Deshedding & Dematting

Best Deshedding Tools for German Shepherds

Shepherds shed continuously and then shed properly twice a year. The tools have to suit both.

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	FURminator dog grooming rake Rotating tines reach the undercoat through the shepherd's dense guard coat without cutting it.	Best all-year tool	9.1	Check price on Amazon
2	Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake The densest areas on a shepherd pack solid, and a coarse side is what opens them.	Best for the trousers and the ruff	8.2	Check price on Amazon
3	Flying Pig Flying One high-velocity dryer The tool that turns a month of shedding into three sessions.	Best for a twice-yearly coat blow	8.6	Check price on Amazon
4	FURminator deShedding tool On a short-coat shepherd the bladed deshedder is the right shape, used lightly.	Best for a short-coated shepherd	7.1	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

Why shepherds are a special case

The short answer

A German shepherd sheds moderately all year and then blows its coat twice. The coat is also uneven: short over the back, dense in the ruff and trousers, and longest on the tail. One tool rarely covers all of that, which is why most shepherd owners end up with a rake for the body and something coarser for the trousers.

Where the hair hides

Area	What happens	Tool
Back and flanks	Steady year-round shedding	Undercoat rake, weekly
Trousers (hind legs)	Dense undercoat packs solid	Coarse side of a dual rake
Ruff and chest	Longest guard coat, heavy undercoat	Rake plus a dryer
Behind the ears	Fine coat that felts	Slicker, gently; dematter if set
Tail	Long guard hairs, easy to damage	Rake only, no bladed tools

A German shepherd showing the dense ruff and the trousers on the hind legs — The ruff and the trousers hold more undercoat than the whole of the back. That is where the time goes.

Do not shave a shepherd to reduce shedding

It does not reduce shedding — the undercoat still comes out, now in shorter pieces — and it removes the guard coat that protects against sun and heat. Shepherd coat frequently grows back poorly after clipping. Rake instead.

The weekly routine

Ten minutes with a rake, every week, section by section: flanks, then trousers, then ruff, then behind the ears with a slicker. During a coat blow make it every second day and add a bath and blow-out at the start and end. Details on how to deshed a dog and the German shepherd page.

What else a shepherd needs

Nails every two to three weeks (large-dog grinders), paw pads cleared, sanitary area kept short, and ears checked. No body clipping. The full schedule is on grooming schedule by coat type.

The picks in full

Every pick, in order

Best all-year tool

FURminator dog grooming rake

Rotating tines reach the undercoat through the shepherd's dense guard coat without cutting it.

An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Rotating-tine undercoat rake

Tines: Rotating, long
Works on: Thick and double coats, longer hair
Action: Lifts dead undercoat without cutting the guard coat

Specs: Furric — Best Deshedding Tool

A shepherd's guard coat is harsh and dense, and most tools simply cannot get through it to where the dead hair is. The long rotating tines do, and because they rotate they slide rather than drag, which matters for the weekly sessions a continuously shedding dog needs. No blade means no risk to the guard coat even used often.

Reach through dense guard coat9.5

Guard-coat safety10.0

Suits weekly use9.5

Trousers and ruff8.0

Value9.0

Overall9.1 / 10

What it gets right

Rotating tines slide through dense undercoat instead of ripping it, so the dog tolerates longer sessions
Reaches deeper into a double coat than any slicker
Does not cut, so you cannot thin the guard coat with it

What it gets wrong

Slower than a bladed deshedder on short coats
Tines can catch on a genuine mat and need working loose
Does not finish — you still need a slicker and comb afterwards

Who should skip itSkip it on a short-coated dog — a bladed deshedder does that job far faster.

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Best for the trousers and the ruff

Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake

The densest areas on a shepherd pack solid, and a coarse side is what opens them.

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

Shepherd coat is not uniform: the trousers on the hind legs, the ruff and the area behind the ears carry far denser undercoat than the back, and they are where packing turns into felt. The 9-tooth coarse side opens those areas; the 17-tooth side then thins what is left. Both cut, so keep it to the problem zones.

Reach through dense guard coat9.0

Guard-coat safety6.0

Suits weekly use7.0

Trousers and ruff9.5

Value9.5

Overall8.2 / 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 a twice-yearly coat blow

Flying Pig Flying One high-velocity dryer

The tool that turns a month of shedding into three sessions.

A forced-air dryer nozzle directed at a damp coat

High-velocity force dryer

Motor: 4 HP
Air volume: 240 CFM
Air speed: 2,800 FPM
Claimed benefit: Cuts drying time by up to 60%

Specs: Finding Dulcinea — Best High-Velocity Pet Dryers for Thick Coats

During a coat blow the volume defeats brushing. 240 CFM at 2,800 FPM parts the guard coat and drives the dead undercoat out, including from the trousers and ruff where hand tools struggle most. Noisy and bulky, and the one purchase that changes the experience of owning a shepherd twice a year.

Reach through dense guard coat10.0

Guard-coat safety10.0

Suits weekly use5.0

Trousers and ruff9.5

Value8.5

Overall8.6 / 10

What it gets right

Real force-dryer output, which is what blows a double coat open instead of merely warming it
Enough air to push water out of a Samoyed or Pyrenees in one session
The most airflow per dollar in this set

What it gets wrong

Loud. All force dryers are, and this is not the quiet one
Bulky to store between grooms
No heating element, so your bathroom temperature becomes the dog's comfort

Who should skip itSkip it if you have a small, short-coated dog — a towel and ten minutes do the same job.

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Read the full Flying Pig Flying One high-velocity dryer review

Best for a short-coated shepherd

FURminator deShedding tool

On a short-coat shepherd the bladed deshedder is the right shape, used lightly.

Bladed deshedding tool

Edge: Fine, close-set stainless edge
Works on: Short-to-medium coats, close to the skin
Sizes: Short-hair and long-hair variants per dog size
Feature: FURejector release button

Specs: Furric — Best Deshedding Tool

Not all shepherds are long-coated. On a standard short-to-medium shepherd coat the fine close-set edge catches loose undercoat efficiently, which is exactly what the tool was designed for. Buy the short-hair variant in the right size, use light pressure in the direction the coat grows, and keep it off the ruff and tail where guard hairs are longest.

Reach through dense guard coat7.5

Guard-coat safety6.0

Suits weekly use7.0

Trousers and ruff5.5

Value8.0

Overall7.1 / 10

What it gets right

On a short or medium coat it removes more loose undercoat per minute than anything else
The release button genuinely speeds up a big shed-out
Buying the right size-and-length variant makes a bigger difference than people expect

What it gets wrong

It is a blade. Over-used or used with pressure it thins and cuts the guard coat
The wrong variant for your coat length does nothing or does damage
Useless on a curly or felted coat

Who should skip itSkip it on a doodle, poodle or any coat that mats rather than sheds — it is the wrong category of tool.

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Read the full FURminator deShedding tool review

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

How often should I brush a German shepherd?

Weekly year-round with a rake, and every second day during a coat blow. Ten focused minutes a week removes most of what would otherwise end up on your floor.

Do German shepherds shed all year?

Yes, moderately, with two heavier blows a year. It is one of the most consistently shedding breeds and no tool or diet stops it — the goal is removing the hair before the dog drops it.

Can I use a deshedding blade on a long-coat shepherd?

Prefer a rake. A long-coat shepherd has guard hairs long enough that a bladed tool will cut them, and the damage shows for months. Rakes have no edge and cannot do it.

Will a bath reduce shedding?

A bath followed by a thorough blow-out and rake removes a great deal of undercoat at once, so it reduces subsequent shedding substantially for a few weeks. A bath without the drying and raking achieves much less.

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