How Often Should You Use a Deshedding Brush on a Lab? | Weekly Rule

The answer to how often you should use a deshedding brush on a Lab comes down to one rule: weekly. A true deshedding tool removes the loose undercoat that a Lab’s short double coat sheds year-round, but it’s a seasonal tool, not an everyday brush. Using it more than once a week risks cutting healthy topcoat hairs or irritating the skin underneath. For daily upkeep, a rubber curry brush handles the job between those weekly deshedding sessions.

The Weekly Deshedding Rule for Labs

A deshedding brush is designed to pull the loose undercoat from the dense bottom layer of a Lab’s coat. Several grooming sources recommend limiting a true deshedding tool to once a week at most, with light pressure and limited passes. One source advises no more than three passes over the same spot. That’s because the blades that grab undercoat can also snag and cut the longer topcoat hairs if you go over the same area repeatedly.

For most of the year, that once-a-week schedule keeps shedding under control. Between those sessions, use a rubber curry brush or grooming glove to collect surface hair and distribute skin oils. During the heavy spring and fall coat blows, when Labs shed their undercoat in clumps, you can step up your overall brushing frequency to daily—but the deshedding tool itself is still commonly kept to weekly use, supplemented by daily curry-brush sessions.

What Does a Lab Shedding Schedule Look Like?

Labs shed year-round, but the volume spikes twice a year during seasonal “coat blows.” Here’s the typical rhythm groomers recommend:

• Normal season: Brush once or twice a week with a curry brush or deshedding tool.
• Spring and fall coat blow: Brush daily or every other day, using short sessions.
• Professional grooming: A full groom every 6–8 weeks, or every 4–6 weeks during heavy shedding.
• Session length: Keep shedding-season sessions to 5–15 minutes rather than one long aggressive pass.

The key is short, consistent sessions during peak shedding, not one marathon brush-out once a month. Daily 10-minute sessions will collect far more loose undercoat than a single hour-long session that leaves the skin raw.

How to Brush a Lab Without Damaging the Coat

The technique matters as much as the frequency. The American Kennel Club’s grooming guidance for Labrador Retrievers recommends brushing before a bath to remove debris and loose hair first. Use the curry brush or rake in small circular motions to work through the undercoat, then finish by brushing with the grain of the coat to smooth the topcoat.

If you’re brushing before a bath, keep in mind that Labs should only be bathed every 4–8 weeks depending on activity level. Overbathing dries out the skin and can actually make shedding worse, so let the brushing do the heavy lifting on loose hair.

The most common mistake owners make is treating a deshedding tool like an everyday brush. A rubber curry brush can be used a few times a week without issue; a bladed deshedding tool should not. Overuse can cut healthy hair, damage the topcoat, or irritate the skin—all of which make the coat look worse, not better.

One more thing to avoid: shaving. Labs have a double coat that insulates them in both heat and cold. Shaving disrupts that natural protection and can permanently damage how the coat grows back. The deshedding brush is the right tool for the job, not clippers.

For a rundown of the tools that earned top marks in our hands-on testing, see our roundup of the best deshedding brush for Labs.

This guidance applies specifically to Labrador Retrievers and other short double-coated breeds. Single-coated or long-coated dogs like Poodles or Yorkies have completely different coat care needs and should not be brushed on this schedule.