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Hog hair
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With oils or acrylics? For the latter, I'd stick to your synthetics on the whole - although a hog can give textures which are hard to get with most synthetics, by virtue of the toughness (or scratchiness) to which you refer. As for prepping them - they hardly need any: most of them are fit for use right out of the shop, but just run a finger over the bristles and see if they spring back together and don't clump. If they do clump, then give them a wash in plain soap and tepid water first, leave 'em to dry lying on their side or hanging with the bristles down but not touching anything.
Always worth getting the best quality you can with any brush, but especially with hogs: they're almost bound to shed a hair or two at first, but then so do I and I still have a full head of hair despite the relentless advance of time.... they settle down eventually.