The Best Brush Choices For Your Shiba Inu

Proper Grooming Is Essential For Healthy Shiba Inu Coats

Shiba Inus are known for their gorgeous coats.

Shiba Inus are also known for blowing their gorgeous coats. 

Finding the perfect brush for your Shiba Inu will make grooming time much easier for both you and your Shiba Inu.

There are many different types of dog grooming brushes available on the market today.

They all serve slightly different purposes and some brushes work better for different coats than others. 

Shiba Inus are double coated with a soft plush undercoat and a coarser outer coat. Full shedding of the undercoat happens twice a year.

During this time, your Shiba will be shedding a lot and needs to be brushed more often than normal.

How Often Should You Brush Your Shiba Inu?

Regular brushing your Shiba Inu's coat helps to keep the coat free from debris, dead skin, and trapped fur. 

Brushing also helps to stimulate the natural oils of your Shiba Inu's skin. It's also the perfect time to get your Shiba Inu used to handling and routine.

If your Shiba Inu is not blowing their coat, brushing can be done once a week or every other week. If you have a longer coated Shiba Inu, you may want to increase the frequency of brushing.

During Shiba Inu coat blowing time, you will need to brush a little more often. It'd be best to have some good quality vacuums handy to deal with the extra fur that will be everywhere.

What Kind of Brush Works Best For Shiba Inu Coats?

For the plush double coat of Shiba Inus, a variety of brushes including slicker brushes, deshedding brushes, undercoat rakes, and pin brushes can be used. 

Different factors will determine which type of dog brush, dog brush combo will work the best for your particular Shiba Inu. Because Shiba Inus are known to be resistant to certain grooming procedures, you may find out naturally which type of brush your picky Shiba Inu prefers via trial and error.

During Shiba Inu Shedding Time

During times of heavy shedding, deshedding tools like the Furminator, slicker brushes and undercoat rakes work really well. Tools like shedding blades can cause damage to your Shiba Inu's fur and should be left in the hands of professionals. 

Deshedding Tool / Furminator

A deshedding tool like the Furminator is easier to use than a blade but also the more expensive option. For Shiba Inus, the best size for a Furminator is large.

Using a deshedding tool also takes a bit more finesse to use compared to other traditional brushes. Extra care must be used to ensure that you do yank out healthy hair or hurt your dog's skin by brushing too hard.

The best way to use a deshedding tool is to incorporate light and short strokes towards the normal direction of hair growth.

Hold your Shiba Inu's skin taut with your non brushing hand to get more undercoat out, while preventing good hair from being pulled.

To make it even easier, you can start with a quick brush using a pin or slicker brush before proceeding to use a deshedding tool.

Undercoat Rakes

Undercoat rakes are a popular option for getting to the undercoat of double coated dogs. Because of their longer brush tips, they will probably work better for Shiba Inus with longer coats.

There is quite a variety of undercoat rakes available. Some have straight brush bases and tips while others are curved or even double sided.

When brushing Shiba Inus with undercoat rakes, I find the ones with the curved, stainless steel tips very efficient for Shiba Inu coats.

During Non Shedding Times / Frequent Use

When your Shiba Inu is not blowing coat, you can use basic brushes like pin brushes or slicker brushes. These brushes are easier to use and have a less chance of harming your Shiba Inu's fur and skin.

A lot of Shiba Inu owners also love using a Zoom Groom rubber brush for frequent brushing because it is easy to use and very safe. Another plus about this brush is that it can also be used when bathing your Shiba Inu.

The only downside of this brush is that it is not as efficient in removing undercoat hair than the other choices. Also, when using this brush hair seems to just get everywhere in all directions whereas other brush choices will usually render the hair in chunks or secure in the bristles of the brush.

Slicker Brushes

Slicker brushes are great for frequent use as well as during shedding times. It's basically the most commonly used brush in our arsenal.

Slicker brushes have rows of bent wire pins that detangles and lifts up loose hair and undercoat. These brushes are easy to use and fairly safe for all types of coats - both short and long.

A small downside to this type of brush is that it can be quite difficult to remove the hair that is trapped in the tiny wire bristles of the brush. 

Fortunately, new slicker brushes with a self cleaning hair removal feature are now available.

Pin Brushes

Pin brushes are good detangling brushes for medium to long haired dogs. They are very safe and easy to use. This type of brush is available with or without rubber tips. The rubber tips are preferred because it is safer for your Shiba Inu's skin.

This type of brush can be used for quick touch ups or on places that are harder to reach for other brushes. The widely spread bristles of this brush make it ideal to use on sensitive areas of your Shiba Inu such as areas near the face or tummy.

Combs

While most of the brushes in this article do a fine job in brushing your Shiba Inu's body, they may not work well brushing your Shiba Inu's face area. That's were combs come in. 

We love using "greyhound" style combs on our Shiba Inu's face. The curves and angles of your Shiba Inu's face make it a difficult area to brush, but combs do a good job.

I also like using combs to brush my Shiba's facial area because I can be paranoid of accidentally pulling out a whisker.

Combs are also great for finishing and fluffing your Shiba Inus coat after brushing. These style of combs are pretty affordable though they are some "upscale" ones that cost most more because they are made with more precision.

OUR PICKS: BEST BRUSHES FOR SHIBA INUS