Line brushing is for long, thick-coated dogs so you can gently separate and brush out the hair and undercoat without pulling on it. The dog appreciates this! To line brush, lay the dog on his side and start at the belly. Part the hair and brush out a small section at a time so you aren't yanking hair out of the dog's most tender areas. When you are finished with that section, you part another section higher up and brush that section out. This process of parting the hair and brushing continues until you reach the top of the back.

Line brushing detangles the hair gently and removes excess undercoat. It's also a great way to learn how to brush your dog because you start at the most commonly neglected area — the chest and belly — and work your way up to the back. This ensures that you do a more thorough job brushing and your dog stays mat free.

The groomer holds up the rest of the dog's hair while brushing out the lower section.

Line Brushing Tools

You can use pin brushes, combs, and slicker brushes to get the job done. The groomer in the photo is using a small slicker brush to brush this dog. From left, the brush types are: pin brush, wide-tooth comb, shedding comb/fine-tooth comb combination, and wide slicker brush.