🦴 Updated on July 7th, 2023
Pet parents to golden retrievers know that those beautiful, shiny coats take a little bit of work to maintain.
Dense, water-repellant, and with a thick undercoat, golden retriever fur benefits from regular brushing at home. Finding the perfect brush is the first step to keeping your golden’s coat shiny, healthy, and easy to manage.
From the top seven contenders for the best golden retriever brush on the market, the FURminator brush stood out as the overall best choice for pup parents who want a quality grooming tool tailored to their pet.
To see if our top pick is the best fit for you and your furbaby, keep reading for product reviews of all seven best brushes for golden retrievers.
The Best Golden Retriever Brushes Reviewed
Unlike some dog breeds, golden retrievers can display variations in their coat types. This means that a one-size-fits-all approach likely won’t help your golden achieve a healthy-looking coat.
However, these seven products cater to the different styles of golden coats, and each offers different pros and cons that can help make your decision easier.
Furminator Deshedding Brush
One consistent quality of golden coats is a dense undercoat that helps repel water. As helpful as this is for active goldens, it can be a pain for pet parents to manage. Undercoats can quickly become matted without proper care, leading to serious consequences for the dog’s well-being, including skin health.
Made of stainless steel, the comb can easily make it through the topcoat to the denser fur beneath and detangle and de-shed while keeping the skin below safe from scrapes.
The FURminator is an undercoat de-shedding tool that helps to make this daunting task more manageable. It conveniently comes in multiple sizes and styles for different coat lengths to help simplify your never-ending job of de-shedding.
When you’re done, the button at the top of the comb dispenses the fur, making clean-up easy.
Pros
- Great value
- Made from quality materials that hold up well over time
- Ergonomic handle
- Easy to clean
- Safe for pets
Cons
- Not sized well for smaller goldens or puppies
- Needs to be cleaned often during brushing
Paw Brothers
If you want an all-in-one detangler, a slicker brush is one of the best golden retriever grooming tools to keep in your arsenal. It keeps the thinner top coat clean and mat-free while also addressing the thicker undercoat.
The standard base brush construction keeps ergonomics in mind with a textured, nubbed grip both along both sides of the length of the handle and at its base to support your thumb.
This one from Paw Brothers comes in multiple sizes and teeth lengths to keep large or small goldens groomed well and comfortably. The steel-pin teeth are sturdy and rigid, up to the task of detangling even the thickest coats.
This slicker brush is an excellent option for curlier or straight coats because it won’t pull or pinch and won’t bend under coarser coats.
Pros
- Great value
- Professional quality materials
- Long pins work great for long or coarse coats
Cons
- Not as comfortable for brushing legs or sensitive areas
- Teeth aren’t rounded on the ends
- Not for dogs with shorter coats
Chris Christensen
Another great contender for the best dog brush for golden retrievers is this slicker brush. It differs from the Paw Brothers brush in that the teeth are angled on the ends and are larger than those on most standard slicker brushes.
While this brush is one of the more expensive designs on the market, it’s made to stand up to continual use and does its job well, so it’s likely the last brush you’ll have to buy.
This translates to less wrist work when brushing through coat layers and more effortless detangling. The cushioned pad and ergonomic handle also contribute to a more comfortable experience all around.
This brush comes in a medium and large size that will not only detangle and keep fur mat-free but will also make topcoats fluffy, restoring that signature golden retriever shine and body.
Pros
- Extremely ergonomic
- Three-in-one grooming tool
- Made from lasting, high-quality material
Cons
- Expensive
- Only comes in two sizes
- Not ideal for dogs with less dense coats
PawsPamper
An undercoat rake is a must for surviving golden shedding season. These brushes with close-set curved blades are indispensable for removing shed hair from the densest part of your dog’s coat, where it may otherwise get stuck and contribute to matting.
The teeth of this tool are rounded to keep your pet’s skin safe during the brushing process.
This undercoat rake comes in two configurations offering different levels of fur removal. The first has 20 blades set along the comb edge, while the other has an alternating 13 and 27 teeth on each side for a two-in-one tool.
While the tool itself comes in one size, it tackles gnarly undercoat mess in one patch at a time and thoroughly, so it works well for goldens of all sizes.
Pros
- Great value
- Personalize configuration to your dog’s needs
- Sturdy wooden handle
- De-sheds and adds shine back into the coat
Cons
- Won’t detangle top coat
- Because of its small size, it could take a long time to groom your dog fully
MaxPower
Next on our roundup of best brushes for golden retrievers is this de-shedding tool that will help significantly cut down on the amount of free-floating hair in your home. Like the previous de-shedding rake, this one has rounded teeth to keep your pet safe.
This little tool is sturdy and ergonomic to help make those tough grooming jobs a little bit easier.
The extra-wide comb configuration comes in six different colors and is suitable for dogs with medium to long coats. One side of the comb has nine teeth to tackle tangles and matting, while the other side has 17 teeth that help thin out shedding coats and remove all the loose fur trapped within the undercoat.
Pros
- Great value
- Sturdy and long-lasting
- Two-sided comb configurations do double duty on undercoats
Cons
- Will have to be cleaned of fur often during use
- Not for dogs with shorter or thinner coats
- Combing too hard may pull fur out at the roots, so a gentle hand is best.
ChomChom
While shopping for the best grooming tool for golden retrievers, don’t forget a corresponding tool to groom your couch!
There’s only so much fur removal that you can do at the source, so this roller comes in handy for after-grooming clean-up.
This tool works like a lint roller on steroids to help keep your home fur-free.
The ChomChom doesn’t use adhesives or sticky strips and has a compartment where the hair collects for easy disposal after you’re done. So you’ll never have to worry about coming to the last sheet of the lint roller.
And if your shedding golden has loose hair congesting its topcoat, a pass or two with this roller can help you stay ahead of schedule in keeping that fur off your couch.
Pros
- Great value
- Eliminates wastefulness of lint rollers
- Made of BPA-free plastic
- Collects hair and has a button for easy dispensing and cleaning
Cons
- Harder to maneuver on curved surfaces or in crevices
- Fabric material of roller wears down eventually and will need to be replaced
Hertzko
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, it’s essential to have a slicker brush in your grooming tool kit! This is a serious contender since it’s self-cleaning.
For goldens with shorter or thinner coats and also for puppies, the shorter bristles of the Hertzko offer a comfortable grooming experience that won’t scrape skin but will still efficiently detangle and de-mat.
When it comes to comfort, the self-cleaning brush has a sturdy, textured silicone grip to help you use the brush to its full potential without experiencing brushing fatigue. For when things get messy, it’s also anti-slip to prevent accidents.
Instead of storing hair in a compartment to be cleaned out later, this brush has a button that detracts the teeth, making the collected layer of hair easy to toss right into the trash.
This brush comes in two sizes: the standard for medium-sized dogs and the smaller size marketed as an excellent fit for sensitive skin.
Pros
- Great value
- Innovative self-cleaning mechanism
- Good fit for smaller dogs and thinner coats
Cons
- Teeth can be slightly abrasive
- Short and flexible teeth won’t be as effective for longer or coarser coats
Buying Guide
So aside from knowing the length and style of your golden retriever’s coat, what else do you need to know to pick out the best brush to make the grooming experience a good one on both ends?
Keep reading to learn more about golden grooming and what makes a good golden retriever grooming tool.
Why Brush Your Golden Retriever?
While grooming may not seem like a huge deal, it’s actually a very important component of your golden retriever’s health. If it’s neglected, the consequences can range from a very fur-filled home to serious health issues for your dog.
Firstly, brushing your golden retriever keeps its coat shiny and healthy by keeping the oils well distributed and warding off matting and tangles. Mats and tangles are not only unsightly, but they can also be uncomfortable for your pup.
As your golden sheds, its thick undercoat can trap the loose fur close to its body and tangle it with still-attached fur. This creates mattes and tangles that pull at your dog’s skin and trap dirt and debris in your dog’s coat.
From a hygiene standpoint, this process can contribute to bad smells and skin conditions, itchiness, and overall compromised wellbeing for your furry friend.
How to Brush a Golden Retriever
Since it’s such a crucial component of your pup’s overall happiness and health, it’s essential to know how to brush them properly.
While every golden is different, a good rule of thumb is to brush your dog’s coat thoroughly every one to two weeks. This is the proper timeline for preventing matting, but you can also brush them more superficially every day to keep their fur shiny and healthy.
Resist the urge to bathe your golden too often, though, as this can actually damage their coat.
Undercoat Considerations
When brushing your golden, choose a brush that will get through their thicker undercoat and won’t bend when it comes to taking on tangles.
If your dog is shedding, it’s a good idea to back-brush its entire body with a long-toothed brush to remove shed fur and debris before smoothing out the topcoat. Don’t forget your dog’s whole body, including legs, head, and the signature golden retriever withers.
Speaking of which, many groomers recommend saving the tail for last.
FAQs
When do you start grooming a golden retriever?
Around ten to twelve weeks is the perfect time to start. It’s important to familiarize a young dog with being brushed so that it is comfortable with the process.
Should you cut a golden retriever’s hair?
While it’s a good idea to take your golden to be professionally groomed every four to six weeks, never try to cut your pup’s hair yourself. While it’s a good idea to take your golden to be professionally groomed every four to six weeks, never try to cut your pup’s hair yourself.
How do you clean a golden retriever’s hair?
Brushing regularly is a great way to ensure your golden’s hygiene. Monthly bathing and sticking to a grooming schedule will keep your golden’s hair clean and keep them from smelling bad.
Should you trim a golden retriever?
Leave the trims up to the professionals. They can give your golden the right kind of trim, including around its neck, feet, tail, and ears. Any sort of shaving can damage your golden’s coat permanently.
Choosing the Best Brush for Golden Retrievers
One of the most recognizable features of a golden retriever is that silky, shiny, feathery coat. While that beautiful fur takes a bit of upkeep, it’s worth it to make sure that your golden stays happy and healthy.
When choosing the best dog brush for golden retrievers, select the one that will best handle your dog’s specific coat length and density.
Tangles and mattes will be easier to tackle when you stick to a regular brushing schedule, which will also go a long way to keeping your home fur-free and clean.
Try out the FURminator, the overall best choice for value and quality, or one of our other favorite picks for the best grooming tool for golden retrievers, and your furry friend will thank you!
Made of stainless steel, the comb can easily make it through the topcoat to the denser fur beneath and detangle and de-shed while keeping the skin below safe from scrapes.
