Best Brush for a Great Pyrenees
For a Great Pyrenees, the plan matters more than the brush. Nobody finishes a Pyr in one sitting, and trying to is how both of you end up dreading it. Split the dog into four zones — back and sides, chest and ruff, britches and tail, legs and belly — and work one zone per session. Then choose an undercoat rake by head width, because on a coat this size, width is what decides how many strokes a zone takes.
That's the whole plan. What's left is where the coat hides and which side of the tool belongs where.
The two tools, side by side
| Tool / side | Teeth | Working surface | What it does | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undercoat rake — wide side | 9 | 2.8 in (7 cm) head | Opens mats and felted clumps | Britches, ruff, behind the ears |
| Undercoat rake — dense side | 17 | 2.8 in (7 cm) head | Lifts bulk loose undercoat | Back, sides, flanks |
| Curved blade — logo face | 115 | 4.5 in (11.5 cm) tooth bar, 0.3 in (0.8 cm) deep | Gentler first pass | A dog still getting used to being groomed |
| Curved blade — reverse face | 115 | 4.5 in (11.5 cm) tooth bar, 0.16 in (0.4 cm) deep | Firmer shedding pass | Peak coat blow, flat body areas |
Source: specifications of our own two tools — the Double-Sided Undercoat Rake and the Two-Sided Curved Deshedding Blade. Tooth counts and spacing vary by maker, so compare the gap between teeth rather than the number alone.
A Great Pyrenees weighs 85–100 lb (39–45 kg). Split that coat into four zones and brush one zone per session.
What you're actually working through
The AKC puts the breed at "between 25 and 32 inches tall and weighing between 85 and 100 pounds," which makes them "among the larger breeds recognized by the AKC." The coat on top of that is described as "a long, thick, outer coat of coarse hair and a dense, woolly undercoat."
Two layers, two different problems. The coarse outer coat is what you see and what sheds moderately. The woolly undercoat underneath is what fills the bag, and it is the layer that mats when it starts to release and has nowhere to go.
On maintenance, the AKC is blunt: "Grooming requires a significant time commitment. Their dense, double coats shed a lot, and require weekly brushing sessions," and "during seasonal shedding periods, which are usually once or twice a year, you may need to brush them more often."
Weekly is the floor, not the goal. What trips people up isn't the frequency — it's assuming a session means the whole dog.
The zone plan
Zone 1 — back, sides, flanks. The broadest, flattest real estate, and where most of the volume lives. This is the zone that rewards a wide head.
Zone 2 — chest and ruff. Denser, curved, and close to a dog who is now bored. Shorter strokes, more patience.
Zone 3 — britches and tail. The back of the thighs and the tail carry the longest coat on the dog and are where mats form first.
Zone 4 — legs and belly. Thin-skinned, loose-skinned, and the zone most owners skip. Hold the skin taut and go light.
One zone per session, four sessions a week, and you have covered the whole dog with no session running past twenty minutes. In shed season, run the cycle twice.
This part costs nothing, and on a Pyr it matters more than which brush you buy.
Why head width is the spec that matters here
On a 25 lb dog, head width is a footnote — you would finish either way. On an animal of this size, a zone that should take fifteen minutes turns into half an hour — and a half-hour zone is the one that gets put off.
The double-sided undercoat rake runs a 2.8 in (7 cm) head — wide for the category — with 9 stainless teeth on one face and 17 on the other. The whole tool is 6.9 × 3.7 × 1.1 in (175 × 95 × 28 mm) and weighs 4.1 oz (117 g), light enough that you aren't fighting the tool by the end of a zone.
Use the 17-tooth face for Zones 1 and 2, where you want volume out. Switch to the 9-tooth face in Zone 3, where the job changes from lifting to opening. Short strokes, with the lie of the coat, and let the weight of the tool do the pulling — pressing harder doesn't bring up more undercoat, it just drags on skin.
The TPR handle is non-slip when wet, which matters only because the one time a Pyr genuinely needs a bath, working the coat while it's soapy is easier than fighting it dry afterwards.
Where a second tool earns its place — and where it doesn't
You don't need one. If you buy a single tool for a Great Pyrenees, buy the rake, and put the money you saved toward a decent undercoat comb instead.
There are two situations where the two-sided curved deshedding blade does something the rake doesn't. The first is repetition — during a blow you are running the same zones over and over, and a different grip shape distributes the work across different parts of your hand. The oak handle sits in the palm rather than in the fingers, and the tool weighs 6.2 oz (175 g).
The second is a dog who flinches at rake teeth. The blade carries 115 fine teeth across a 4.5 in (11.5 cm) tooth bar, and the two faces are set to different depths: the logo-marked face has deeper 0.3 in (0.8 cm) teeth that meet the coat at a shallower angle, which makes it the gentler starting pass. The reverse face at 0.16 in (0.4 cm) bites harder once the dog has settled. Starting on the gentle face and only flipping later is a reasonable way to introduce a tool to a dog who has decided grooming is something that happens to them.
If neither of those describes your dog, one rake and a schedule is a complete answer.
What to skip
Don't shave. The AKC states that "shaving doesn't eliminate shedding, but it does damage the topcoat and can increase the chances of skin issues or sunburn. It also damages the undercoat that insulates the dog in winter, keeps their skin dry, and allows room for air to reach the skin." On a double coat, the AKC also notes the two layers "grow back at different rates," so "the undercoat may outpace the topcoat as it regrows, creating an uneven coat that no longer functions properly." A Pyr's coat is climate control in both directions.
Don't bathe on a schedule. Per the AKC, "Pyrs aren't a breed that need regular bathing. Their coats repel dirt naturally, so they really only need baths when they get dirty." Washing a coat that doesn't need it drives more work, not less.
Don't treat a mat felted flat to the skin as a brushing problem. Pulling at those hurts and can tear skin. That's a groomer's job — and if the skin underneath is red, weepy, bare, or smells, that's a vet visit, not a grooming one.
Quick decision
| Zone | Side to use | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Back, sides, flanks | 17-tooth rake face | Most of the volume; longest zone |
| Chest and ruff | 17-tooth face, short strokes | Density rises near the neck |
| Britches and tail | 9-tooth face first, then 17 | Where mats start |
| Legs and belly | 9-tooth face, light | Loose skin — hold it taut |
| Whole dog in one go | Don't | Nobody finishes; you both give up |
Browse the full range of dog and cat brushes, undercoat rakes and deshedding tools if you want to compare head widths before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should I brush a Great Pyrenees?
A: The AKC calls for weekly brushing sessions as a baseline, and more often during the once- or twice-yearly seasonal shed. Splitting the dog into zones is what makes "weekly" achievable — four short sessions a week covers the whole dog without any single session becoming a marathon.
Q: Will an undercoat rake work on a Pyr's long outer coat?
A: Yes — the AKC notes you "can use undercoat rakes on double-coated breeds of all fur lengths." The rake's job is to pass the coarse guard hairs and reach the woolly layer beneath, which is what a Pyrenees has plenty of.
Q: My Pyrenees hates being brushed. Where do I start?
A: Start with the zone the dog minds least, usually the back, and stop while it's still going well rather than when the zone is finished. A dog who has learned that grooming ends badly is a much harder problem than an unfinished flank.
Q: Is a deshedding blade safe on a Great Pyrenees?
A: A blade without a cutting edge lifts loose undercoat and is fine. Bladed tools that cut or thin the coat are a different category and will shear the coarse guard hairs the dog depends on — those are the ones to avoid on this breed.
Sources
- American Kennel Club — Is the Great Pyrenees a Good Fit for You? (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/great-pyrenees-right-for-you/)
- American Kennel Club — Great Pyrenees Dog Breed Information (https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/great-pyrenees/)
- American Kennel Club — How to Groom a Double-Coated Dog (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-groom-a-double-coated-dog/)
- American Kennel Club — What Is a Double-Coated Dog? Coat Types, Grooming, and Care (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/double-coated-dog-breeds/)
- American Kennel Club — How to Choose the Right Dog Brushes (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/types-dog-brushes-shedding/)