Why Students Struggle With Brushing (And How We Fix It)

Brushing. The thing every pet owner swears they’re doing “all the time”… until you put a comb through their dog and it stops halfway down like you just hit a brick wall.

It sounds simple, right? Just… brush the dog. But for new students (and even some seasoned groomers), brushing is sneakily one of the hardest skills to actually get right.

The Classic Struggles

• Surface Brushing. Skimming the top layer looks nice for five minutes, but the undercoat, mats, and tangles are still throwing a rave underneath.

• Wrong Tools. A slicker when you needed a pin brush. A comb treated like an optional accessory instead of the main event.

• Uncooperative Dogs. Dogs don’t care that this is your homework. They wiggle, they squirm, and sometimes they scream like you’re murdering them—when the brush hasn’t even touched skin.

• Perfection Paralysis. Some students second-guess every single stroke, terrified of “messing it up,” instead of just working methodically through the coat.

How We Work Through It

• The Comb Is Boss. If the comb doesn’t go through to the skin, you’re not done. Doesn’t matter how good it looks on the surface.

• Tool Literacy. The brush isn’t just “a brush.” Different coats, different tools. Knowing why matters as much as knowing how.

• Confidence Before Speed. Brushing well is slow at first. And that’s fine. Speed comes naturally once your hands know what they’re doing.

• Hands-On Practice. There’s no substitute for actually feeling how a mat loosens, or how a coat parts cleanly when it’s brushed through.

Why Teaching It Matters

Here’s the thing: brushing isn’t a “one-and-done” skill. Students don’t learn it once and suddenly master it forever. They need to see it, hear it, do it, and then circle back and do it again. Sometimes a new explanation finally clicks. Sometimes it’s the fifteenth time their comb jams halfway down the coat before their brain goes: ohhhh, that’s why we section the hair.

That’s why reference materials and patience matter. Expecting students to nail brushing after one demo is like expecting someone to play piano after one lesson. They’re going to ask again. And again. And again. That’s not a flaw—it’s how learning works.

Why This Isn’t Just Busywork

Brushing is the backbone of grooming. Done right, it keeps skin healthy, prevents painful matting, and makes every future groom easier. Done wrong, it leads to “mystery tangles” that end in a shave-down—something neither the dog nor the owner usually wants.

So yeah, brushing is “basic.” But it’s also the skill that makes everything else possible. Teach it well, practice it often, explain it ten different ways if you have to. Because when it finally clicks, the comb glides through, the dog is comfortable, and your student realizes—hey, this isn’t magic. It’s just good brushing.

🐕 Next up? Fluff drying. Otherwise known as the moment every student realizes: “Oh. This is why groomers drink coffee by the gallon.