Tool · Brushes and deshedding
Dog breed grooming finder
Pick your dog's breed to see its coat type, shedding, brushing needs and the tools that suit it, sourced from AKC breed pages, VCA and AAHA.
Short answer
Choose your dog's breed in the finder below to open its grooming page: coat type and length, shedding, how often to brush, shedding season, clipping, nails and professional grooming, each with its source. Mixed breed or doodle? Go by the coat you can see, not the label, and start from the matching coat family.
What each breed page shows
- Coat type and coat length, in AKC's own categories.
- Shedding and brushing: how much the coat sheds and how often to brush it.
- Shedding season: when to expect heavier shedding.
- Clipping: whether the coat is usually clipped, stripped or left natural, and whether shaving is a bad idea.
- Nails and professional grooming: typical intervals, where a source gives one.
Every field carries its source. A field we could not confirm shows as "Not confirmed" rather than a guess.
Where the data comes from
Coat facts come from AKC's breed pages. AKC classifies coat type as one or more of wiry, hairless, smooth, rough, corded, double, curly, wavy or silky; coat length as short, medium or long; shedding on a 1-5 scale from no shedding to hair everywhere; and grooming frequency on a 1-5 scale from monthly to daily. It also notes that all breeds require regular nail trimming.[1] These ratings are relative guidance, and AKC's written grooming advice for a breed sometimes differs from its number, so read the notes on each page.
General care guidance comes from veterinary sources: VCA on brushing by coat and on nail trims, and AAHA on shedding and professional grooming intervals.[2][3][4] The breeds covered so far are all among AKC's 40 most-registered breeds of 2025.[5]
Mixed breeds and doodles: go by the coat
A breed label does not tell you which coat your dog inherited. Look at the coat itself and use the matching family page:
- Double coat: a soft, dense undercoat under longer, coarser outer hair, as AKC defines it.[6]
- Curly coat: curls that keep growing; AAHA says hair like this needs regular grooming.[4]
- Long coat: long, silky hair; VCA says long and silky coats need daily brushing.[2]
- Smooth coat: short hair that lies close to the body.
- Wire coat: harsh, wiry outer hair that is clipped or hand-stripped.[7]
If the coat mixes traits, such as curls over a dense undercoat, combine the advice for both families, and ask a groomer to take a look.
Limits
This is coat guidance, not a veterinary assessment. Individual dogs vary with age, health and climate: AKC says a double-coated dog in a warm place may shed four times a year or all the time.[8] Frequencies are typical guidance, not rules. Bald spots, crusted skin or a sudden increase in shedding are for a veterinarian, AAHA says, not a different brush.[4]
Once you know the coat, the brushes and deshedding overview and the at-home grooming kit checklist cover the tools.
Choose your breed to see the key facts. Each one links to its source on the full page.
All breeds
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Siberian Husky
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Australian Shepherd
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Border Collie
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Pomeranian
- Poodle
- Shih Tzu
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Maltese
- Havanese
- Cocker Spaniel
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Miniature Schnauzer
- French Bulldog
- Dachshund
- Beagle
- Pug
- Rottweiler
- Bulldog
- Boxer
- Chihuahua
Questions
My dog is a mixed breed or a doodle. Which page should I use?
Go by the coat, not the label. Choose the coat family that matches what you see, such as curly or double, and combine the advice if the coat mixes traits.
Where do the coat and shedding ratings come from?
From AKC's breed pages, which rate shedding from 1 (no shedding) to 5 (hair everywhere) and grooming frequency from 1 (monthly) to 5 (daily). AKC treats these as relative guidance, so the written grooming advice on each breed page matters as much as the number.[1]
Why does my dog shed more than its breed page suggests?
Climate and lifestyle change shedding. AAHA says indoor pets may shed more steadily year-round under artificial light and stable temperatures, and AKC says a double-coated dog in a warm place may shed four times a year or all the time.[4][8]
Does a low-shedding breed need less grooming?
No. AAHA says dogs with continuously growing hair, such as Poodles and Shih Tzus, need regular grooming, and AKC says a Poodle in full coat must be brushed and combed to the skin or it mats near the roots.[4][9]
Which breeds does the finder cover?
Popular breeds first: every breed listed is among AKC's 40 most-registered breeds of 2025, plus five coat-family pages for mixed breeds. Registrations are not the same as total ownership, so if your breed is missing, use its coat family.[5]