After years of suffering from a bad reputation, Pit bulls are making a comeback! Many owners discover that a well-adjusted Pit bull is a sweet and sensitive companion. Although several breeds fall under the Pit bull umbrella, most have short, dense coats without undercoats. These coats have their own special needs when it comes to grooming. We’ve looked through the reviews and found some of the best brushes for keeping your Pit bull clean.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites (Updated 2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Safari Bamboo Pin & Bristle Combo
Dual-use combo design
Ergonomic Bamboo grip
Bristles are most common brush for pit bulls
Check Price
Best Value
Frisco Cat & Dog Bristle Brush
Gentle on skin
Bristles clean dust and loose hair
Ergonomic handle
Check Price
Premium Choice
HandsOn All-in-One Pet Grooming Gloves
Easy, tactile cleaning experience
Glove design is comfortable for dogs and people
Works wet or dry
Check Price
Kong Dog ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush
Great for cleaning puppies and sensitive dogs
Wet or dry use
Check Price
The 7 Best Brushes for Pit Bulls
If you only want one brush, the Safari Bamboo Pin & Bristle Combo is a great choice. We found it to be the best overall brush for pit bull coats because of the dual-sided design and comfortable, eco-friendly bamboo grip. One side of the brush is a bristle brush meant to smooth coats and remove excess shedding fur. Bristle brushes are the most common brushes for pit bulls because these dogs rarely need detangling or deep cleaning.
Brush Type: Pin/Bristle Combo
Brush Material: Plastic and metal
Check Price on Chewy
The backside of the brush, a pin brush, is designed to get down under the fur and brush out dirt, tangles, and loose hair. Although most pit bulls don’t need this kind of brushing every week, an occasional brush with this side of the brush can be helpful. Just be careful—the metal pins can sometimes be painful on pit bull skin, so don’t brush too vigorously.
Pros
Dual-use combo design
Ergonomic Bamboo grip
Bristles are most common brush for pit bulls
Cons
Pin brush might be harsh on pit bull skin
For a great basic grooming experience, you might want to try the Frisco Cat & Dog Bristle Brush. We found this brush to be the best value option for grooming pit bulls. The brush is built with soft, flexible bristles that are easy on your pooch’s skin. They rake up dust and loose hair, making your dog’s coat soft and shiny. The brush has a soft rubber handle that makes it easy to grip. Most reviewers had a great experience with this brush, but a few mentioned the bristles were more flexible than other bristle brushes. For some dogs, these bristles were too soft to properly clean fur, so if you need more than light cleaning, you may want to look for a stiff-bristled brush.
Dual-use combo design
Ergonomic Bamboo grip
Bristles are most common brush for pit bulls
- Dual-use combo design
- Ergonomic Bamboo grip
- Bristles are most common brush for pit bulls
Pin brush might be harsh on pit bull skin
- Pin brush might be harsh on pit bull skin
Brush Type: Bristle Brush
Brush Material: Plastic
Pros
Gentle on skin
Bristles clean dust and loose hair
Ergonomic handle
Cons
May be too soft for some dogs
One of our favorite de-shedding brushes, the HandsOn All-in-One Pet Grooming Gloves are a non-traditional take on grooming. Instead of a traditional brush design, these gloves are covered with various sizes of rubber bristles so that you can clean your dog by petting or massaging him. We found these gloves to be the best premium option because of their versatility and ease of use. The rubber brush tines help smooth and clean fur without being painful and work on wet or dry fur. Shed fur will even cling to the gloves, making less mess on the floor.
Gentle on skin
Bristles clean dust and loose hair
Ergonomic handle
- Gentle on skin
- Bristles clean dust and loose hair
- Ergonomic handle
May be too soft for some dogs
- May be too soft for some dogs
Brush Type: De-shedding
Brush Material: Rubber
One thing to note is that because the gloves come in multiple sizes, you may need multiple pairs of gloves if more than one person regularly brushes your dog. Some reviews also mentioned that the rubber is hard to clean and a little on the stiffer side.
Pros
Easy, tactile cleaning experience
Glove design is comfortable for dogs and people
Works wet or dry
Shed hair clings to rubber
Cons
Fitted to owner’s hand size
Rubber can be stiff
Difficult to clean
With a gentle rubber surface that won’t irritate skin, the ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush is the best brush option for pit bull puppies. Its rubber tines will be gentle on your pup’s skin, and they will pick up loose fur and dirt like a magnet, keeping your dog clean. It’s great to use wet or dry, which is important if your puppy likes to get dirty.
Easy, tactile cleaning experience
Glove design is comfortable for dogs and people
Works wet or dry
Shed hair clings to rubber
- Easy, tactile cleaning experience
- Glove design is comfortable for dogs and people
- Works wet or dry
- Shed hair clings to rubber
Fitted to owner’s hand size
Rubber can be stiff
Difficult to clean
- Fitted to owner’s hand size
- Rubber can be stiff
- Difficult to clean
Brush Type: De-shedder Brush
Brush Material: Rubber
One drawback of this style of brush is that it mostly smooths and cleans the outer layer of hair. Although it’s gentle on your pup’s skin, you might want to add in a metal de-shedder or a bristle brush as your pup gets older. Some reviewers also noted that although the puppy-shaped design is cute, it’s less ergonomic than some of the other brushes here.
Pros
Great for cleaning puppies and sensitive dogs
Wet or dry use
Cons
Mostly smooths/cleans outer layer
Difficult to clean
Less ergonomic design
Some pit bulls are fine with a rubber de-shedding brush or the smoothing of a bristle brush, but others need a deeper cleaning. If you have a heavy-shedding pit bull, the Furminator Short Hair De-shedding Tool is a great brush to have around. Unlike rubber de-shedding tools, its stainless-steel comb gets under the outer layer and cleans shed hair that might be trapped or less visible, reducing shedding significantly. The brush also features an ejection button that helps clean fur out from between the tines of the brush, making cleaning easy. It’s important to be gentle with this brush as the metal can be painful against your dog’s skin.
Great for cleaning puppies and sensitive dogs
Wet or dry use
- Great for cleaning puppies and sensitive dogs
- Wet or dry use
Mostly smooths/cleans outer layer
Difficult to clean
Less ergonomic design
- Mostly smooths/cleans outer layer
- Difficult to clean
- Less ergonomic design
Brush Type: De-shedding
Brush Material: Metal
Pros
Metal rake cleans hard-to-get shed fur
Fur ejector button makes cleaning easy
Stainless steel comb cleans all coat layers
Cons
Not necessary for all pit bulls
May be tough on skin
- Furminator Curry Comb for Dogs
Check Latest Price
Brush Type: De-shedding Brush
Brush Material: Rubber
Another great de-shedding brush is the Furminator Curry Comb for Dogs. This brush has a rounded design that fits smoothly into your hand, with rubber bristles on the underside to smooth coats and round up loose fur. Like other rubber combs, it can be used when your dog is wet or dry, making it a great choice if you like to brush your dog after a bath. Its rubber teeth will cling to loose fur and dust, minimizing mess, but this does make it hard to clean the brush sometimes. One other drawback of this comb is that the short teeth mostly clean the outer layer of your dog’s fur, making it less useful for deep cleaning.
Metal rake cleans hard-to-get shed fur
Fur ejector button makes cleaning easy
Stainless steel comb cleans all coat layers
- Metal rake cleans hard-to-get shed fur
- Fur ejector button makes cleaning easy
- Stainless steel comb cleans all coat layers
Not necessary for all pit bulls
May be tough on skin
- Not necessary for all pit bulls
- May be tough on skin
Check Latest Price
Brush Type: De-shedding Brush
Brush Material: Rubber
Pros
Ergonomic design
Rubber teeth collect loose fur
Wet or Dry use
Cons
Can be hard to clean
Not best for deep cleaning
Another great option is the ConairPro Pet-it Boar Bristle Brush. Unlike the other bristle brushes on this list, which use plastic imitation bristles, this brush uses a mix of imitation and real boar bristles. These boar bristles help smooth hair, clean dust, shed hair from the fur, and redistribute oils to give your dog a smooth, glossy coat. This brush has a handle-free design that lets you move the brush like you’re petting your dog, making it a more pleasant experience for both dog and owner. One drawback of this brush is that some owners found the bristles stiffer than they liked; if you want a softer bristle, you might want to choose a different brush.
Ergonomic design
Rubber teeth collect loose fur
Wet or Dry use
- Ergonomic design
- Rubber teeth collect loose fur
- Wet or Dry use
Can be hard to clean
Not best for deep cleaning
- Can be hard to clean
- Not best for deep cleaning
Brush Type: Bristle Brush
Brush Material: Synthetic/Natural Bristle Blend
Pros
Mix of natural + synthetic boar bristles
Handle-free design mimics petting
Cleans loose hair and redistributes oils
Cons
Very stiff bristles
Buyer’s Guide – How to Choose The Best Brush for a Pit Bull
Different Types of Brushes for Pit Bulls
There are many different types of brushes available in stores, but there are a few main types that can be used for pit bulls. The first type that works well for pit bulls is a bristle brush. These brushes are made up of thin bristles that are usually plastic, although some brushes use boar bristles. They clean and shine pit bull coats without hurting the skin. Some brushes are softer, and some are stiffer, so you might need to experiment to see what works for you.
Mix of natural + synthetic boar bristles
Handle-free design mimics petting
Cleans loose hair and redistributes oils
- Mix of natural + synthetic boar bristles
- Handle-free design mimics petting
- Cleans loose hair and redistributes oils
Very stiff bristles
- Very stiff bristles
De-shedding brushes are another type of pit bull brush. Pit bulls shed a lot despite their short coats, and de-shedding brushes remove loose hair to keep your pit bull’s coat clean. They come in two main categories: rubber and metal. Rubber de-shedding brushes are very gentle on your dog’s skin. Loose fur tends to stick to rubber, making them less messy to use but harder to clean. Metal brushes can dig beneath the outer layer of fur better and comb out loose fur, but you must be more careful with them, as the hard metal can be painful to your pit bull.
Some pit bull owners also use pin brushes. These brushes are a common all-purpose brush with spaced metal pins. They are often used for detangling longer coats, but they can also be used to clean and comb out shorter coats. Many combo brushes have a pin brush on one side and a bristle brush on the other.
Tips for Successful Pit Bull Brushing
Most pit bulls have a short, dense coat that doesn’t tangle, making brushing easier. A ten-minute brushing session once a week is usually sufficient for cleaning out dirt and loose hair. When brushing, you should be gentle. You can test your brush by brushing it against the skin on your arm. If the brush is painful against your arm, you are probably applying too much pressure.
Some pit bulls hate being brushed. You can work to make the brush a more positive experience by giving your dog lots of love and attention throughout the brushing session. You can also positively reinforce brushing by rewarding your dog after brushing. You might finish your brushing session with a treat or with some playtime.
Conclusion
Pit bulls are short-haired dogs with specific needs in brushing. Overall, we found the Safari Bamboo Pin & Bristle Combo brush to be the best overall option, while the Frisco Cat & Dog Bristle Brush was the best value brush for pit bulls. The HandsOn All-in-One Pet Grooming Gloves made the best premium option, while puppies did best with the Kong Dog ZoomGroom Brush. There isn’t one type of brush that suits every owner’s needs, but these reviews can help you figure out what kind of brush you need.
See also:
- 10 Best Dog Ear Cleaning Solutions – Reviews & Top Picks
- 10 Best Dog Halters – Reviews & Top Picks!
- 10 Best Bones for Puppies – Reviews & Top Picks
- 5 Best Long Lasting Dog Chews – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: KruBeer Photo, Shutterstock
