How to Use a Pet Grooming Glove (and Choose One)

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A pet grooming glove is a glove or mitt covered in soft rubber or silicone nubs. You stroke your dog or cat as if petting them, and the nubs lift loose hair and dirt from the coat. Many pets that dislike a brush will accept one. This guide covers which coats a glove suits, how to choose one, how to use it on dogs and cats, how to keep it clean, and the one glove in our catalog.

How we wrote this: brushing advice comes from the American Kennel Club, VCA Animal Hospitals, International Cat Care, PetMD and the ASPCA’s dog and cat grooming pages, checked on 31 October 2026. Hands-on notes come from three TV station tests: KFVS12 (January 2017), WKBW (January 2018) and WTKR (February 2019). We found only one glove with a hands-on test, a current maker page and an independent Amazon listing, so this is a how-to with one linked pick rather than a ranked list. We did not test these gloves ourselves, and we do not show prices or ratings.

What a grooming glove does well, and where it falls short

The AKC groups grooming mitts with rubber brushes: short, flexible rubber bristles that massage the skin and bring dirt and loose hair to the surface. It says rubber brushes are best for short-coated dogs, because the bristles will not get through long or thick coats, and that a soft rubber grooming mitt that fits on your hand will also remove dead hair and dirt. VCA Animal Hospitals likewise lists flexible grooming gloves as a good choice for smooth-coated dogs such as pointers and boxers.

So a glove is a good everyday tool for:

• Short, smooth coats on dogs and cats.
• Pets that dislike brushes. At the KFVS12 test, doggie daycare provider Stacy Busch-Heisserer said some dogs do not like a brush at all, because of the handle or the noise it makes.
• Bath time, to work shampoo through the coat (see below).
• A finishing pass after a comb or brush has done the deeper work.

It is not the right tool for mats, tangles or a thick double coat. For those, the ASPCA recommends a slicker brush for tangles and, for long coats, daily attention (ASPCA). See our best dog brush, best deshedding tool for dogs and best cat brush for shedding guides.

How to choose a pet grooming glove

• Nub material. Look for soft, rounded rubber or silicone tips. The AKC describes rubber bristles as short and flexible; nubs that feel sharp or stiff on the back of your own hand are not what a glove is for.
• Five fingers or a mitt. A five-finger glove lets you work around legs, paws and the face. At the KFVS12 test, the tester said she could grip all the way around a dog’s leg while scrubbing. A mitt is simpler to put on and off.
• Fit and strap. A glove that slides around will tire your hand and miss hair. Check the maker’s size chart, and look for a wrist strap or a snug cuff. At the WKBW test, a staff member at the SPCA of Erie County said of a hook-and-loop strap glove: “It’s snug, which is good.”
• Wet or dry use. If you want to use it in the bath, choose one the maker says works wet. Busch-Heisserer noted that “a lot of brushes don’t work on wet hair.”
• Easy cleaning. Hair should peel off the nubs, and the glove should be washable. HandsOn, for example, says to hand wash and air dry (HandsOn FAQ).
• Latex. If anyone in your home reacts to latex, check the material. HandsOn says its gloves contain no latex rubber (HandsOn FAQ).

How to use a grooming glove on a dog

1. Pick a calm moment. PetMD says brushing sessions for a puppy should be short and pleasant, and suggests choosing the spot by how much hair you expect, such as a mat, a table or outdoors.
2. Stroke with the coat. Pet your dog from head to tail in the direction the hair grows, the way iCatCare describes for cats, with a light touch. The AKC warns that pressing down hard with a brush can cause discomfort.
3. Peel off the hair as it builds up, then keep going over the back, sides, chest and legs.
4. Check the skin as you go. The AKC says brushing gives you the chance to notice anything unusual, such as cuts or sore spots.
5. Follow with the right brush if your dog has a longer or double coat. For a smooth, short coat, the ASPCA suggests brushing once a week, using a rubber brush to loosen dead skin and dirt and then a bristle brush to remove dead hair.

Using a glove in the bath

VCA advises brushing your dog thoroughly before a bath to remove as much loose hair as possible, and the glove is a gentle way to do it. In the bath, a glove made for wet use can help work shampoo through the coat. At the KFVS12 test, Busch-Heisserer scrubbed shampoo into a long-haired retriever mix’s coat with HandsOn gloves and said she found more hair came off in the bath than she expected. Use a shampoo made for pets; the ASPCA says some human shampoos can irritate a pet’s skin. For how often to bathe, see how often to bathe a dog.

How to use a grooming glove on a cat

International Cat Care includes a rubber grooming pad or mitten in its basic kit for both shorthaired and longhaired cats. Its routine for a shorthaired cat, groomed at least once a week:

1. Start when your cat is relaxed and happy.
2. Use a fine-toothed flea comb first to check for flea dirt. If you find any, iCatCare says to speak to your veterinary team about flea control.
3. Brush or comb gently from the head toward the tail, in the direction the hair grows.
4. Then use the rubber glove or pad from head to tail to remove dead hair.

For longhaired cats, iCatCare advises grooming at least daily with a wide-toothed comb first, then the rubber mitten, and taking extra care under the armpits and between the hind legs, where the skin is very thin. A glove does not remove mats. iCatCare warns against cutting mats out with scissors, because it is hard to see where the skin ends; severe mats may need your veterinary team.

Keep sessions as short as your cat is comfortable with. iCatCare says they should end before your cat shows any discomfort and finish on a positive note with praise. If grooming is a struggle, stop and try again later with smaller goals. The ASPCA adds that if a cat fights grooming and someone could get hurt, book a professional groomer or your vet instead. For bath time, see how to bathe a cat.

When to stop and see your vet

Stop grooming that area if your pet’s skin looks red, sore, broken or scabby, or if your pet flinches or cries when you touch a spot. The ASPCA lists skin irritation, including redness, bumps, rashes or scabs, as signs to consult your veterinarian (ASPCA dog grooming tips), and among the symptoms of skin problems in cats it lists scabs, redness or inflammation, and swellings, lumps or skin discoloration (ASPCA cat grooming tips). A glove is a grooming tool, not a treatment; if you find something unusual, ask your vet.

How to clean a grooming glove

• Peel or flick loose hair off the nubs after each pass. WTKR’s tester said hair from the True Touch glove “lifted right off of the glove without making a mess.”
• Wash the glove after use, especially after a bath or if your pet has a skin problem. Follow the maker’s care label; HandsOn says to hand wash and air dry.
• Let it dry fully before storing it, and keep one glove per pet if one has a skin condition your vet is treating.

The grooming glove we list

HandsOn Grooming Gloves are five-finger gloves with scrubbing nodules on the fingers and palms. The maker says they work wet or dry, will not slip off when wet and soapy, and release hair with a flick of the wrist. They come in five sizes from Junior to X-Large, and the maker says they are made of nitrile, PVC and nylon with no latex rubber (HandsOn; HandsOn FAQ). The maker’s own site blocks automated checks, so we read it through a Wayback Machine copy from 30 September 2026.

In KFVS12‘s January 2017 test at a doggie daycare, a beagle mix that usually dislikes brushing stayed calm while the fur was flying, and the tester liked them for scrubbing a long-haired dog in the bath. That is the only hands-on test of this glove we found, and it is several years old. The station did not say whether the gloves were a maker sample. We matched the glove to its Amazon listing through BestReviews‘ grooming glove guide.

Named without links

These gloves had a hands-on test or a mention in a guide, but we could not confirm a current maker page and an independent Amazon listing for them, so we name them without links:

• True Touch Five Finger Deshedding Glove: WTKR‘s February 2019 test found it worked as promised and seemed to work better for short-haired pets.
• An unbranded hook-and-loop “Pet Grooming Brush Glove”: WKBW tested it at the SPCA of Erie County in January 2018 on a cat and a beagle, and it took hair off both easily. The station did not name a brand.
• Delomo and PetFusion grooming gloves: picks in BestReviews’ research-based guide, with no hands-on test we could find.

FAQ

Do pet grooming gloves really work?

For loose hair on short, smooth coats, yes. The AKC and VCA both list rubber mitts or grooming gloves for removing dead hair and dirt from short-coated dogs, and all three TV station tests we found reported the gloves worked on loose hair. They do not get through long or thick coats or remove mats, so pair one with the right brush or comb.

Are grooming gloves good for cats?

Yes. International Cat Care includes a rubber grooming pad or mitten in its grooming kit for both shorthaired and longhaired cats, used after a comb to remove dead hair.

Is a grooming glove better than a brush?

Not better, different. A glove is gentle and suits short coats and pets that dislike brushes. A slicker brush, pin brush or comb is needed for tangles, long hair and double coats, per the ASPCA and AKC.

Can you use a grooming glove on a wet dog?

Some gloves are made for it. HandsOn says its gloves work wet or dry, and the KFVS12 tester used them to scrub shampoo into a dog’s coat. Check the maker’s instructions for the glove you have.

How often should I use a grooming glove?

Follow your pet’s coat type. The ASPCA suggests weekly brushing for smooth, short-coated dogs, and iCatCare suggests grooming shorthaired cats at least once a week and longhaired cats at least daily.

For more, read the dog and cat grooming buying guide, how to use a dog grooming table and best cat brush for shedding.