Best Husky Brush: Siberian Husky Grooming

Husky Coats 101

Huskies have a two-layered coat comprised of a top coat and an undercoat.

This structure kept their ancestors warm during the harsh winters they faced back in northeastern Asia, where they served as sled dogs for the Chukchi people.

Unfortunately, this means that Huskies shed.

And shed a lot.

Husky Coat Layering

Made up of two distinct layers, the Husky coat is optimized for working in cold, harsh weather.

Any Husky with a single coat has either just shredded his undercoat for the summer or is not 100% Husky.

The top layer is made up of straight, long, thick hairs that provide protection against water and dangerous UV rays. This layer is also designed to trap heat during the colder winter months, as well as allow the skin to breathe once the temperature warms up. These hairs shed year-round.

The undercoat, on the other hand, is soft and slightly compressed into small folds. It is shed twice a year, once in the spring, and once in the fall over a two or three-week period. During the summer, it is thin. After it is shed in the fall, it grows back thick and fluffy.

Some Huskies have what is known as a wooly coat.

This is a double coat with longer guard hairs than normal Huskies. If you are looking for a working Husky, avoid purchasing one with a wooly coat. Their longer hairs do not proper protection against water or the general cold. Since it also takes longer to dry, the Husky is left more vulnerable to sickness in cold weather.

Husky Coat Coloring

Their coats come in a variety of colors, including:

• All white
• Grey and white
• Brown and white
• Red and white
• Cream and white
• Silver and white
• All brown (incredibly rare)

Their bushy tails are usually white-tipped, while their noses are usually black, brown, or a red-brown mixture.

Husky Shedding Season

Husky puppies go through a shedding process when they are around 10 to 14 months old.

When they are still young, Huskies have a soft, fuzzy undercoat bereft of any real guard hairs. After they shed their puppy fuzz, a full adult coat grows back.

Once it is an adult, your Husky will shed its entire undercoat twice a year.

Unless you live in Siberia, it will likely shed several times again throughout the year, though not in a full blow-out. This full blow-out usually occurs during the spring and fall, when it is either growing colder or becoming warmer.

How to Shave a Husky for Summer (Do Huskies Need Haircuts?)

DO NOT shave your Husky for summer.

DO NOT shave your Husky. Period.

Sorry to yell, but here’s why…

Huskies don’t even need haircuts.

Step away from the scissors and shaver!

While is it understandable that you want to keep your Husky cool for the summer, shaving its coat will have no effect on its cooling process. This is because they:

• Pant from their mouths
• Sweat from their paws
• Cool the blood in their ears

Not only that but shaving your Husky’s fur will expose it to the sun without protection due to the low amount of pigmentation stored inside their skin. This, in turn, leaves your Husky at a greater risk of obtaining skin cancer.

Here are some other reasons why shaving your Husky’s coat is a bad idea.

• Clipping or shaving the coat will disrupt the Husky’s natural shedding process.
• The Husky will be left vulnerable against insects and parasites.
• Your husky will become more susceptible to skin allergies, sunburn, and parasite infestation.
• Cutting the overcoat will ruin the natural process by which the Husky’s coat grows back. When you shave away the overcoat, the undercoat is left exposed. As a result, the two coats no longer grow back together properly and cannot offer the necessary protection that a normal coat would.

Husky Grooming Tips

These grooming tips will make bath and brushing time more fun for you and Husky:

• Train your Husky to sit or stand quietly while you brush them starting at a young age.
• Remember to brush your Husky as it sheds its undercoat. Removing dead hairs is vital to enabling your Husky’s coat to grow back quickly and strong.
• A warm bath and quick blow dry help to encourage the hair to fall out, making your brush job a little easier. That being said, avoid giving your Husky too many baths. Doing so can dry your Huskey’s skin out.
• Begin grooming by brushing out your Husky’s coat with an undercoat rake. Once you are finished, brush the overcoat with a regular slicker brush. This process ensures that all excess fur is removed.
• Brush your Husky daily during shedding season, and once every few weeks during the off-season.
• When brushing the undercoat brush away from the skin. When you move on to the outer coat, make sure you brush in the direction of the hair to keep it smooth and shiny.
• Start brushing your Husky when it is young so it can grow accustomed to the process.
• Pay attention to the tail, legs, and stomach area, as they tend to get matted.
• Don’t forget to inspect for fleas! You can purchase a fine-toothed metal flea comb to look through its coat. Should you find any, dip the flea-bearing comb into a cup of hot water to kill them.
• Feed them a proper diet. They need one high in Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids for a healthy coat. You can do this by adding Organic Alaska Salmon Oil to their normal food. They also need a high amount of protein in their diets. Try to buy dog foods that add extra fish oil or offer fish as a protein to provide them a diet with high levels of healthy fats and proteins.

Best Brush for Huskies

Regular brushing is key to helping your Husky maintaining a thick and healthy coat.

Here are the best brushes for grooming your Siberian Husky:

Best FURminator for Huskies

A FURminator is a deshedding brush designed to thin our your Husky’s hair. It claims to reduce shedding by 90%.

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The use of a FURminator brush is a little controversial amongst members of the Husky-owning community.

Some say that using the furminator is like sheering a sheep because you’re supposedly cutting your Husky’s hair with the brush. As a result, your dog’s coat will become dull and its skin will be irritated. Using the furminator incorrectly will worsen this problem.

One sign that you are hurting your dog is if it cowers or runs away when you try to groom it with the FURminator.

That being said, you can use the FURminator just for matted spots that are hard to brush out with a regular undercoat rake or slicker brush.

Others praise the brush for its effectiveness and ability to loosen up big chunks of hair within their husky’s coat. Using it twice a week maximum is much cheaper than sending your dog to the groomer. Plus it is a well-made, durable product that lasts for years.

If you decide to buy a FURminator, here are a few things you should know.

• FURminators come in both long coat and short coat versions. For your Husky, you will want to purchase a long coat version.
• Be careful when grooming your Husky with the FURminator. If has sharp blades that can cut its skin.
• Replace when the blades begin to dull.

Best Undercoat Rake for Huskies

This rake is designed to brush out undercoat hair that is ready for shedding.

With its long teeth that are widely set apart, the rake is able to move past the outer coat to brush out the loose undercoat hairs beneath it.

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The undercoat rake is a bit sharp, so take extra care when brushing your husky with it so as not to damage its skin. Make sure the rakes match your Husky’s hair length too:

• A rake that is too short will completely miss the undercoat.
• One that is too long can irritate the skin.

Also, make sure you don’t confuse an undercoat rake with a normal rake.

While both do remove undercoat hairs from dogs, they differ in several ways.

Rakes are usually t-shaped and hold rounded pins on the tip of the brush. When using them, you should comb in the direction of your dog’s hair.

Undercoat rakes, on the other hand, contain many small, curved blades.

They can be used on either wet or dry dog hair. You should also brush in the direction of the dog’s hair.

However, you need to put more care into the amount of pressure you are putting on your dog than you would with a rake. You don’t want to injure the skin, or accidentally cut off part of the top coat.

Best Slicker Brush for Huskies

The slicker brush is usually built as a flat wire brush holding firm bristles packed closely together. It is a great tool for pulling out dead hairs from your Husky’s outer coat while distributing oil throughout it. You can also use it to untangle fur, but make sure you are using short, gentle strokes when doing so.

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Avoid using this brush if your Husky has any flea bites or broken skin.

You also want to make sure you purchase a brush in the proper size. One that is too big can harm your Husky’s skin.

Having these tools in your grooming kit is key to keeping your Husky’s fur and skin in great condition.

How Often Should You Bathe a Husky?

Siberian Huskies don’t need to be bathed more than once or twice a year.

Their hair is less oily than average, which means that it doesn’t retain the musky dog odor associated with more oily coated dogs.

Plus, bathing your Husky too often could actually dry out its fur and skin, and may even lead to the growth of painful, irritating hot spots.

How to Bathe a Husky Who Hates Baths

So you have a Husky who hates baths, huh?

You want the good news or the bad news first?

The bad: Your Husky probably hates baths because you didn’t socialize him to baths when he was a wee Husky pup.

You, probably:

“But he smells soooo good, I can’t possibly give him a bath and wash that sweet Siberian puppy smell away!!!”.

Sorry Charlie, but by not forcing that bath, you and your Husky now have bath-time anxiety.

The good news? …you should only give your Siberian Husky a bath once or twice a year.

Good news #2? …here are some Husky bathing tips to keep in mind during your dog’s annual or semi-annual bath.

• Pro Tip: Don’t let your Husky hear you turning on the water! Start things off on the right paw by putting him in his happy place while you prepare his bath.
• Test the water to make sure it is warm, but not so hot that it hurts your dog.
• To prevent water from getting into their ears or eyes, stuff their ears with a cotton wool ball and apply a little Vaseline around the eyes.
• Begin wetting your Husky’s head before working down through the rest of the body. Once it is wet, you can begin to lather the shampoo in their coat, starting again with the head. You can even use a brush to help massage it in.
• Once you are finished rinsing off your Husky, pat them dry and keep them warm until they are fully dry.

Best Shampoo for Huskies

All-natural or organic shampoos that are gentle on dog skin are highly recommended. I would also recommend shampoos with hypoallergenic properties, as they will prevent allergy symptoms in your dog.

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If your Husky’s coat is on the dry side, you can purchase an all-natural dog conditioner as well. It will seal the hair cuticle and restore shine and moisture to the coat.

Never use human shampoo on your Siberian Husky.

It contains more chemicals than normal dog shampoos and will strip your dog’s coat of its natural oils while drying their skin.

Plus, dogs have a different pH balance than humans do.

While humans have more acidic skin, dogs have more alkaline skin. If you apply human shampoo to your Husky, you will disrupt its pH balance. As a result, it is more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses.

A well-organized grooming routine is essential for keeping your Husky happy and healthy.

Remember to brush it on a consistent basis while monitoring it for any signs of fleas, dry skin, or hot spots.

Related Reading

• Best Dog Food for Huskies
• Best Husky Toys