The Australian Shepherd or Aussie is a popular dog breed known for its affectionate and happy-go-lucky nature. These dogs have high working drive and boundless energy.

They also have a gorgeous, lush, and colorful coat.

But owning an Australian Shepherd is not as easy as it looks. It is prone to heavy shedding, and its double coat gets matted and tangled easily.

Below, we list the best brushes for Australian Shepherds that will help you keep your pet’s coat clean, detangled, and healthy.

IN A HURRY? HERE ARE OUR TOP PICKS…

1. Best Overall: Maxpower Planet Pet Grooming Brush

This double-sided undercoat rake from Maxpower Planet is great for dogs with thick coats like Australian Shepherds.

It’s a de-shedding tool that has extra wide blades that are made of high-quality, rust-resistant stainless steel.

These blades go deep down to the undercoat to remove the toughest mats without pulling out your dog’s hair.

It dramatically reduces shedding among pets prone to heavy shedding and promotes a shiny, sleek, and healthy coat.

This brush’s unique dual-sided design makes it the best dog brush on our list. The nine-teeth side is suitable for stubborn mats and tangles that don’t loosen easily.

Meanwhile, the 17-teeth side has rounded ends that make it ideal for gently thinning and de-shedding your Australian Shepherd’s coat. 

The multipurpose rake’s sharp yet fine rounded teeth allow you to remove loose hair, knots, tangles, and dander easily and safely without irritating or scratching your dog’s skin.

This makes it a great cat brush, too, as it’s suitable for cats with sensitive skin.

The dog brush also has a lightweight and ergonomic handle made from non-slip rubber. This gives it a good grip and makes it super comfortable to use.

2. Runner-Up: SHINY PET Deshedding Brush

This premium undercoat rake is our second-best choice for brushes for Australian Shepherds.

This is another double-sided brush that helps detangle knots and gently remove loose hair, mats, dander, and debris from pets with long and thick coats.

One side of the brush has nine teeth spaced apart for smoothing and detangling pet hair, and the other has 17 teeth that are more closely set to help with thinning and de-shedding.

This helps reduce shedding and gives your dog’s coat a healthy shine. 

The rust-resistant stainless steel blades are sharp enough to thin hair smoothly and quickly. Luckily, this rake also has a built-in guard to keep the blades from touching or scratching your pet’s skin.

The lightweight and ergonomic handle has a textured rubber grip to enable maximum slip resistance and control. This allows you to brush your pet for as long as you need.

This pet grooming tool is also strong and sturdy enough to use on double-coated dogs such as Australian Shepherds.

You can use it for large-sized, medium-sized, and small dog breeds, although some reviews warn against having it double as a cat brush.

3. Best Value for Money: Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush

Hertzko’s self-cleaning slicker brush is affordable for grooming dogs and cats of all hair types. Its gentle, flexible, and angled bristles help detangle and deshedding your pet’s fur and keep it sleek, smooth, and healthy.

It effectively removes loose hair, dander, and debris, while soothing and massaging your pet so they enjoy ultimate relaxation and comfort during their grooming.

Plus, it has an anti-slip ergonomic handle, making the brushing process effortless and enjoyable for both you and your pet.

This is a self-cleaning brush, which is a particularly useful feature if you have an Australian Shepherd or another animal that is prone to shedding heavily.

To get rid of the shed hair, you just push the button to retract the bristles so you can wipe away the fur collected on them.

4. Alternative: Ruff ‘N Ruffus Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush

Another self-cleaning slicker brush that you should check out for your Australian Shepherd is this one from Ruff ‘N Ruffus.

Its gentle bristles have rubber tips that help protect your dog’s skin while they remove dead hair, tangles, mats, dirt, and dander in undercoats and top coats smoothly.

Both dogs and cats can use this metal slicker brush for Australian Shepherds. It works on all hair types and helps reduce shedding dramatically.

It also makes cleanup more effortless with retractable bristles that let you clean off shed hair with the press of a button.

You also get free pet nail clippers and a comb when you buy this metal brush.

The ergonomic comb has dual-spaced teeth and is a great additional tool for styling, de-shedding, and removing the mats in your pet’s hair.

Its comfortable bristles also help massage your pet’s skin and keep it relaxed during grooming. 

The clippers are sharp, durable, and have a safety stop that prevents over-clipping, enhancing precision and safety and helping you avoid hurting your pet.

They also have an ergonomic handle and are made of high-quality stainless steel.

5. Alternative: GoPets Professional Slicker Brush

This professional slicker brush by GoPets is one of the best brushes for Australian Shepherds that we recommend to detangle, de-mat, and de-shed undercoats without damaging dogs’ outer coats.

It’s particularly convenient during the seasonal shedding or coat blow season when your pet tends to shed hair more than usual.

The dog brush gently and smoothly removes all the dead hair, dander, and trapped dirt from the coat and keeps it soft, healthy, and shiny. It is also quite large and has a high density of 672 bristles.

This makes it great for large animals and allows it to penetrate even the thickest double coats.

The fine bent wires are soft to prevent scratching your pet’s skin during grooming.

The pins glide smoothly over the natural curves of your dog’s body and massage it to promote blood circulation and deep relaxation.

Like with other self-cleaning brushes, the retracting bristles make it easy to remove the collected loose fur on the brush head.

The self-retracting feature also makes it easy to store the brush in your grooming kit when it’s not in use.

The brush has an anti-slip silicone gel grip that offers slip resistance and prevents strain on your hands and wrists no matter how long you brush your pet. 

However, a word of caution here — while the brand claims that the brush is strong and durable and lasts for years, some users have reported that the brush broke after a few uses.

6. Alternative: DakPets Pet Grooming Brush

The DakPets professional pet grooming brush was designed by pet grooming experts and has been approved and recommended by veterinarians and professional groomers. It works great for dogs and cats of all sizes and for all fur types. 

This budget-friendly de-shedding brush for Australian Shepherds will help you keep your dog’s coat groomed and silky smooth all the time.

It helps remove nasty tangles, knots, dead hair, dander, and debris, and enhances blood circulation in pets.

Regular use of this de-shedding tool can reduce shedding to a great extent and keep your house mess-free.

The brush’s heavy-duty stainless steel comb can go through thick coats while preventing damage to the top coat.

You can also detach the comb from the brush head with the quick-release button and use it separately to reach deeper into the undercoat, making it helpful for dogs with extra long fur.

The detachable blade also makes the brush easy and convenient to clean. The blade cover included will help to protect the comb and improve its lifespan.

The brush also has a sturdy rubber handle for a non-slip, comfortable grip, and easy handling.

The DakPets brush uses high-quality, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic materials, so you can be sure that it is absolutely safe for your pet and won’t hurt or irritate your furry friend’s skin.

It also comes in multiple colors.

Plus, the brand offers a no-questions-asked 60-day replacement or refund if you are dissatisfied with the product. This makes your purchase 100% risk-free and safe.

7. Alternative: Hertzko Soft Bristle Pet Brush

This soft bristle pet grooming brush may not be the best brush for Australian Shepherds, but it deserves mention on our list for its affordability and sleek, stylish design.

This soft pin brush is great for short and long-furred pets and can be used on both wet and dry coats.

This versatile and grooming tool gently and effectively detangles and removes loose hair on the undercoat. It has soft and flexible plastic bristles with rounded ends that won’t scratch or damage the skin.

This makes the pin brush safe for pets with sensitive skin and suitable for the face and paws.

It massages your dog or cat during grooming to promote blood flow, keeping your pet relaxed while ensuring they have a lustrous and healthy coat.

Plus, the durable anti-slip handle provides a comfortable grip and prevents hand and wrist strain even if you brush your pet for a long time.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide on the best brushes for Aussie dogs has helped you find the perfect brush for your dog’s grooming needs.

Whether you need one brush or a collection of brushes for your dog’s fur, we believe that our list offers excellent solutions.

Brushes For Australian Shepherds – FAQ

Below, we answer some frequently asked questions regarding brushing your Aussie Shepherds and what types of brush you can choose from.

Should you brush Australian Shepherds?

Yes, brushing Australian Shepherds is important. These dogs have a double coat—a soft undercoat and a longer outer coat. They shed seasonally, so regular grooming keeps their fur in check.

Brush your Aussie at least once a week. When it’s shedding season, you may need to brush it more often, even daily. This will help prevent mats and tangles.

What kind of brush is best for Australian Shepherds?

Australian Shepherds have a double coat, meaning their fur consists of a coarser protective outer coat and a softer undercoat.

Because of this,  you will likely need multiple types of dog brush to groom an Aussie effectively. An Aussie dog needs regular brushing to promote even hair growth without any knots or tangles. 

Brushing will help you eliminate the excess undercoat and shed hair, make your pet’s fur softer and lighter, and work out knots and matting. 

You should also remember that Australian Shepherds are quite large, so a brush that’s too small can make the brushing process more tedious for Australian Shepherd owners.

The right brush will make brushing easier and save you a lot of time. It will also make your pet happy and keep them looking tidy and groomed.

Below is an in-depth look at the different kinds of dog brushes that are available for Australian Shepherds:

Pin Brush

This iron-bristled, oval-shaped brush looks very similar to a human hairbrush, with loose rows of flexible metal pins with rubber or plastic balls at the top.

The brush is used to eliminate tangles and remove dead hair, dander, and dirt from your Australian Shepherd’s coat.

Pin brushes are gentle and won’t tug at your dog’s hair when you brush it. They also help distribute the natural oils in your dog’s coat and keep it shiny and healthy.

Bristle Brush

Bristle brushes have rows of clumped bristles, often made of natural materials like boar hair. Like pin brushes, bristle brushes redistribute the natural oils throughout a dog’s fur.

However, while these dog brushes work well on the outer coat, bristle brushes are not great at removing loose hair trapped in the undercoat.

Combination Brush

A combination brush or double-sided brush is a great option for Australian Shepherds because it combines multiple brush types in one.

This type of brush usually has a bristle brush on one side and a pin brush on the other, so you can easily brush both layers of your dog’s double coat fully and properly. 

Slicker Brush

Slicker brushes are dog brushes with closely set rows of individual thin wire bristles that help groom excessively hairy dogs with a thick undercoat.

Slicker brushes work on combing out the fluffy and loose undercoat and keep tangled and matted hair at bay. However, the bristles can be on the sharp side, so it’s important to always be gentle with a slicker brush, so you don’t scratch or harm your dog’s skin. 

Undercoat Rake or Deshedding Brush

An undercoat rake has small, closely set blades that are curved and sharp in the inside.

The blades thin out your dog’s thick fur, detangle knotted and matted hair easily and loosen the undercoat close to the dog’s skin. This eases the brushing process and also prevents over-brushing, which can cause brush burn. 

The tiny notches of an undercoat rake allow it to pick up the loose hairs in the undercoat and pull them out without hurting your dog.

However, use it slowly and carefully, as it can sometimes break the guard hairs of the protective outer coat and damage them.

Comb

Like a steel comb, a metal comb is also a good option for grooming your pet’s hair. Like human combs, dog combs come with different tooth lengths and distances between the rows to choose from, depending on your dog’s needs. 

You can also buy double-sided combs with different lengths of teeth that help comb both layers of the double coat and keep it soft and healthy.

This makes a double-sided comb a great tool for double-coated breeds like Australian Shepherds.

Do Australian Shepherds like to be brushed?

Australian Shepherds don’t typically dislike being brushed. Dogs that run away from a brush typically do so if they’ve had a bad experience with dog brushes previously.

Alternatively, they may simply be unfamiliar with dog brushes or not even be used to being touched a lot.

In any of these cases, you will have to use positive reinforcement techniques to help your Australian Shepherd build a positive association with the brush to make sure it is calm and submits to being brushed regularly.

What helps Australian Shepherds stop shedding?

Regularly grooming your Australian Shepherd is a simple way to reduce its shedding.

Bathe your dog once a month with a gentle shampoo that does not strip away the natural oils in your dog’s coat. Bathing your Australian Shepherd helps loosen and wash away shedding hair.

After the bath, brush your dog to eliminate all the loose hair. Brushing eliminates tangles, knots, and matted hair and helps eliminate shedding.

You should brush your dog’s coat at least once a week to keep it healthy and tangle-free.

Australian Shepherds’ double coats do not usually require haircuts,  as they can actually harm the dog’s ability to regulate their temperature.

If you’re considering giving your dog a trim, take them to a professional groomer, as they have a good amount of experience trimming the coats of different dog breeds and will understand your dog’s hair type better.

Do Aussies need winter coats?

If you’re taking your Australian Shepherd on walks in the winter, you may be wondering if it needs extra protection from the elements. You don’t need to worry.

Aussie dogs don’t need winter coats, as their fur’s double coat helps them withstand harsh weather conditions.

Aussies develop thicker undercoats in winter to protect them from the cold, then shed these thick coats in the early spring when they no longer need them.

Is it OK to cut an Australian Shepherd’s hair?

Yes, it’s generally fine to trim an Australian Shepherd’s hair, but there are a few things to consider.

Australian Shepherds have a double coat. Their top layer of hair is long and protects them from UV rays, while their undercoat keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer. Cutting their hair too short can disrupt temperature regulation and damage this natural protection.

If you decide to give your Aussie a haircut, only trim the tips of the fur. Avoid shaving or cutting the hair too close to the skin.