HELP!!!!!

[jean lacey]

Good morning,
I am having a real problem keeping the mats out of my boys fur. I brush him and comb them out almost on a daily basis. His fur is probably about 3-4 inches long right now and the longer it gets the dryer it looks and harder it is to deal with. I`ve read a lot of web-sites and am a little confused about products to use, ( shampoo) and brushes and combs too?!?!?! Any help out there? PLEASE!!

Thanks,
Jean

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas' hair is pretty long, and it mats pretty easily, too. In July (10 months old), the groomer had to shave off a few mats, but the rest of his fur was long enough to cover up the shaved spots. Since then, I check him every day for tangles or mats, and I try to brush or comb them out right away. He also gets groomed about every 5 weeks, but it's just a bath, brushing, and some trimming around the eyes, ears, feet, and privates. I have the Cowboy Magic detangler, but I've only used it a couple of times so far. It seems to work well. I also have another spray-on conditioner, but I can't remember the name of it right now. It works well, too. Basically, I brush tangles out when I find them, and brush him completely every 7 - 10 days. That has really helped keep the mats away.

I think his puppy coat was a big cause of the problem in June/July, because it's been much easier to keep up with the brushing since then. Before then, I could brush him out, and he'd have a mat about 10 minutes later. But now, he doesn't mat so quickly. Hopefully, that's the case with your doodle. Maybe he's just going through a coat change, and if you can stick with it for a little while longer, maybe the matting will get better.

My groomer told me she uses conditioner on him, and besides making him easier to brush after his bath, it's supposed to keep working long after that to keep his fur from tangling. So I'm sure that's helping, too. Maybe your groomer has something similar that they can try.