can use the Zoom Groom in circular motions, or in long strokes with the lay of the hair. This is exellent for loosening up all that extra coat short hair cats and Labs/Pits/Boxers etc have.
The other is a De-Shedder. Most famous is the Furminator, this type of brush is a short toothed metal blade attached to a plastic handle. Perfect for power removing shedding hair from short haired pets. If fact, it can be so easy and satisfying that you can rather easily abrade the skin or bald the area you're working on! Be careful using these. Don't dig into the coat and constantly check the skin to make sure it's not getting red or irritated. These tools work best after a through brush out with a slicker brush, since they can't separate the hair themselves. Also, loosening up the coat with a Zoom Groom will allow you to de shed less.
My personal favorite is the Andis Power De Shedder. For me it's easier to hold than the Furminator, pulls out more coat more easily than the Furminator and also vibrates! This type of tool can be used on short and long hair pets alike. Be especially careful to brush and detangle long hair before using to prevent pulling the hair.
There you have it. Sure there are lots of other tools available to groom your pet with, but these are the most important. Next, I'll be sharing how to use each to get the most out of every brush stroke.
