brushes

The final product of my Get the Grooming Goods series is the Love Glove ($13) (pardon the name). This grooming glove removes a furry friend's loose hair and debris while you are gently petting him . . . something you'd be doing anyway, right?! The soft rubber tips massage his skin, stimulating natural oils and making it easier to get at those normally hard-to-reach spots like legs, bellies, and tails.

It's not just for your pet, though! Learn where else you can use this product when you read more

This dematting comb ($13) works on the undercoat of thick-haired breeds including Keeshonds, Poodles, Malamutes and Shelties because it lifts the dead and shedding hair from the undermost layer of a coat. This grooming tool comes in short and long versions – the short teeth are better for shorter haired dogs, the long teeth for those including Pomeranians and Collies (because it gets past all that fur to the undercoat, leaving the top relatively undisturbed).

To learn what other tool the professionals use to get at this thick undercoat read more

It's not for dinner — a curry brush's a rubber tool that you use in circular motions to remove loose hair like a magnet and stimulate the skin like a massage. My hands-down fave is the Kong Zoom Groom for dogs or cats (both $7). It eliminates North's pesky flakes on his black fur and encourages blood flow near the skin. Curry brushes also encourage production of natural oils to keep skin healthy and coats glossy.

To learn more about why I added it to my arsenal, read more

The one that looks most like it belongs in my bathroom (with a handle), a bristle brush can remove loose hair, mats, and tangles like the Slicker – with regular use, it actually helps reduce shedding. To tell if a particular version should be used on your dog, look at the length of and spacing between the bristles. The longer the coat, the longer and more widely spaced the bristles should be. With coarser hair, stiffer, closely spaced bristles work best.

This brush can safely work on all coat types and even small puppies 'cause it's super smooth! Both the short 'n' wiry (terriers) and short 'n smooth (hounds, retrievers) benefit from the short, closely spaced bristled I mentioned above while medium to long, flowing coats (e.g., Lhaso Apsos, Golden Retrievers) can be handled by a softer version with long, widely spaced bristles. North has one of these combo brushes ($8) – short bristles on one side, pins on the reverse – and it's great to give him a quick once twice over before a big playdate.

Although this brush also includes "pins", it's the shape that makes it in a class of its own. The fine wire bristles and wide frame easily remove dead hair, mats, and tangles. It's important to gently use this brush in the direction of hair's growth because some pups consider this a tad prickly.

Before investing, consider a self-cleaning version like this one ($16 and up) – either with a snap-off top or button to make the pins retract, and the hair falls straight in the trash!

Learn which breeds benefit from this brush when you read more

As its name implies, a pin brush ($4 and up) consists of stainless-steel pins with rounded and often plastic-coated tips. This type of brush is strong on dense, curly coats but also works for breeds with thin, delicate hair (Yorkies, Maltese, etc.). It shouldn't cause discomfort to your pups while grooming – in fact, the ends offer a slight massaging action . . . feels nice on their skin and helps loosen hair, too!

Learn other breeds it's good for when you read more