The best brush for Poodles is designed to keep their curly coats tangle free, without damaging their delicate fur.
The right choice can really make a difference in your Poodle’s skin and coat health!
The brush you choose can also make grooming your Poodle a lot easier, faster, and much more enjoyable for both you and your pup.
In this article, we introduce the best brushes for Poodles in each of the different categories.
We will take a look at combs, pin and bristle brushes, slicker brushes, and grooming brushes.
Whether you’re searching for the best brush for toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle, or standard Poodle, you’ll find lots of great choices here!
Products included in this article were carefully and independently selected by the Happy Puppy Site team. If you decide to make a purchase from one of the links marked by an asterisk, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.
Best Brush for Poodle Hair
Typically, the best brush for standard Poodle hair won’t be different than the best brush for a toy Poodle or miniature Poodle hair.
What may change is the size of the brush or comb you’re using.
Adult Poodle sizes can vary even within the three classes, of course.
But in most cases, you’ll want to choose a large size for a standard Poodle and a medium or small brush size for a miniature or toy Poodle.
Best Poodle Grooming Brush
The coat of a Poodle puppy is typically pretty easy to care for. The coat is softer and less thick than your Poodle’s adult coat will be.
It may be softly wavy or curly and most owners find a simple comb or pin and bristle brush is sufficient for Poodle puppy grooming.
But somewhere between the age of 9 and 18 months, your puppy’s adult coat will start to grow in.
You’ll know when this process starts because your puppy’s coat will get thicker, longer and more challenging to keep untangled.
You may need to commit to daily brushing sessions during this transitional period.
As your puppy’s adult coat continues to grow in, your preferences for the best brush for Poodles may start changing as well.
Specifically, you may find yourself falling in love with a slicker brush!
From here, you may also decide to use a comb or pin and bristle brush for detail work and smoothing hair in addition to your staple slicker brush.
Poodle cuts (especially show ring cuts) can be complicated to learn and master, but it certainly is possible!
If you plan to also do your Poodle’s grooming clips at home, some additional tools to consider investing in include a clipper set, grooming shears, a grooming table and nail clippers.
Best Combs for Poodles
Sometimes the best brush for Poodles isn’t actually a brush at all, but a comb!
Combs should always be made of stainless steel or some other anti-bacterial, durable material with seamless construction.
This will avoid pulling or tugging on your dog’s hair.
ALWAYS look for combs with rounded-tips (tines) for safety!
Andis Pet Steel
The Andis Pet Steel Grooming Comb* is a high quality, durable, seamless stainless steel round-tip grooming comb comes in two sizes.
The comb itself is light in weight so you won’t get hand fatigue, and it leaves your Poodle’s coat looking light and fluffy.
Hertzko
The Hertzko 2 Pack Pet Combs* is a set of two combs and may be ideal if you are caring for a Poodle puppy.
You can use the small comb first and then transition to the large comb as your puppy grows.
Plus, the round-tip tines are gentle on your dog’s skin and the handle features a rubber anti-slip grip for you.
Double sided
Another good option is the Poodle Pet Double-Sided Pet Comb*.
The unique comb made just for Poodle grooming features wider tines on one side and narrower tines on the opposite side of the handle.
Best Slicker Brush for Standard Poodles
For most Poodle owners, the best slicker brush for Poodles will always be one that has a self-cleaning feature.
These types of slicker brushes for Poodles feature a button that you can push to either eject the hair out, or retract the bristles so you can quickly collect the shed hair.
Hertzko
The Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush* is an excellent choice.
You really can’t argue with a brush that is this wildly popular and highly rated!
Not only does this slicker brush provide a pain-free way to work out tangles and mats, but you can clean it with the simple push of a button.
GoPets
GoPets Professional Slicker Brush for Dogs* is a popular, highly rated, self-cleaning slicker brush.
It features a soft silicone handle that conforms to your grip for comfort while brushing your Poodle.
The brush boasts a one-push self-cleaning button that makes cleanup fast and easy and the manufacturer offers a satisfaction guarantee.
Pet Portal
The Pet Portal Pro Quality Self Cleaning Slicker Brush for Dogs* is a lovely, high quality, and highly rated slicker brush.
It features a push-button self-cleaning option that owners love.
The brush comes in small/medium or medium/large for Poodles of all sizes. Choose from blue/white or green/black in either size.
Best Slicker Brush for Miniature Poodles
Adult Miniature Poodles typically weigh 10 to 15 lbs and fully-grownToy Poodles may weigh just 4 to 6 lbs.
You may find your smaller Poodle will benefit from these smaller-sized slicker brushes that make it easier to groom and brush out tangles and mats!
LilPals
The extra small LilPals Slicker Brush* may just end up being your top choice if you’re caring for a miniature or toy Poodle.
While it doesn’t have a self-cleaning button, the small size of the brush more than compensates.
This tiny slicker give you more control over brushing out tangles and mats on your smaller pooch!
Four Paws
Four Paws Magic Coat Instant Dog Mat Remover* is a specialty slicker brush specifically designed for dogs with long or curly coats.
Its’ petite size may be the perfect fit for a mini or toy Poodle!
Pet Paw
The Pet Paw Joy Slicker Brush* is a small slicker brush featuring a square brush head that rotates so you can easily reach different areas of your mini or toy Poodle’s body.
The rotation also changes the direction of the pins for different brushing and grooming needs.
The manufacturer offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Best Pin Brush for Poodles
A pin and bristle brush can sometimes be the best brush for Poodles because you basically get two brushes in one.
There are two styles of the pin and bristle brush. The most common one has the pins on one side and the bristles on the other side.
So all you have to do is flip the brush over when you need one or the other.
The pins should always have rounded tips for safety. The pin side is ideal for gently working out tangles and mats.
The bristle brush side will give your Poodle’s coat a soft, lovely shine.
GoPets
The highly rated and popular GoPets Professional Double-Sided Pin & Bristle Brush* is two brushes in one.
The round-tipped pin brush is on one side and the bristle brush is on the other.
The handle is a soft silicone gel to mold to your grip.
AtEase Accents
AtEase Accents Natural Bamboo Eco-Friendly Pet Grooming Brush* is a lovely natural bamboo-handle pin and bristle brush is also a two-sided brush.
The pins are rounded at the tips for safety and the bristles are evenly spaced in small groups to help fluff and smooth your dog’s coat.
Plus, the manufacturer offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.
Poodle Pet
Poodle Pet Double-Sided Pet Brush for Grooming and Massaging Dogs* is another pin and bristle brush.
It features rounded pins on one side and soft bristles on the other side.
The square brush shape may make for easier brushing and grooming for large Poodles.
This brush has a special anti-static padded back.
Best Poodle Detangling Sprays
You may not face too many tangles and mats when your Poodle is a puppy. But Poodles are active, athletic dogs at heart.
So as your Poodle grows up, you are likely to encounter more dirt, debris and general disarray after your dog is finished playing, running, and jumping like Poodles love to do!
For this reason, one staple in every professional Poodle groomer’s accessories box is a detangling spray.
You can simply spritz some on before you brush your Poodle to ease out mats and tangles.
BioSilk
BioSilk for Dogs Detangling Plus Shine Protecting Mist* is safe to use on puppies 8 weeks or older and is made in the USA.
It contains only human-grade ingredients.
Pet Head
The USA-made Pet Head Fur Ball Detangling Spray for Pets Strawberry Yogurt* is a human-grade detangling spray that is pH balanced for your dog’s skin.
It smells like strawberry yogurt!
FURminator
Another USA-made product is the FURminator deTangling Waterless Spray.*
This excellent detangler is free of parabens and chemical dyes and is designed to be used on long-coated dogs.
How to Brush Your Poodle
Now you know what products to use, let’s take a quick look at how to use them!
You’ll quickly notice that your Poodle’s coat is longer in some areas on the body.
So you may want to switch grooming tools accordingly.
You will want to use a slicker brush for areas with longer hair.
Then swap to a pin and bristle brush, or a round-tipped comb, for shorter hair and closer areas (like the face, paws, and underarms).
How Often Should You Brush Your Poodle?
You can brush your Poodle as frequently as daily, although two to three times per week is more common.
This will keep mats and tangles to a minimum.
Brushing also stimulates the circulation and helps to distribute natural skin oils to keep your Poodle’s skin healthy.
Best Brush for Poodles
We hope this article has provided you with some valuable information about the best brush for Poodles!
Over time, you may find yourself developing a preference for certain Poodle combs and brushes. We’d love to hear!
Please share your favorite Poodle dog brush choices in the comments!
Affiliate link disclosure: Links in this article marked with an * are affiliate links, and we may receive a small commission if you purchase these products. However, we selected them for inclusion independently, and all of the views expressed in this article are our own.
References and Further Reading
KM says
Our Medium Poodle has very curly, thick dense hair that is a real chore to work through. We were told about the Furminator Undercoat Deshedding to help thin it out, especially around his neck. What are your thoughts on this?
Julie Wilson says
My poodles hair is short I brush him off ten but still get lugs he thinks I’m
p laying and start biting I use a muzle but then he tried to run off
Patty P says
My 13 yr old Poodle-Mix (we’ve had her for 9 yrs) has a thin coat and very sensitive skin when it comes to brushing. We like to keep her hair on the longer side so mats and tangles just happen. Every slicker brush I’ve tried obviously hurts her so grooming only happens every 2 weeks because she fights and bites so much. It’s an awful ordeal for both of us. Professional groomers have the same problem with her. Do you have any suggestion for a brush that works on de-tangling long Poodle curls that isn’t painful? Thank you so much!
Courtny says
As a Groomer I would suggest getting a matt splitter and matt breaker. It will definitely make de matting a whole lot easier and a lot less painful
JoAnn B says
Maybe just keep her in a shorter trim so she doesn’t develop mats & tangles (?). And if she does get a shorter trim, do grooming sessions only for a minute or 2, then a treat. Just like any training.
When she tolerates that , increase time by 30 sec or a minute. If she gets to the place where she’s not fighting you when grooming, then let her hair grow out.