Deshedding & Dematting

Best Dematting Tools for Dogs

A dematter is a cutting tool, and it removes coat permanently. That makes it the right answer for a mat and the wrong one for everything else.

By Brijon M.Published October 6, 2026

The shortlist

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to that pick’s full write-up. The price column goes straight to Amazon.

#	Product	Best for	Score	Price
1	Andis 66055 dematting tool (9-blade) Nine curved blades that cut the mat apart with minimal tension on the skin.	Best for dense mats on small and senior dogs	8.4	Check price on Amazon
2	Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake The coarse 9-tooth side opens packed undercoat; the fine side tidies afterwards.	Best for mats in a shedding coat	7.7	Check price on Amazon
3	Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush Most 'mats' are tangles, and a dense slicker opens a tangle without cutting anything.	Best for mats that have not set yet	7.8	Check price on Amazon
4	Andis UltraEdge AGC Super 2-Speed When the mat is against the skin, a clipper underneath it is kinder than any dematter.	Best for a mat that reaches the skin	7.6	Check price on Amazon

Scores are our own editorial assessment, not a product rating from reviews or testing. We do not print prices — every button goes to the current one on Amazon. #ad

Tangle, pack or mat?

The short answer

A tangle still moves and opens with a slicker and conditioner. Packed undercoat feels dense but lifts away from the skin when raked. A mat is felt: it does not move and there is no gap between it and the skin. Only the third needs a cutting tool, and if it covers a large area it needs a clipper rather than a dematter.

How to use a dematter without hurting the dog

Do	Do not
Work from the outer edge of the mat inwards	Attack the middle of the mat
Hold the coat at the base, between mat and skin	Pull the mat away from the skin
Small cuts, checking after each	Long dragging strokes
Stop and check the skin every minute	Keep going because you are nearly there
Use conditioner on a tangle first	Bathe a matted dog before the mats are out

The grip matters most. Your free hand should be holding the coat between the mat and the skin so that every pull goes into your fingers rather than into the dog. If you cannot get your fingers in there, the mat is at the skin and this is a clipper job.

A set mat in long coat, showing how close to the skin it sits — No gap between the felt and the skin. There is nowhere to put a blade except underneath, which means clipping.

Mats hide what is underneath

Moisture, hot spots, sores, fleas and occasionally foreign objects live under mats. If you find broken or weeping skin, a smell, or the dog is painful when you touch the area, stop and see a vet. A mat over damaged skin is not a grooming problem.

Dematting scissors

Sold widely, and they cause a disproportionate share of the injuries groomers see on owner-handled dogs, because skin lifts with a mat and you cannot see it. If you own a pair, use them with your fingers permanently between the mat and the skin, or better, use a dematter or a clipper instead. Never ordinary scissors on a mat, ever.

Not getting here again

Mats are a brushing frequency problem. For curly coats: line brushing with a dense slicker, two or three times a week, and a comb to check. For double coats: a rake weekly. The clipping route, when it comes to that: how to clip matted dog hair.

The picks in full

Every pick, in order

Best for dense mats on small and senior dogs

Andis 66055 dematting tool (9-blade)

Nine curved blades that cut the mat apart with minimal tension on the skin.

An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Bladed dematting tool

Blades: Nine
Best for: Dense mats on small dogs and senior coats
Action: Cuts through the mat rather than pulling it

Specs: Naming Pet — Best Undercoat Rakes

The reason to choose a bladed dematter over a comb is skin tension: a comb pulls the mat, which pulls the skin, and on an elderly dog with thin skin that is genuinely painful. Nine curved blades slice the mat into sections from the outside so each cut releases tension rather than adding it. Compact enough for behind-the-ear and armpit mats, where most mats actually are.

Opens a set mat9.0

Gentleness on skin9.0

Control in tight areas9.5

Coat preserved5.0

Value9.5

Overall8.4 / 10

What it gets right

Nine curved blades cut a mat apart with far less pull on the skin than a comb would
The right tool for an elderly dog whose skin will not tolerate tugging
Compact enough for behind-the-ear and armpit mats

What it gets wrong

It cuts coat permanently — the dematted area will look thinner
Blades are sharp enough to cut you as well as the mat
Not for routine brushing in any sense

Who should skip itSkip it for everyday maintenance — a dematter used weekly will wreck a coat.

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Best for mats in a shedding coat

Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake

The coarse 9-tooth side opens packed undercoat; the fine side tidies afterwards.

Dual-sided dematting and thinning rake

Coarse side: 9 teeth — stubborn mats
Fine side: 17 teeth — thinning the undercoat
Build: Lightweight, non-slip handle

Specs: Naming Pet — Best Undercoat Rakes

Double-coated dogs get a specific problem: undercoat packing solid rather than a true felt mat, usually in the trousers or behind the ears. The coarse side cuts into that and opens it, and then the 17-tooth side thins the loose hair around it so it does not immediately re-pack. Two jobs, one handle, and both sides cut so pressure control is yours.

Opens a set mat8.5

Gentleness on skin7.0

Control in tight areas7.0

Coat preserved6.0

Value9.5

Overall7.7 / 10

What it gets right

Two tools in one, and the two sides are genuinely for different jobs rather than marketing
The 9-tooth side opens a real mat without you reaching for scissors
Lightweight enough for a long coat-blow session without hand fatigue

What it gets wrong

Both sides cut, so pressure control is on you
Teeth are long enough to catch skin on a thin-coated dog
Not a finishing tool

Who should skip itSkip it if your dog never mats — you only need the deshedding side, so buy that instead.

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Best for mats that have not set yet

Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush

Most 'mats' are tangles, and a dense slicker opens a tangle without cutting anything.

Professional slicker brush

Pin density: About 30% more pins than a typical slicker
Sizes: Three
Best for: Doodles, poodles and long-coated breeds

Specs: Chris Christensen — Big G vs Big K slicker brushes

Before you reach for a cutting tool, establish whether the mat is actually a mat. If it still moves when you work at it with your fingers, a dense slicker and some conditioner will open it with no coat lost at all. Reaching for a dematter first is how people end up with thin patches they then have to explain. Pin density is what makes this work in curl.

Opens a set mat5.5

Gentleness on skin8.5

Control in tight areas8.0

Coat preserved10.0

Value7.0

Overall7.8 / 10

What it gets right

Pin density is the whole product: more pins means fewer passes through a curly coat
The pins are long enough to reach skin on a doodle, which is where matting starts
This is the brush that makes line brushing a doodle actually feasible

What it gets wrong

Expensive for a brush, by a wide margin
Dense pin bed is harder to clean out than a self-cleaning slicker
Overkill on a short coat

Who should skip itSkip it if your dog has a short or smooth coat — you will never use the pin density you paid for.

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Best for a mat that reaches the skin

Andis UltraEdge AGC Super 2-Speed

When the mat is against the skin, a clipper underneath it is kinder than any dematter.

A detachable-blade animal clipper resting on a work surface

Corded detachable-blade clipper

Speeds: 3,400 / 4,400 SPM
Motor: Rotary, corded
Blade system: Detachable A5 (UltraEdge / CeramicEdge / ShowEdge)
Cord: 14 ft heavy-duty
Weight: 17.6 oz
Housing: Vent-free, no cooling fan to clog

Specs: Andis — UltraEdge AGC Super 2-Speed product listing

This is the honest endpoint of the page. A mat that has felted right down to the skin cannot be opened without hours of pulling on a dog that is already uncomfortable, and the professional answer is to clip underneath it. A corded two-speed with the torque to pass under felt without stalling is the tool, and the result — a short patch — is a far better outcome than the alternative.

Opens a set mat10.0

Gentleness on skin8.0

Control in tight areas7.0

Coat preserved2.0

Value7.5

Overall7.6 / 10

What it gets right

Two usable speeds rather than one compromise speed — 3,400 SPM for bulk removal, 4,400 for finish work
Takes the whole A5 detachable blade range, so one clipper covers every coat length you will ever need
The vent-free housing is the reason it survives doodle coats: there is no fan intake for undercoat to pack into
14 ft cord means you are not fighting an extension lead around a grooming table

What it gets wrong

Corded, so you work around a cable with a dog that may not stand still
Ships with one blade; a doodle or double coat needs at least two more, which is a real added cost
Heavier in the hand than a cordless unit over a long session

Who should skip itSkip it if you own one short-coated small dog — this is more clipper than that coat will ever need.

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Read the full Andis UltraEdge AGC Super 2-Speed review

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

How do you use a dematting tool?

From the outside edge of the mat inwards, in small cuts, with your free hand holding the coat between the mat and the skin so no pull reaches the dog. Check the skin after every few cuts.

What to use for matted dog hair?

A slicker and conditioner for anything that still moves; a dematter for an isolated set mat; a clipper for a mat that reaches the skin or covers an area. Never scissors.

Does dematting hurt?

It can, which is why technique matters. Done with the coat held at the base and in small cuts, a dog will generally tolerate it. Done by pulling, it hurts and the dog will remember.

Will the coat grow back where I dematted?

Yes, though a dematted area looks thinner for a while because the tool cuts coat out. On a double-coated dog check it is the undercoat that has thinned and not the guard hairs.

When should I just take the dog to a groomer?

If the mats cover more than a small area, if they are around the anus or genitals, if the dog is painful, or if you find damaged skin. Those are professional or veterinary jobs, and a groomer will take an hour over what would take you a frustrating afternoon.

How this page was put together

We define the coat problem the tool has to solve, shortlist products currently sold, compare the manufacturers’ documented specifications against what that coat actually needs, and cross-check against published findings from named sources. We do not test these tools on our own dogs under controlled conditions, and we will not say we do. Where a figure comes from a manufacturer, we name them; where it comes from someone else’s testing, we cite them. We print no prices — a stale number is worse than none. Read the full method.

Sources