In September, Dyson introduced a new vacuum attachment designed for grooming pets. The attachment suite, called the Pet Grooming Kit, takes the traditional slicker brush design and reimagines it as a vacuum attachment that allows people to brush loose hair from their pet and directly into their vacuum .
We tested Dyson’s new pet grooming attachments on four animals — two cats and two dogs — and evaluated their humans to bring you this review.
Dyson’s Pet Grooming Kit is designed to remove your pet’s loose hair, dander and dead skin flakes and, according to Dyson, can be used on any pet that is used to grooming with a slicker brush. (Our pets would love to talk to Dyson about that statement.) The pet tool is compatible with Dyson’s cordless range.
The grooming brush has 364 slicker bristles that are angled at a 35-degree bend in an upright position while you brush; the tool can be used without a vacuum, then attached to the vacuum, post-grooming, to suck the hair. Dyson says its Pet Grooming Kit is acoustically engineered to make grooming more peaceful for your pet; here, again, our pets provide some challenge to that claim.
To use the tool, start by brushing your pet with the attachment only to ease them into their salon experience. Then, attach the brush to the flexible hose, which connects to the Dyson’s cordless base. Use your thumb to press the back of the brush, which expands the slicker bristles; after grooming, release your thumb to retract the bristles and allow the vacuum to suck your pet’s hair into the bin. Dyson’s tutorial video shows two people performing this operation: one to hold the animal and one to operate the vacuum.
The Dyson Pet Grooming Kit retails for $69.99; in accordance with Dyson’s return policy, a Dyson.com purchase may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of the delivery date.
Our human testers were equally impressed with the Dyson pet tool.
“Given how messy pet grooming can be,” says one person, “this is a genius design that allows you to do several things at once — catch dander and skin and excess hair, while also holding those strands with feathers as good.”
Testers found the setup easy and intuitive. Human reviewers also quickly identified a clever solution to reduce the effects of vacuum noise on more finicky animal reviewers. “I removed the brush from the vacuum,” said one person, and used it to brush her cat, “then reattached and used the Dyson to vacuum up the loose hair. It’s not the most convenient but at least you get some of the benefits of the tool.”
Overall, our testers praised the design and effectiveness of the Dyson Pet Grooming Kit. “The brush is cleverly designed, and definitely picks up more hair than any other brush I’ve used,” says one reviewer.
In contrast to their humans, the feline and canine reviewers we tapped for testing were less than enamored with the Dyson pet grooming attachment. Let’s get to know them.
- Phoebe is a domestic shorthair gray tabby cat with a sweet and loving disposition, shedding moderate amounts depending on the season. He loves regular brushing.
- Eartha is a very active little black cat who leaves furballs around the house and hair coatings on white furniture and linens. Eartha is not a fan of tidying up; she hates getting her nails cut, and is generally very skeptical of the vacuum cleaner.
- Millie is a 10-pound shitzu who is very sweet but not too bright. Millie is a senior rescue who suffers from noise anxiety – household appliances, in particular, really turn the old lady off.
- Big Tony is a 20-pound Yorkie and cancer survivor who loves to eat carrots and romance his father’s throw pillows. Tony is a no-shed dog, however he is experiencing significant fur loss after radiation treatment earlier this year. (He remains very handsome.)
Our feline testers, Phoebe and Eartha, strongly do not recommend the Dyson Pet Grooming Kit.
To make things easier for Phoebe, her man started by using the brush on her without attaching it to the vacuum, which she liked. But when the vacuum was introduced, things took off. “I brought the vacuum, and tried to vacuum and brush at the same time, that’s it hated. He doesn’t like the sound of the vacuum anymore so I think having it so close to him is a no-go.”
Eartha’s answer was more dramatic. “The first use really freaked him out,” said his man. “I tried to calm him down by just brushing him with the brush itself before turning on the vacuum, which he was happy about. However, I have to say once the vacuum is turned on, it’s game over.”
A canine tester had similar feedback: “Millie was scared to death because the Dyson is so powerful,” said her human. “I chase him around the house with it.”
Big Tony was the only animal among our testers to tolerate the grooming tool. A critical detail here is that Tony, who knows he is very attractive, generally enjoys being handsome; she behaves well when being washed and groomed, and always sits quietly and happily for brushing.
There were also some design flaws that our human testers noticed. Using the brush requires you to connect your thumb all the way to keep the bristles extended, and testers didn’t like this design. At the same time, the other hand activates the power trigger button, binding both hands to operate the machine and the attachment itself, and leaving no hand free to control the animal. The flexible hose is not long enough and also not flexible enough.
You know your pet and, after reading this review, you probably have a good idea whether Sir BarksALot or Lady Meowmalade will accept or reject the Dyson Pet Grooming Kit.
While your own assessment of your pet’s tolerance for this grooming tool will be the best gauge, Dyson has created a checklist to help pet parents determine if their tool is right for Fluffy or Fido.
- My pet has medium or long hair.
- My pet does not have a wool coat (for example, dog breeds with wool coats include the poodle, bichon frize and puli).
- My pet is considered an adult.
- I now use a slicker brush to groom my pet.
- I already own a Dyson vacuum and my pet doesn’t mind it.
- I have someone who can help me groom my pet, if needed.
- If I’m still not 100% sure that the pet groomer tool is right for me and my pet, I’ll talk to my vet or dog groomer before buying.
In general, this tool does not seem to be good for cats, or for dogs with noise anxiety. But for pets willing and able to suffer for beauty, we can confidently recommend the Dyson Pet Grooming Kit as a real game-changer for pet parents.
