The Most Trusted Dog Brushes At The 2023 Westminster Dog Show

The Spruce Pets spoke with professional dog handlers at the 2023 Westminster Dog Show in New York City to find out which dog brushes they trust to prepare their canine candidates for the chance to be this year’s Best In Show.

For dog show competitions, a dog’s coat is styled and primed to best represent the ideal look within the given breed’s standard. The set of criteria that determines the breed standards for Westminster is maintained by the American Kennel Club, and for some breeds, the fur is often styled into a shape that is particularly high maintenance.

“Having a slicker brush, a pin brush, and a poodle comb on hand at all times is essential,” Lynette Treese, a Pomeranian breeder, owner, and handler from Colorado, told The Spruce Pets. This was her first time showing at Westminster and her fluffy Pomeranian named Eydis received the award for Best of Opposite Sex within the breed group.

The best dog brush for competitions will also be ergonomic and easy to store away, since any tools need to be carried on a handler's person during competition. It's common at Westminster to see conspicuously placed brush handles tucked into waistbands and jacket pockets, and combs at the ready, perched in the handler’s hair.

We've tested more than 20 dog brushes, spending hundreds of combined hours with them, and have the perfect, competition ready combo—our favorite slicker, pin brush, and poodle comb.