Depends on how old. If the pup is young, I'd recommend a rubber curry, basic pin brush, or metal comb to get them used to the sensation of being brushed. Don't need anything fancy like an undercoat rake, furminator, etc. until they're older. And even then, I'd limit the use of those and just stick with a pin brush and comb unless they're blowing their coat.
Oddly enough, after trying a number of different style combs and brushes, what works best for me is a good old rubber comb. The kind that guys stick in their back pocket. I use it on my stock coat and my long haired dog. I do use a brush on the tail of my long haired boy and the fluffy butts. Run the comb through your own hair, first. I find that the dollar store combs tend to be scratchy and break. If it feels good on your own scalp, your dogs will enjoy it too.
And if the pup chews it up, it was inexpensive. It took almost a year for my boy to realize that a combing was not an invitation to wrestle or grab the comb
A lot depends on what type of coat your dog ends up with as an adult. One of mine never needed more than a rubber Kong ZoomGroom, the others definitely benefit from a slicker + rake, especially when they blow coat.
For a puppy, as in young puppy, whatever your puppy likes, try a pin brush, run it on your own skin. I LOVE pin brushes. For me, they feel nice and scratchy. My cats like it too, as does my current dog, as did my gsd's. But for a puppy, it's important that your puppy likes it so try a few things out.
Indispensable for my gsd's that had the typical thick rough double coat with a densely wooly undercoat in their adult years, was a shedding rake. My gsd's where fairly flat-coated (very little undercoat) as young dogs, and didn't need brushing in their youngest months/year. They ended their lives with thick wool coats that would rival a husky.
Very useful for all dogs/puppies in mud season is a stiff long-bristled scrub brush (I buy mine at farm supply) for flicking mud crusts off of legs and belly before bringing them inside (mud season is late fall, early spring, and in the last few years, winter too).
I am really interested in hearing what everyone uses!
With my shelties I mostly use the comb for line brushing, but I also use a pin brush, slicker, boar hair brush, striping stone and a shedding rake. Oh and my absolute favorite tool for blowing coat.... a forced air dryer! I take them outside on the grooming table and let the fur fly in the yard. The birds really appreciate it. Lol.
I have heard mixed reviews on the furminator. My friend who is a groomer swears by it, but my sheltie show friends say absolutely never use it, as it tends to cut the top coat while stripping out the under coat.
best results I get is from a zoom groom followed by a pin brush. I introduced my pup to them as a baby. I didn't really groom him to start just let him feel it, then reward. Sitting still was hard when he was little so we had to build on that too
I finally saw a furminator in action when a neighbour lent me one for my matted elderly cat.
It has a little razor and slices off hair. I definitely wouldn't use on a gsd, shouldn't be necessary for any dog with a practical working breed coat.
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