by Megan Kingsley

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 29, 2009

Many breeds of dogs have long or thick coats. In order to maintain the animal's health and appearance, it's important to have the correct tools to ensure proper grooming. A beautiful coat can become dirty, matted, and uncomfortable for the pet in short order, so having the proper tools and techniques is important. If you don't want to pay a groomer to care for your pet's coat, essential tools are even more crucial.

Undercoat Rake

An undercoat rake is a metal tool with a series of spaced teeth. Rakes come in smaller sizes for tiny breeds or detail work, and larger sizes for larger dogs. Select a rake with a sturdy handle and blunted teeth to avoid scratching the dog. The purpose of the undercoat rake is to separate and remove loose undercoat without removing the longer guard hairs. Use the rake in the direction of the hair's growth and use care not to press so hard as to scratch the dog's skin. An undercoat rake is invaluable during shedding season when the dog is 'blowing coat'. These rakes generally work best on double-coated breeds found on such dogs as the Collie, Husky, Samoyed, Pomeranian, and Newfoundland.

Comb

Generally of metal, a good comb is perhaps the most versatile tool. It can be used on long coats of the silky variety (Afghan hound, Yorkshire Terrier) as well as the double-coated breeds. A quality comb is a good investment. Cheap combs can hang up in the hair, pull, or damage the coat. A good comb will decrease static, slide smoothly through the coat, and last for decades, so it is well worth the money. Combs vary in size, from tiny combs with closely-set teeth for the face and small dogs, to large combs with wide teeth for combing through a tangled dog. You will need at least one comb; preferably two of varying sizes. Be sure the teeth of your comb are long enough to reach all the way to the skin of the dog. You want to comb out the entire coat, not just the top layer.

Pin Brush

A pin brush usually consists of a series of metal pins set in a paddle-shaped brush with a rubber backing. Pin brushes are used to lift and separate the hair, aiding in 'line combing' through the entire coat down to the skin. Avoid cheap pin brushes with little balls on the end of the pins. These tend to catch and split the coat. A quality pinbrush will have blunted pins that can be used without worry of scratching the dog's skin, and use will not cause the brush to pull loose from the backing.

Slicker Brush

Some groomers of long-coated dogs prefer to use a slicker brush,

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