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Clip & Coat

Deshedding & Dematting

Best Slicker Brushes for Dogs

On a curly coat the slicker is the most important tool you own, more than the clipper. Pin density is what separates them.

By Brijon M.
A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Quick picks

The shortlist

Quick picks

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

#ProductBest forScorePrice
1
A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush

Around 30% more pins than a typical slicker, which is what makes line brushing a doodle possible.

Best for doodles and curly coats8.9
2
A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Hertzko self-cleaning slicker brush

The retract button means it actually gets emptied, which is why it keeps getting used.

Best everyday slicker7.5
3
A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Chris Christensen 27 mm oval pin brush

27 mm pins pass through a long single coat where a slicker drags on it.

Best for long silky coats7.4
4
A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Andis pin brush

Rounded tips and a sensible price for maintaining a medium-to-long coat.

Best value pin brush7.1

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

Slicker or pin brush

The short answer

A slicker has many fine, bent, closely spaced pins and is for coats that mat — curly, wavy, and the feathering on a double-coated dog. A pin brush has fewer, longer, straight pins and is for long single coats that tangle rather than felt. Using a slicker on a long silky coat breaks the hair; using a pin brush on a doodle does nothing.

CoatBrushWhy
Curly (doodle, poodle, bichon)High-density slickerNeeds pins that reach the skin through curl
Wavy (cockapoo, cavapoo)Medium-density slickerMats, but less densely
Long silky (Maltese, Yorkie)Long pin brushA slicker breaks fine long hair
Double coat featheringSlicker on the feathering onlyBody needs a rake, not a slicker
Short, smoothNeither; a rubber curry or deshedderNothing for a slicker to lift

Slicker and pin brush distinctions per the Chris Christensen brush guides (sources below).

Why pin density is the spec

A low-density slicker passes through the outer layer of a curly coat and leaves the layer against the skin untouched. That layer is where matting starts, so the dog looks brushed and is not. A high-density brush with longer pins reaches the skin, which is also why it feels like more work: it is doing more.

The fine bent pins of a slicker brush
Fine, bent, closely spaced. The bend is what grips the coat; the density is what decides whether it reaches skin.

Brush with your wrist, not your shoulder

Slicker brush burn is real: fine pins dragged hard across skin leave it red and sore, particularly on a thin-skinned area like the inner thigh or armpit. Short light strokes, lifting the brush out at the end of each one, and no pressing. If the skin is pink afterwards you used too much pressure.

Line brushing is the technique that uses it

A slicker only works if you brush in sections from the skin outwards — parting the coat, brushing the exposed layer, then moving the parting up. That is line brushing and it is the whole skill of maintaining a curly coat: line brushing. Finish with a metal comb to check you actually got to the skin.

The picks in full

Every pick, in order

01

Best for doodles and curly coats

Chris Christensen Big G slicker brush

Around 30% more pins than a typical slicker, which is what makes line brushing a doodle possible.

A slicker brush with fine bent pins

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

The entire argument for a professional slicker is pin density, and this is the reference: published as carrying about 30% more pins than a standard slicker, with pins long enough to reach the skin through curl. On a doodle that is the difference between brushing the coat and brushing the top of the coat — and brushing the top of the coat is how dogs end up matted at the skin while looking fine.

Pin density10.0
Reaches the skin9.5
Suits curly coat10.0
Easy to clean out6.0
Value7.0
Overall8.9 / 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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02

Best everyday slicker

Hertzko self-cleaning slicker brush

The retract button means it actually gets emptied, which is why it keeps getting used.

A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Self-cleaning slicker brush

Feature
Retracting pin bed for one-press cleaning
Pins
Fine, angled, less dense than a pro slicker
Best for
Shedding control and loosening undercoat debris

Specs: DogNotebook — Best Slicker Brushes for Dogs

A slicker full of hair stops working, and most people do not pick the hair out of a dense pin bed. One press retracts the pins and the hair comes away, which sounds trivial and is the reason this brush gets used three times a week instead of once a month. Fine for shedding control on most coats; not dense enough for serious doodle work.

Pin density6.0
Reaches the skin6.5
Suits curly coat5.5
Easy to clean out10.0
Value9.5
Overall7.5 / 10

What it gets right

  • The retract button means the brush actually gets emptied, which is why it keeps getting used
  • Cheap enough to own two and keep one in the car
  • Fine for routine shedding control on most coats

What it gets wrong

  • Pin bed is not dense enough for serious doodle work
  • Retract mechanism is the part that eventually fails
  • Pins bend over time and stop reaching the skin

Who should skip itSkip it if you own a doodle that mats — buy pin density instead of a cleaning button.

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03

Best for long silky coats

Chris Christensen 27 mm oval pin brush

27 mm pins pass through a long single coat where a slicker drags on it.

A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Long-pin brush

Pin length
27 mm
Pad
Oval cushioned
Best for
Finishing and maintaining long, straight coats

Specs: Chris Christensen — Brush Guide: Pin Brushes

A pin brush is not a slicker and the distinction matters: on a Maltese, Yorkie or long-coated Shih Tzu, a slicker's fine bent pins create drag and break the hair, while long straight pins pass through and lay it. 27 mm is long enough for a proper show-length coat. It removes no undercoat and does nothing for a mat — it is a finishing tool.

Pin density7.0
Reaches the skin8.5
Suits curly coat3.0
Easy to clean out8.0
Value7.0
Overall7.4 / 10

What it gets right

  • Long pins pass through a long silky coat without the drag a slicker creates
  • The correct finishing tool on a Maltese, Yorkie or show-coat Shih Tzu
  • Professional-grade pin seating — the pins stay put

What it gets wrong

  • A pin brush will not remove undercoat and should not be sold as if it does
  • Does nothing for a mat
  • Expensive for a brush with one job

Who should skip itSkip it on a double or curly coat — the pins skate over the surface and do nothing useful.

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04

Best value pin brush

Andis pin brush

Rounded tips and a sensible price for maintaining a medium-to-long coat.

A slicker brush with fine bent pins

Pin brush

Pins
Rounded tips
Best for
Detangling and maintaining medium to long coats
Handle
Molded, non-slip

Specs: DogNotebook — Best Pin Brushes for Dogs

Published as best for detangling and maintaining medium to long coats, and the rounded tips are the useful part: safe for regular use on a dog that will not hold still. The pad flexes a little under pressure so you lose some reach, and the pins are not long enough for a full show coat, but for an ordinary long-coated pet it does the job.

Pin density6.5
Reaches the skin7.0
Suits curly coat4.0
Easy to clean out8.5
Value9.5
Overall7.1 / 10

What it gets right

  • Rounded tips make it safe for regular use on a dog that will not sit still
  • Priced like a brush rather than like an heirloom
  • Handles medium coats as well as long ones

What it gets wrong

  • Pin length is not enough for a full show coat
  • Pad flexes under pressure, so you lose some reach
  • Not an undercoat tool

Who should skip itSkip it if your dog's coat is curly — a dense slicker is the correct tool there.

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we earn · We never print a price we cannot verify

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What is the difference between a slicker brush and a pin brush?

Pin shape, length and density. A slicker has many fine bent pins close together, for coats that mat. A pin brush has fewer longer straight pins, for long coats that tangle. Full comparison: slicker vs pin brush.

How often should I use a slicker brush?

Two to three times a week on a curly coat, more if the dog is in a long clip. The clipping interval is flexible; the brushing interval is what decides whether the coat stays clippable.

Does a slicker brush hurt?

Not used properly — light short strokes. It does hurt if you press, particularly on thin skin. If your dog flinches at the slicker, check your pressure before you blame the dog.

Is an expensive slicker worth it on a doodle?

Yes, more than almost any other upgrade. A dense slicker that reaches the skin is what prevents the shave-downs doodle owners dread, and it costs a fraction of one groom.

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

  1. 01Chris Christensen — Big G vs Big K slicker brushes (pin density)
  2. 02Chris Christensen — Brush Guide: Pin Brushes
  3. 03DogNotebook — Best Slicker Brushes for Dogs (Hertzko positioning)
  4. 04DogNotebook — Best Pin Brushes for Dogs (Andis pin brush)