Deshedding & Dematting

Best Deshedding Tools for Golden Retrievers

A golden has two coats on one dog: a dense shedding body coat and long feathering that tangles. They need different tools.

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 Reaches the dense undercoat on the back and flanks without touching the guard coat.	Best for the body coat	8.6	Check price on Amazon
2	Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush The legs, chest, tail and ears tangle rather than shed, and that is a dense slicker's job.	Best for the feathering	8.3	Check price on Amazon
3	FURminator deShedding tool On the short-coated areas during a shed, nothing clears more per minute — used lightly.	Best for the heaviest shedding weeks	7.2	Check price on Amazon
4	Andis 66055 dematting tool (9-blade) Nine curved blades open a set mat behind an ear with far less pull than a comb.	Best for a mat in the feathering	7.0	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

Two coats, one dog

The short answer

A golden’s back and flanks are a double coat that sheds and needs a rake. The feathering on the legs, chest, tail and ears is long single hair that tangles and needs a slicker and a comb. Owners who treat the whole dog as one coat either fail to clear the shedding or let the feathering mat.

Area	Coat type	Tool	Frequency
Back, flanks, hindquarters	Double, shedding	Undercoat rake	Weekly
Leg feathering	Long single	Dense slicker + comb	Twice weekly
Tail feathering	Long single	Slicker, gently	Twice weekly
Behind ears	Fine, mats readily	Slicker, then comb to check	Twice weekly
Chest ruff	Mixed	Rake then slicker	Weekly
Feet between pads	Grows and collects grit	Small clipper or shears	Monthly

A golden retriever showing the long feathering on legs and tail against the shorter body coat — The long feathering is where the mats are. The short body coat is where the shedding is. Different problems, different tools.

Do not shave a golden retriever

It is a double coat. Clipping removes the guard hairs and they often grow back soft, pale and prone to matting, and the dog loses sun protection. Trimming feet, ears and sanitary areas is normal and fine; body clipping is not. See grooming a double coat.

The comb test

Once a week, run a metal comb through the feathering behind the ears, in the armpits and down the back of the hind legs. If it snags, there is a mat forming and now is when it is easy to deal with. That ten-second check prevents most of the mats golden owners eventually take to a groomer.

Full routine

On the golden retriever page, including bath frequency, the feet, and the sanitary trim. For the twice-yearly heavy shed, add a bath and a blow-out.

The picks in full

Every pick, in order

Best for the body coat

FURminator dog grooming rake

Reaches the dense undercoat on the back and flanks without touching the guard coat.

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 golden's body coat is a classic double coat and the rake is the classic answer: long rotating tines through the guard layer to the undercoat, no cutting edge, tolerable for the long sessions this breed needs. Used weekly it removes most of what would otherwise end up on the furniture.

Body undercoat9.5

Feathering and tangles5.0

Guard-coat safety10.0

Comfort for the dog9.0

Value9.0

Overall8.6 / 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 feathering

Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush

The legs, chest, tail and ears tangle rather than shed, and that is a dense slicker's job.

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

This is the pick golden owners most often lack. The feathering on the legs, tail, chest and behind the ears is long single-layered hair that tangles and mats — a rake does nothing for it and a bladed deshedder will cut it off. A high-density slicker that reaches the skin works through it properly, and that is exactly where a golden's mats actually form.

Body undercoat6.0

Feathering and tangles10.0

Guard-coat safety9.0

Comfort for the dog8.5

Value7.0

Overall8.3 / 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 the heaviest shedding weeks

FURminator deShedding tool

On the short-coated areas during a shed, nothing clears more per minute — 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

For the two or three weeks a year when the dog is dropping undercoat in volume, the bladed deshedder on the back, flanks and hindquarters removes more per stroke than a rake. Use the long-hair variant, light pressure, with the grain, and keep it entirely off the feathering and the tail where it will cut hair that takes months to return.

Body undercoat9.0

Feathering and tangles2.0

Guard-coat safety6.0

Comfort for the dog7.5

Value8.0

Overall7.2 / 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

Best for a mat in the feathering

Andis 66055 dematting tool (9-blade)

Nine curved blades open a set mat behind an ear with far less pull than a comb.

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

Golden mats appear behind the ears, in the armpits and in the tail feathering, and by the time you find them they are usually set. A nine-blade dematter cuts the mat apart from the outside with minimal tension on the skin, which matters on a breed whose mats sit in thin-skinned areas. It cuts permanently, so it is for mats only, never for routine brushing.

Body undercoat3.0

Feathering and tangles9.0

Guard-coat safety5.0

Comfort for the dog8.5

Value9.5

Overall7.0 / 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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FAQ

Questions people actually ask

How often should I brush a golden retriever?

Body weekly with a rake, feathering twice weekly with a slicker and comb. During the twice-yearly heavy shed, body every second day.

Can I use a FURminator on a golden retriever?

On the body during a shed, in the long-hair variant and with light pressure. Never on the feathering or the tail — it cuts long hair that takes months to grow back.

Why does my golden mat behind the ears?

The hair there is finer and softer than elsewhere, it moves constantly, and it is exactly where a collar or a harness rubs. It is the first place to check and the easiest to stay on top of.

Should I trim the feathering?

Tidying the feet, the hock hair and the ear edges with shears is normal and makes the coat easier to maintain. Cutting the feathering short to reduce work changes the dog's outline and does not reduce shedding, since the shedding is from the body coat.

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