GiGwi Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush for Dogs & Cats

The GiGwi Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is a fine-pinned slicker with a retract button: press it and the pins drop below the pad, so the hair lifts off in one piece instead of being picked out by hand. GiGwi make it for medium and long-coated dogs and cats.

Key Features

• Self-cleaning button: One press and the trapped hair comes away clean -- the feature that decides whether a slicker gets used regularly or not.
• Fine angled pins: Reach down through a medium or long coat to lift the dead undercoat out.
• Coat-safe pins: GiGwi describe the pins as removing loose hair without scratching the skin.
• For medium and long coats: Designed for the coats that mat -- spaniels, retrievers, long-haired cats and the like.
• Skin and coat condition: Regular brushing spreads the natural oils through the coat and lifts the dead hair out before it mats.

How To Brush

• Work in the direction the coat lies, in short strokes, section by section.
• Keep the pressure light. If the skin is pinking up, you are pressing too hard.
• Hold a mat at the base with your free hand so you are not pulling on the skin.
• Finish while your pet is still happy. Two short sessions beat one long fight.
• Clear the hair out as you go -- a loaded brush stops gripping.

Slicker Brushes And Skin

A slicker is the most effective brush for a long coat and also the easiest one to hurt a pet with. The pins are fine and they do reach the skin, so the technique matters more than the tool: light pressure, short strokes, and stop the moment your pet pulls away. Red, grazed skin from over-brushing is a common and entirely avoidable thing to see.

Good To Know

• Go gently over bony areas, the belly, the armpits and anywhere thin-skinned.
• Stop if you find a hot, weepy or scabbed patch and get it looked at rather than brushing over it.
• A matted coat that has gone solid against the skin is a clipping job for a groomer, not a brushing job.
• Not a children's toy. Keep it with the pet's things.