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Having a dog has changed my life in countless ways. But by far, the biggest, most shocking, most hits-you-like-a-ton-of-bricks change has been…the hair.
Oh my god, the hair.
Lucy is a shedder. And let me tell you, she sheds what I firmly believe is another dog’s worth of hair each week. I’ve pet her and watched in utter horror as the resulting cloud of hair gently falls to the floor, which I cleaned mere MINUTES before.
There have been TUMBLEWEEDS of dog hair rolling through my living room. TUMBLEWEEDS!
Enough said.
Unfortunately, you can’t stop your dog from shedding. But you can decrease it with regular brushing.
That means it’s time for a deshedding brush, a product that comes in about a million different varieties. But we all want to cut to the chase, right? WHICH IS BEST, ALREADY?
Let’s take a closer look at three I’ve bought and compare.
The Furminator
The Furminator is a leader in the de-shedding brush category. The brush features a stainless steel edge that reaches beneath the top coat to remove loose hair and undercoat. And it’s designed by a groomer, which means there’s a bit more thought put into the design, like the ergonomic grip perfectly contoured to your hand.
Our experience: The Furminator does indeed work wonders. In a 10-minute session of brushing, we wind up with a massive pile of dog hair. However, Lucy tolerates it for a few minutes at a time before getting wormy about the brush (requiring a lot of bribing with treats). I wish the brush were a bit more efficient for the limited window of time I have.
Pros: There’s the previously mentioned ergonomic grip. The big winner here, though, is the handy push-button release system — you can keep the brush in one hand the whole time, pressing the button as you go along to remove the hair. (Which leaves your other hand free to keep your dog from leaving the room, like mine!)
Overall, this is a solid option and currently has a 4.6 star rating on Amazon. It comes in several sizes for the size of your dog and the length of hair (short or long). 
SleekEZ
I’ll be honest — I totally fell for the advertising when I bought this. The SleekEZ is a tool that can be used on horses, dogs, cats, even your car. Its secret is a patented tooth pattern that works on a variety of coats.
Our experience: We had high hopes for this tool and were disappointed. While it does indeed remove loose hair, it does so far less efficiently than the Furminator. The SleekEZ was great for surface-level hair, but Furminator digs deep.
ZoomGroom
After taking Lucy to get her nails trimmed, the dog groomer told us about her favorite de-shedding brush: the ZoomGroom.
At first glance, I was totally unconvinced. It’s a flexible rubber brush that looks more like a dog toy than a brush (and in fact, Lucy tries to chew it when she can), but a few strokes later and BOOM. Dog hair for days.
If your dog is a bit fussy during brushing, this is a great option. It feels more like a massage than a brush; I’ve tried it under Lucy’s collar (aka: where she loves a good scratch), and she loved it.
It’s also great for working shampoo into your dog’s coat, making it a great tool for bath time, too. (Caveat: It’s likely better for dogs with longer hair; short coats don’t really benefit from the extra help a ZoomGroom provides.)
Verdict
So far, we’re getting the best results by using two in tandem: the Furminator (for in-depth brushing) as well as the ZoomGroom (for when Lucy gets fed up with the former and for quick sessions). Together, they’re a fur-fighting force to be reckoned with. (But of course that in no way will prevent me from buying other brushes in the future, because there’s always something better, right?)
So tell me: What’s YOUR favorite brush?