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Clip & Coat

Deshedding & Dematting

Best Undercoat Rakes for Dogs

The single most useful tool for a double-coated dog, and the one most owners buy after they have already bought the wrong thing.

By Brijon M.
An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

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
An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

FURminator dog grooming rake

Rotating tines long enough to reach a double coat's undercoat, with nothing that can cut it.

Best overall undercoat rake8.9
2
An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake

9 teeth for mats on one side, 17 for thinning on the other, in a light lift-friendly body.

Best value and best dual-purpose8.3
3
An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

JW Pet Gripsoft double-row undercoat rake

Two rows of rounded pins. No blades, no risk, no learning curve.

Best rake you cannot do damage with8.4
4
An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Mars Coat King undercoat rake

German steel blades matched to coat coarseness — the right tool on a terrier, the wrong one on a doodle.

Best bladed rake, for wire and harsh coats7.9

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

What an undercoat rake is

The short answer

A rake has long, widely spaced tines that pass through the top coat and comb out the dead undercoat beneath it. That is the layer a brush cannot reach. On a double-coated dog it is the tool that actually reduces shedding, because it removes hair before the dog drops it.

Pinned or bladed

TypeWhat it doesRight for
Rounded pins / rotating tinesLifts undercoat; cannot cutDouble coats, beginners, soft undercoat
Bladed (Coat King style)Strips undercoat fast; cutsWire coats, very dense harsh coats
Dual-sided (coarse + fine)Mats on one side, thinning on the otherLong coats that shed and occasionally mat

If you are not sure which your dog has, start pinned. The downside of a pinned rake is that it works a bit slower. The downside of a bladed rake used wrongly is a coat that takes a year to recover.

Long tines of an undercoat rake passing through a dense coat
The tines go through the guard coat and comb out what is dead underneath. Short-toothed tools never get that far down.

How to use one properly

Short strokes in the direction the coat grows, with almost no downward pressure — the tines should be doing the work, not your arm. Work in sections, finishing each one before you move on, and stop when the tool stops bringing hair out of that section rather than when the dog objects. Lift the rake out at the end of each stroke rather than dragging it back.

A rake will not fix a mat

Dragging a rake into a set mat tears the dog's skin, and the mat will not come out. If the coat is felted and does not lift away from the skin, you need a dematter or a clipper, not a rake.

Pair it with a dryer

The dryer loosens the undercoat from the skin and the rake takes it away. Owners who buy one of the two get a slow version of the job. See dryers for double coats and how to deshed a dog. Breed routines: husky, German shepherd.

The picks in full

Every pick, in order

01

Best overall undercoat rake

FURminator dog grooming rake

Rotating tines long enough to reach a double coat's undercoat, with nothing that can cut 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

Two features do the work. The tines are long enough to pass through the guard coat and reach the undercoat where the dead hair actually sits, and they rotate, so they slide through dense coat rather than dragging it. Because there is no cutting edge you cannot thin the guard coat, which makes this the tool to hand a nervous owner of a husky or a shepherd.

Reach into undercoat9.5
Guard-coat safety10.0
Comfort for the dog9.0
Handles a mat4.5
Value9.0
Overall8.9 / 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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02

Best value and best dual-purpose

Maxpower Planet pet grooming rake

9 teeth for mats on one side, 17 for thinning on the other, in a light lift-friendly body.

An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

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

The published value pick, and the two sides are genuinely different tools. During a coat blow you will meet both problems — loose undercoat and the occasional felted patch behind an ear — and having both edges in one handle means you do not stop to swap tools. Light enough for a long session, which matters when a coat blow takes an hour.

Reach into undercoat9.0
Guard-coat safety6.5
Comfort for the dog7.5
Handles a mat9.0
Value9.5
Overall8.3 / 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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03

Best rake you cannot do damage with

JW Pet Gripsoft double-row undercoat rake

Two rows of rounded pins. No blades, no risk, no learning curve.

An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Double-row pin undercoat rake

Rows
Two rows of rounded pins
Pins
Rounded ends, not blades
Handle
Gripsoft non-slip

The honest beginner recommendation. Rounded pin ends mean there is no cutting edge anywhere on the tool, so the only way to get it wrong is to use too much pressure, which the dog will tell you about. Two rows double the undercoat lifted per stroke. The head is small for a giant breed, which is the main reason to buy something else.

Reach into undercoat8.0
Guard-coat safety10.0
Comfort for the dog9.5
Handles a mat3.0
Value9.5
Overall8.4 / 10

What it gets right

  • Rounded pins, not blades — you cannot cut the coat with it, which makes it the safe default
  • Double row doubles the undercoat it lifts per stroke
  • Cheap enough to be nobody's agonizing decision

What it gets wrong

  • Slower than a bladed tool on a heavy shed
  • Pins will not open a set mat
  • Handle is comfortable but the head is small for a giant breed

Who should skip itSkip it if you need to clear a felted mat — pins ride over it; you need a dematter.

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Read the full JW Pet Gripsoft double-row undercoat rake review

04

Best bladed rake, for wire and harsh coats

Mars Coat King undercoat rake

German steel blades matched to coat coarseness — the right tool on a terrier, the wrong one on a doodle.

An undercoat rake pulling loose undercoat from a dense coat

Bladed undercoat rake

Blade counts
Coarse (fewer blades) to fine (more blades)
Matching rule
Coarser coat takes fewer blades
Made in
Solingen, Germany

A bladed rake strips dead undercoat faster than any pinned tool and is the correct choice on a wire coat, where a slicker is useless and a clipper is damaging. The blade-count rule is what you must get right: coarser coat takes fewer blades. Wrong in the fine direction and it does nothing; wrong in the coarse direction and it thins the guard coat permanently.

Reach into undercoat9.5
Guard-coat safety5.0
Comfort for the dog7.0
Handles a mat8.0
Value8.5
Overall7.9 / 10

What it gets right

  • Strips dead undercoat faster than any brush, including on a wire coat where a slicker is useless
  • Blade-count range means you can match the tool to the actual coat rather than hoping
  • Replaceable, sharpenable blades

What it gets wrong

  • It cuts. Used on a soft coat or with too much pressure it will thin the guard coat permanently
  • Choosing the wrong blade count makes it either useless or destructive
  • Not a finishing tool — you still need a brush and comb afterwards

Who should skip itSkip it on a doodle or any soft, curly coat — it damages what it is supposed to tidy.

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FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What is an undercoat rake for dogs?

A tool with long widely spaced tines that combs dead undercoat out from beneath the top coat. It is the standard tool for double-coated breeds and the main thing that reduces how much hair a dog drops around the house.

How do you use an undercoat rake?

Short strokes in the direction the coat grows, minimal downward pressure, working section by section and lifting the tool out at the end of each stroke. Stop when a section stops producing hair.

Is an undercoat rake better than a FURminator?

For a long or double coat, generally yes — the tines reach further and cannot cut the guard coat. For a short shedding coat, the bladed FURminator removes more per minute. Full comparison: FURminator vs undercoat rake.

Can I use a rake on a single-coated dog?

No. There is no undercoat to remove, so the tines just pull on the coat the dog needs. Single coats take a pin brush or a slicker depending on texture.

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. 01Naming Pet — Best Undercoat Rakes
  2. 02Mars Coat King — size guide (blade count to coat matching)
  3. 03Furric — Best Deshedding Tool (FURminator rake rotating tines)