7 Best Brushes for Golden Retrievers & Labs

Live with a golden and pale tufts of fur collect in the corners of every room, with a lot more of them in spring and fall. For that dog, start with the Chris Christensen 27mm pin brush, at about $39. Its pins are long enough to get through the top coat to the loose undercoat, which is where the tufts come from.

It's a plain wooden brush with no button, so you pull the fur off the pins by hand. On a Lab's short coat or a doodle's curls it's the wrong tool, and both have their own picks further down.

See the 7 picks

Our picks

7 picks, best first

Best overallChris Christensen Oval Pin Brush, 27mm$39.49
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Best for tanglesSafari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush, Large$22.49
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Best for shedding seasonSafari Double Row Undercoat Rake$18.99
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Best finishing combAndis 10-Inch Steel Comb$11.99
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Best for LabsFURminator deShedding Tool, Large Dog Short Hair$35.27
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Best for bath timeKONG ZoomGroom, Large$12.98
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Best for doodlesChris Christensen Big G Slicker, Large$54.48
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On this page

The dog brushes, ranked

Top pick

Best overall

1. Chris Christensen Oval Pin Brush, 27mm

Long pins with polished tips go down through a golden's thick coat to the undercoat, on a beechwood brush built to last.

$39.49

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Buy it if

You have a golden, a long-coated shepherd or a setter, and you want one brush to use every week.

Skip it if

Your dog's coat is short enough that you can see the skin when you part it. The pins have nothing to hold.

A pin brush is what the Golden Retriever Club of America tells owners to use, in the AKC's grooming guide: a pass against the grain first to loosen the dead undercoat, then one the way the hair grows.

Chris Christensen sells its pins in three lengths, and says 27mm is for medium to long coats, which is a golden's. The tips are ground and polished, so they don't scratch on the way down, and the beechwood body is made in Germany.

It's first ahead of the Safari slicker because it does the weekly job on the whole dog. A slicker's fine pins are better at small knots, and they're the second brush to own.

What owners report

One husky owner says two of these brushes are 25 to 30 years old and still in use.

Where it falls short

Nothing pushes the hair out, so cleaning it is a pinch-and-pull job after every session.
It glides over small knots behind the ears. Keep a comb or a slicker for those.

Best for tangles

2. Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush, Large

Fine bent pins pull out small knots, and one push of the button retracts them so the hair slides off.

$22.49

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Buy it if

The fur behind the ears, on the backs of the legs or under the tail keeps knotting.

Skip it if

You want one tool to reach the undercoat on a big golden. Its pins are shorter than the pin brush's.

Most slickers do the same job, and this one is cheap and easy to clean. Press the button on the back and the pins pull back into the head, so the mat of hair you just collected drops into the trash in one piece. The large head is 8 by 4.5 inches, wide enough for a big dog's sides.

Where it falls short

The pins stay near the surface on a thick golden coat, so it doesn't replace the pin brush.
At 8 inches the large head is too wide for the face and the paws.

3. Safari Double Row Undercoat Rake

Two rows of rotating pins, long and short, comb out the dead undercoat in the weeks when it comes loose all at once.

$18.99

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Buy it if

Your dog blows his coat in spring and fall, and the fur comes out in clumps.

Skip it if

Your dog is short-haired. A rake needs depth to work in.

Once or twice a year a golden drops most of his undercoat over a few weeks, and a brush can't keep up. A rake goes in deeper. Safari's has two rows of pins of different lengths, and they rotate as you pull, which helps them slide through a dense coat. Its maker, Coastal Pet, sells it for extra-thick, heavy coats, with rounded tips.

Where it falls short

Outside shedding season it does very little on a golden, so it spends half the year in a drawer.
There's no way to clear it except by hand.

4. Andis 10-Inch Steel Comb

A plain steel comb with a coarse half and a fine half, to find the knots a brush rides over.

$11.99

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Buy it if

You want to check that the brushing actually reached the skin, or the feathers keep matting.

Skip it if

You're looking for something to pull out shed hair fast. That's the rake's job.

The AKC's golden grooming list puts a metal comb next to the pin brush, for the feathering behind the ears and on the chest, legs and tail. Run this one through after you brush: if it snags, there's a knot left. The coarse half goes in first, and the fine half finishes behind the ears.

Where it falls short

Ten inches is long for working around the face. Hold it near the middle for small spots.

5. FURminator deShedding Tool, Large Dog Short Hair

A steel edge that reaches under a short top coat for the loose undercoat, with a button that pushes the hair off.

$35.27

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Buy it if

You have a Lab, a pointer or another short-coated dog who sheds all year, and he weighs over 50 pounds.

Skip it if

Your dog has long hair, mats or sore skin. FURminator wants tangles out and the skin healthy before you start.

A Lab's coat looks short and simple, but there's an undercoat under it, and it's the reason the black hairs end up on a beige couch. This tool has a steel edge with fine teeth that reaches under the top coat and pulls that loose undercoat out. FURminator's large size is for dogs over 50 pounds, and its schedule is once or twice a week, for 10 to 20 minutes.

Where it falls short

Used hard or too often, the edge irritates skin, so it's never a quick daily brush.

6. KONG ZoomGroom, Large

Soft rubber fingers that work shampoo down to the skin and grab loose hair from a short coat.

$12.98

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Buy it if

Your dog has a short, smooth coat, or you want something to work the shampoo in at bath time.

Skip it if

You're dealing with a golden's undercoat. Rubber fingers can't reach it.

KONG made it for the bath: the rubber fingers are 3/4 inch long, they work the shampoo down to the skin, and they lift loose hair as they go. Used dry on a Lab, a beagle or a boxer, it lifts loose hair and dead skin too.

Where it falls short

On anything longer than a short coat it only skims the top.

7. Chris Christensen Big G Slicker, Large

A slicker with pins as long as the pin brush's, packed close, so it reaches the bottom of a curly coat.

$54.48

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Buy it if

You have a goldendoodle, a Labradoodle or a poodle, and the curls mat close to the skin.

Skip it if

Your dog is a golden with a normal coat. The pin brush and the Safari slicker do it for a lot less.

A slicker that reaches the skin is what a curly coat needs, and most slickers don't. The Big G's pins are 27mm long, as long as the pin brush's, and packed tight, so it gets to the bottom of a doodle's coat where the mats start. Chris Christensen sells this teal version for owners grooming between groomer visits, and the large head is 3 3/4 inches square.

Where it falls short

Unlike the professional Big G, this at-home version comes with no warranty.
There's no button: you lift the hair out with a comb.

At a glance

Brush	Price	Best for	Tool	Made for	Clearing the hair
1 Chris Christensen Oval Pin Brush, 27mm	about $39	Goldens and other long double coats	Pin brush, 27mm pins	Medium to long coats	By hand
2 Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush, Large	about $22	Knots in the feathers, any coat length	Slicker, retractable pins	Long or short coats	Push button
3 Safari Double Row Undercoat Rake	just under $19	Thick undercoats when they blow	Undercoat rake, rotating pins	Thick, heavy undercoats	By hand
4 Andis 10-Inch Steel Comb	just under $12	Behind the ears, the legs and the tail	Steel comb, coarse and fine	Feathering on any long coat	Nothing to clear
5 FURminator deShedding Tool, Large Dog Short Hair	about $35	Short double coats on dogs over 50 pounds	Deshedding edge	Short coats, over 50 lb	Push button
6 KONG ZoomGroom, Large	just under $13	Short, smooth coats and the tub	Rubber brush	Short coats, in the bath	Rinse it
7 Chris Christensen Big G Slicker, Large	about $54	Goldendoodles, poodles and other dense curls	Slicker, 27mm pins	Curly and dense coats	By hand

Best brush for Labs and other short hair dogs

A Lab sheds all year and the hair is short, so a pin brush or a rake slips through without catching much. Two tools cover it: the FURminator once a week for the undercoat, and the ZoomGroom in between, or in the tub. It works best on a dog who has just been washed and dried, and a deshedding shampoo loosens the hair before you start.

Best brush for German shepherds, huskies and Great Pyrenees

These are heavy double coats, and they come out in heaps when the season turns. Start with the Safari rake, which also lifts tangles out of the way, then finish with the pin brush. For a Great Pyrenees, Chris Christensen makes the same brush in 35mm, for long, thick coats. If you'd rather use a deshedding edge, FURminator makes a long-hair version of the tool above, and the rake goes first anyway.

Best brush for goldendoodles and poodles

Doodle coats mat from the skin up, under a top that looks fine. Brush in sections with the Big G, lifting the hair with one hand and brushing down from the roots, then run the Andis comb through to check that it slides all the way to the skin. Do it before every bath and every trim, since dog clippers stall in a matted coat. A coat that's matted all over goes to a groomer, and the rest of the dog grooming guides cover the bath and the clip.

What to look for in a dog brush

Pins as long as the coat is deep

Short pins on a deep coat brush the top and leave the undercoat in place. Chris Christensen's own guide is 20mm for short coats, 27mm for medium to long, and 35mm for long, thick ones.

One tool for each coat

A golden needs pins, a Lab needs a deshedding edge or rubber, a doodle needs a long slicker. A brush sold for every coat does none of them well.

A rake for the big sheds

A golden blows his coat once or twice a year. A rake makes those weeks shorter.

An easy way to clear the hair

A button that retracts the pins saves a minute every session. A wooden pin brush is cleared by hand.

Gentle on the skin

Fine slicker pins and deshedding edges both scrape if you press. Light strokes, and stop at the first red patch.

Two famous brushes I'd skip on a golden

Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush

It tops most lists, and the button works. But Hertzko sells it with soft, fine bristles meant for cats and dogs alike, and on a golden's thick coat they stay near the top. The Safari slicker does the same knot work, and the pin brush reaches deeper.

Hartz Groomer's Best Combo Brush

Half of it is a nylon bristle brush, and the Golden Retriever Club of America says plainly that a bristle brush won't get through a golden's coat. On a golden you'd be paying for a side you never use.

Also compared: Hertzko Soft Pin Brush, FURminator deShedding Tool, Long Hair, Mars Coat King, SleekEZ Deshedding Tool, Andis Premium Deshedding Rake, GoPets Dematting Comb, Safari Soft Slicker and JW Pet GripSoft Double Row Rake.

How I picked

Pins as long as the coat they're sold forA tool for each coat: long double, short double, curlyThe size or the dog's weight given by the makerA way to clear the hair, or a good reason not to have oneGentle on skin when used the way the maker says

How I choose what to recommend

Pin: The Best Dog Brushes for Golden Retrievers, Labs and Doodles

Save it for laterPin this guide and find it again when you are ready to buy.Save to Pinterest

Common questions

What kind of brush is best for a golden retriever?

A pin brush with long pins, used once a week, is the base. Add a slicker for small knots in the feathers and an undercoat rake for the spring and fall sheds. Skip bristle brushes: they don't get through the coat.

How often should you brush a golden retriever?

Once a week when shedding is normal, and every day when it's heavy, according to the Golden Retriever Club of America. Brush before every bath too, since a wet tangle only gets tighter.

Is a FURminator good for golden retrievers?

FURminator sells a long-hair version for coats like a golden's, and used as directed (tangles out first, light strokes, once or twice a week) it pulls out a lot of undercoat. On a golden I'd still start with the pin brush and the rake, and add the FURminator only if the shed outruns them.

What is the best brush for a Labrador retriever?

The FURminator for short hair, in the large size for a Lab over 50 pounds, once a week. A rubber ZoomGroom between sessions and in the bath keeps the rest of the loose hair off the floor.

Should you shave a golden retriever?

No. The AKC's grooming guide says not to shave or clip a golden's coat, which protects the dog from water and burrs. Tidy the feathers with thinning scissors instead, or leave it to a groomer.

The verdict

When the coat blows

If your golden is in the middle of a big shed and the fur comes away in handfuls, get the Safari rake alongside the pin brush, and rake first. Rake outside if you can, where the fluff blows away instead of settling on the rug.

$18.99Check price on Amazon

Sources

How to Groom a Golden Retriever, American Kennel Club
Chris Christensen Original Series Oval Brush, Chris Christensen
Chris Christensen Big G Slicker - Teal, Chris Christensen
Undercoat deShedding Tool Large Dog Short Hair, FURminator
FAQ, FURminator
Safari by Coastal Dog Double Row Undercoat Rake, Coastal Pet
Safari by Coastal Dog Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush, Coastal Pet
ZoomGroom Boysenberry, KONG
10" Steel Comb, Andis

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