Combing

Regular brushing and combing will remove loose or matted hair and help to keep the skin free of diseases and parasites, such as fleas. Natural oils will be more evenly distributed to give your dog a nice, shiny coat. Comb in the direction of hair growth to remove tangles.

• Fine-toothed combs are used for soft, thin or silky coats; medium-toothed combs are used for average coats; and wide-toothed combs are best for heavy and thick coats.
• Flea combs are very fine to remove parasites and flea dirt from the coat and may also be used gently to comb the hair around the eyes.
• The Masterpet Shape N Shedis designed for medium and large dogs for removing its top coat in an easy and efficient way.
• The Masterpet Floating Undercoat Rake is ideal for removing the tangles and dead or loose hair from the undercoat hair in larger dogs with courser and thicker coats, such as the golden retriever or German shepherd.

Brushing

Prior to bathing and clipping, your dog needs to be brushed out to remove loose hair and tangles, which can grow into mats.

Long coats need brushing several times a week. Dogs with this type of coat include the German shepherd, Newfoundland or golden retriever.

Non-shedding coats need clipping on a regular basis to keep the coat and skin healthy. These dogs also need to have their ear hair removed; they include the poodle, bichon frise and Shih tzu.

Silky coats need a lot of grooming. The dead hair has to be removed to prevent mats. Breeds with silky coats include the Afghan, Yorkshire terrier, spaniel, setter and Pekingese.

Smooth coats are the easiest to groom – a comb is all you really need. Breeds with such coats include the boxer, dobermann, labrador retriever and greyhound.

With so many different brushes on the market today, it can be confusing to choose one to meet your dog’s grooming needs. Masterpet can help make it easy to groom your dog properly with quality brushes.

• A Slicker Brushis a good general brush for all breeds if used lightly. It is designed to help remove mats while also pulling out dead hair and gently stimulating the skin. The Easy Clean Curved Slicker Brush also provides a simple one action to remove the tangled hair from the brush, to make your grooming much easier with the curved design.

• A Pin Brush comes with and without rubber-tipped brush prongs and has a rounded tip to prevent damage to the skin, suitable for dogs with long, fine hair such as silky terriers. It can also be used to fluff the coat by brushing against the direction of hair growth.

• A Bristle Brush is used as a finishing brush to remove any loose hairs and to ‘style’ the dog’s fur after all the dead undercoat fur, mats and tangles have been removed. It is good for dogs with very long coats, such as the Afghan, and helps add shine to the short coat.

• A Moulting Dog Brush is also good for short-haired breeds to add polish and shine once the loose hairs are removed. The Moulting Dog Brush with the rubber cones removes all the loose hair from both top and undercoat, and is available in different sizes.