Comb guide: How to choose the right teeth spacing
There are 3 types of teeth spacing on most dog grooming combs. Either coarse (the widest spacing), medium, or fine. You’ll often see combs combine two types of teeth spacing in one comb. Flea combs have super fine spacing.
Coarse teeth spacing
Best for thick, dense or fluffy coats, for all knot-prone coats, for all-breeds for the first comb-through when grooming, for combing before bathing, and after drying before clipping. The coarse (wider) spacing helps the comb get through any coat more easily for removing knots and for breaking apart mats before slicker use. Coarse teeth spacing will however miss fine tangles.
Medium teeth spacing
An all-purpose, all-rounder teeth spacing for all coat types and breeds. Picks up more tangles than coarse. Picks up loose, dead, stuck coat better than coarse.
Fine teeth spacing
More common for face and finishing combs. Fine spacing lovely for finishing and close-up work, for all well maintained or freshly groomed coats, for use after knot removal to target fine tangles that wider tooth spacing misses, for getting out stuck, dead coat, and for checking clipper and scissor work. Very handy for picking up fine eyebrow, beard and moustache hairs around the face, for fluffy or feathery ears, lifting and fluffing round teddy-bear heads, for feathery tails, for checking your work at the end of the groom, and for toy breeds like Pomeranian legs.
Super fine
For the fleas! Fine teeth that are also very close together so uninvited guests can’t slip through.
The secret use for flea combs
Other than the obvious, a flea comb is also many a groomer’s secret tool for face and fine work. Those fine teeth with extra-fine spacing between them, not only trap uninvited guests like fleas and their droppings - but also do a fantastic job picking up super fine hairs in tricky areas, such as around the face. They get in to hard-to-reach areas more easily and are great for toy breeds for areas like fluffy legs on Pomeranians.
They are great for a final check on cat coats also to pick up missed, shed hair stuck in the coat. A handy ‘picking’ tool also for getting out fine or stubborn debris like dried eye gunk and food stuck in beards.
TIP: When you can’t use flea treatment - such as on very young puppies and kittens, for seniors or allergic pets - it’s best to bath first using flea shampoo or flea rinse (try the natural Fidos flea range), as it makes fleas far easier to remove as they won’t be jumping away!