I use a rake and pin brush. I have my dogs lay on the floor, on their side. I sit beside them and laying the tail flat on the floor, brush or rake the fur straight down from the tail. It works just like brushing out long hair on a person. Starting at the end of the fur, farthest from the actual "tail" and working your way up to the "tail". I also don't use any condiitoners on them and only wash them with baby shampoo. My Tibetan, Caucasian and Jake, the pyr, all have the same type of tails, with that same stiff, long fur. The Caucasian's is the worst of the bunch and matts up if you look at it. She still has the really dry, horrible hair on her tail that she came with. Everywhere else, the fur has come back in nice, soft and silky, other than her tail. I try to brush them at least every other day, if not every day, but if I get busy and miss a few times, it takes a while to get it all done.