Help with brushing and matting, Behavior and Size. Please!!

[Momma Doodle]

Mosley is 9 months old. We got him at 6 months and he was a mess, they had to shave him down to his skin basically. We brush him daily with a slicker type brush and I have a few other brushes we use as well. He swims weekly, he will spend hours and hours in the water. He hunts with my husband and always has burrs and twigs all over him. He is matted on his chest, where his armpits rub and on the inside of this legs. His face and ears are also prone to matting, I had to cut places out of him and shave his beard a bit. 

This is the day we got him, he was so neglected. He was 6 months old. I have no pictures without the kids, sorry. 

 

 

Here he is after grooming and being shaved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here he is now

 

Here he is wet

 

 

How do I stop the matting? His hair is so much shorter than some of the others I see here and I love the longer hair (except for the beard which is always soaking wet!) He does well with brushing but I am afraid I will hurt his skin if I brush him any harder. He is going to the groomer today (or tomorrow) and I want him to stay looking nice. 

 

He also knew nothing when we got him at 6 months. We are working on training at home daily and he only knows Sit, Shake and walks pretty good on a leash. Nothing else. He gets in the trash, gets on the counters, doesn't come when called, etc. He is the best dog ever with our kids and you couldn't ask for a sweater boy but he is dumber than a rock. Cute as can be but has no manners. We are not first time dog owners, our old lab passed away at 15 and our older girl is 9, both were so well behaved. Moe is just naughty. I am a stay at home mom so I am always with him. When we are gone he hangs out outside (we have a very secure yard, an acre, fully fenced.) He does have a crate but he has outgrown it. I have to get him better before winter, I don't want to leave him inside while I am gone. 

 

And lastly, when will he stop growing!?!? I never expected him to be  this big. He is 9 months old, weighs 79 pounds and is still growing. His paws are as big around as the palm of my hand. He is just huge as can be. He dwarfs our 100 pound yellow lab.  

Here he is with my 7yo dd. They are both sitting. 

Thanks for any and all responses! I wanted a Laberdoodle forever, he fell into our laps and I am so happy we have him. He is just such a handful! 

 

 

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

I love him, favorite picture is the one in the water...typical kid's look on his face.  I don't have any thing to add to what has been said, I just love his look.

[Deborah Brown]

I can sympathize.  Two of my doodles have baby fine hair and get matted easily.  If I catch it early, I will brush it out.  Otherwise, I just cut out the mats.  Hair grows back and I'm not going to torture them by pulling on the hair for hours.  I'd keep the problem areas short.  For me that's behind the ears and inside of the legs.

Your groomer would be the best one to ask as she has seen Mosley's hair up close.

The first picture reminds me of when we got Wayne.  I spent a lot of time grooming and bonding.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

He is so regal and gorgeous!  Good advice here already so just wanted to say to enjoy your boy and that I agree- smart as a fox! 

[Heather & Brinkley]

My groomer recommended the Martha Stewart Slicker brush and comb found at PetSmart.  I was not using the correct tools before hand and those have made a huge difference after getting them last week.  I wish I would have bought them a long time ago for in between grooming times.  Good luck!

 

[Moe]

I finally broke down and got a Les Pooch brush. It looks exactly like some of the brushes I already had so I put it off. I thought how different could it be from the cheaper version? It was the best $ I've spent on a dog product. I have no idea why it is so much better but it just is. It cuts brushing time in less than half and gets all the way down to the skin without bothering the dog. I got mine on ebay for less than retail. I got the wide version of this one. There have been a ton of discussions here on Les Pooch brushes. Just search the name.