Best grooming brush/comb

[Doodlemom]

Hi There,

I have a labradoodle that has a curly coat and is hard to keep brushed.  It's really hard to get the brush down to the skin and he is knotty.  Can anyone recommend the best kind of tool for his tough coat?

Doodlemom

[LarryL]

after doing some research - these were the best brushes I found.

since my dog is a puppy I was told to get this first:

Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush for Dogs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YJ0SQS/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_...

and the brushes I was told to get for when he is older is:

Safari De-Matting Comb for Dogs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ARR2W/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_...

 Safari Grooming Comb for Dogs, Stainless Steel

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQUPM/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_...

If you buy thru Amazon, please use the DK link on this page - this was a portion of your order goes to help other doodles.

[Diane and Alma]

I have a Les Pouches brush and love it.  http://www.doodlecountry.com/index.html  I called Kemp at Doodlecountry (I think he's also here on DK) to ask which one would work best for Alma's thick coat.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I have heard over and over about the wonders of the Les Pooch brushes. Unfortunately, they are accepting orders on their website, but not filling as of yet. Have heard a million different stories, not sure what is true and what isn't, but the bottom line is, they are not available at the moment on the US. Kemp from DoodleCountry has a list going and will notify when they are to be available again. He can also guide you which brush is best for your dogs coat. The email from him last week, stated he hoped for the end of Feb., but that he wasn't holding his breath because they kept pushing the date back.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Have you learned to line-brush your doodle? There are discussions about line-brushing in The Grooming Group. While I love my Les Poochs brushes and highly recommend them, the thing that made the biggest difference in grooming my doodle was line-brushing.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have always used the Les Pooches brushes and after having cheaper brands with thinner bristles, I can tell you they are just the best quality and most appropriate for all of our dogs hair types. Kemp can guide you to just the correct size for your dogs hair thickness, curliness, matting , shedding problems. Looking at the Safari brush, I can tell you that would last about one brushing on my dogs as it would be bent and busted in no time. But that\s just for my dogs. maybe they will work for anothers. Les Pooches are expensive, but I've had one for 5 years and groom two large doodles with it and not a bristle is broken or bent. Impressive.

[LarryL]

I can also vouch for Les Pooches being the very best.

However, they are back ordered right now, and none on sites like amazon.

There are a few on eBay, but they're way too expensive.

so reading the reviews on everything else - I found the safari products reviewed very well.

hundreds of reviews on each item - all rated very well.

Figured I'd give these a try

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

MGT also makes a cheap imitation knock-off of the LesPooches.  It works pretty well. You also need a steel comb.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Years ago when I first got my Les Pooches brushes I didn't like using them on Lucy's very wooly coat. Then Oscar came along and I found they worked wonderfully on his soft curly coat. I eventually started using them on Lucy, using the line brushing method with good results. So I converted myself over to being a Les Pooches brush lover! I have to say the red mat zapper brush is my favorite for getting out stubborn mats, and the large green Les Pooches is great for larger areas like the tail, beard and body. I realize Les Pooches brushes are difficult to find right now, but I stumbled across these Master Grooming Tools brushes that look very much like Les Pooches. Just wondering if anyone has used them, and if they perform well? They are very affordable.

https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemain/catalog/productDetail.jsf?wec-...

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Debb, I have the purple double brush. On Nancy's recommendation , I bought one, while waiting for the LP. It does work well on Enzo's coat.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Thanks, Ro, that's good to know! It may be a good alternative for those who find the Les Pooches brushes' price tag prohibitive, not to mention those who are waiting for the real thing to become available (like you).

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Yes, Debb, that is what I recommend as a substitute.  They are not as good as LesPoochs, but work pretty well.

MGT (Master Grooming Tools)

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Gotcha. :)