The CoatHook Pet Comb

Frequently Asked Questions

Aren’t There Already a Lot of Pet Combs and Brushes On The Market?

Yes, but no other grooming tool on the market is designed to work like the CoatHook. The CoatHook is uniquely engineered to gently and effectively remove shedding undercoat while leaving attached undercoat and outer guard coat alone — it will not cut fur the way that some steel-bladed combs will.

You won’t find another pet grooming tool out there like the CoatHook, and many of our customers tell us their cats or dogs who don’t like to be combed or brushed either do not mind getting combed or actually love getting combed with the CoatHook.

Does The CoatHook Work on All Cats and Dogs?

We developed the CoatHook specifically for our elderly short-haired cat who had stopped grooming himself, but we discovered that it works phenomenally well on long-haired cats as well as dogs with a double coat; an outer “guard coat” with a downy undercoat.

It reaches through the outer layer of fur to remove undercoat without cutting attached outer guard coat the way some steel-bladed combs can.

The CoatHook works extremely well on most types of cat coats, and especially long-haired cats. It also works well on rabbits’ coats. And it works really well on most types of double dog coats, such as Retrievers, Shepherds, and Collies, etc.

We have found, though, that it’s just not heavy-duty enough for dogs with extremely long, thick, and dense coats like Samoyeds, Chow Chows, Siberian Huskies, Malamutes, Great Pyrenees, Akitas, and other similar-coated dogs. We are, however, working on a larger, heftier version of The CoatHook for more challenging coats on large-breed dogs.

What Is a Double Coat?

Dogs that have double coats have two types of fur at once:

One type is the outer or top layer (the “guard” coat), which is typically straighter and heavier. The guard coat serves to block moisture, dirt, and wind.

The other type is the inner or bottom layer (the undercoat). The fine and downy undercoat serves to insulate the dog against extreme temperatures, hot and cold. Dogs who have a dense undercoat appear fuller and fluffier.

Double coats provide protection from the elements for dogs who are bred to spend a lot of time outdoors herding, hunting, guarding, and sledding.

Dogs with double coats should not be shaved because the combination of guard coat and undercoat helps to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. So, grooming tools that cut fur should be avoided. The CoatHook never cuts fur the way that some steel-bladed shedding combs do.

The undercoat typically “blows” — it comes loose in chunks — twice a year. Usually, coat blowing lasts from several weeks to several months. Maintenance of the coat — frequent combing with the CoatHook — during this seasonal shed is essential to keeping your dog’s fur free of mats and your home free of “tumbleweeds.”

DOG BREEDS WITH DOUBLE COATS
HERDING DOGS have double coats in varying length and thickness.

The CoatHook handles shedding double coats in this category quite well.

Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Collie (Rough)
Collie (Smooth)
Bearded Collie
Belgian Sheepdog
Beauceron
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Tervuren
Briard
Border Collie (rough)
Border Collie (smooth)
Bouvier des Flanders
Canaan Dog
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)
German Shepherd Dog
Norwegian Buhund
Old English Sheepdog
Puli
Shetland Sheepdog
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
• American Water Spaniel
Swedish Vallhund
SPORTING DOGS are bred for their hunting instincts in water, woods, and fields.

The CoatHook handles shedding double coats in this category quite well.

Boykin Spaniel
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Cocker Spaniel
Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Wire-haired Pointing Griffon

WORKING DOGS are bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds, and performing water rescues.

We get very mixed reports on the CoatHook's performance with dogs in this breed category, who tend to have very thick, dense undercoats.

Some customers are ecstatic with it; some are just like "meh"; and others say it’s not up to the task.

The difference might be related to what part of the shedding cycle the dog is in.

Bernese Mountain Dog
Black Russian Terrier
English Shepherd
Entlebucher Mountain Dog
Great Pyrenees
Komondor
Kuvasz
Leonberger
Newfoundland
Saint Bernard
Tibetan Mastiff

SPITZ-TYPE dogs are the fluffiest of the double-coated dogs. They were bred to live outdoors year round in Arctic climates.

These breeds have very dense undercoats that are more than the CoatHook can handle effectively — but we're working on a beefier version of the CoatHook to better handle dense coats on large-breed dogs.

German Spitz
Akita
Alaskan Husky
Alaskan Malamute
American Eskimo
Chinook
Chow Chow
Finnish Spitz
Finnish Lapphund
Swedish Lapphund
Icelandic Sheepdog
Keeshond
Korean Jindo
Norwegian Elkhound
Norwegian Lundehund
Shiba Inu
Siberian Husky
Samoyed

How Do I Quickly and Easily Remove Fur from the Hooks?

Sometimes, the fine, downy undercoat that the CoatHook removes from your pet can get caught on the detangling hooks on the top side of the comb’s tines. This video demonstrates how to remove fur quickly and easily.

Where Is The CoatHook Made?

The CoatHook is made right here in the United States; Kennebunk, Maine, to be precise. We feel it’s  good business to keep manufacturing here at home. The more jobs we help create, the more customers we‘ll have who can afford to pamper their pets! 

Is The CoatHook Available in Stores?

Yes, we're just starting to get the CoatHook in New England retail stores; click here to see where.

If you have a question that you don’t see answered here, contact us in any of the following ways:

We’ll look forward to helping you in any way we can.