1year old with mats groomer wanting to shave..but wondering what to do with winter approaching??

[Tamela, Rick & REILLY]

Reilly is 1 year old and matted the groomer said that she would probably need to shave him , appt next week. But I'm wondering what to do with the cold months aheads..can a dog get a cold? I know I can get him a doggie coat..but I don't want him to get sick.Has anyone shaved their doodle during the winter months ??

[Nancy Cavanaugh]

Where do you live? Has the temperature dropped really low? If Reilly is that matted - he'll need to be shaved - you can ask to stay at 1/2" if possible - it will grow in pretty quickly. Better now then January. When you take him out - he'll be moving and should be fine. Certainly if he is shivering - which I wouldn't expect unless it is below freezing by you - I don't think you'll need a coat. But I happen to like a rain coat - it really helps me keep Koji dry and saves on the rub downs in the snow and rain.

[Tamela, Rick & REILLY]

I live in Illinois and today it was 20 outside ..didn't think about January and being colder..I'll try and fine him a rain coat..thanks for all your great ideas!!

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

Can you brush the matts out?

[Chris & Boys]

I am going through the same thing. Fozzy is starting to mat a bit. I don't want to cut him until I get a good outdoor picture for the Christmas cards. So I have been pretty vigilant about checking him for mats every day and working them out. But, as soon as I get the perfect shot, he is going to the groomer. It has started to get cold here now, today's high is only supposed to be 26, so I will only get him cut down to about 1", which means it will be growing back way too fast! So, if I were you I would get him cut before it gets too cold otherwise the mats may get to unruly and you may have to get him shaved.

[Penny, Comiskey & Beemer]

Just got Beemer cut...the groomer said the fur on his back legs was 8" long!....It's like he developed mats overnight....every day I would brush and cut...brush and cut...brush and cut...finally I though he deserved to look his best for the holidays...so off to the groomer...she cut him down to about 3/4".....but I swear the fur grew about 1/4" in 10 days....he still looks a little unruley...but he is a whole lot happier...the groomer said by January...his coat will be fine for out doors....(I make him a coat anyway)....good luck....

[Tamela, Rick & REILLY]

Thanks for your imput..hopefully I can get him cut to 3/4 like you did Beemer..I just feel awful he plays with a couple other pups in the neighborhood..and when they play he gets the mats..they just got out of hand overnight..I know how I feel when my hair gets tangled and it hurts I tried to get the mats out ..but their too big and I felt bad pulling on him I'll let you know how it goes next week with the groomer

[Leslie and Halas]

It really is literally overnight with these guys, too. I could spend over an hour brushing Halas at night, check him very closely for matts and tangles, find nothing, go to bed, and wake up to more tangles and matts. It was crazy. Halas is a little over 2 now, and it's definitely getting better. So getting Reilly cut shorter will definitely help, and then it will be easier to keep up with and take less time to brush though. If he seems cold, you can get him a coat. But Halas and a lot of other doodles I've heard of just love the snow and cold weather, so Reilly might not mind it that much.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I am convinced doodles like to be naked. Poodles have short hair cuts in winter and have no problem with the weather. Resistance to cold has as much to do with conditioning to cold as the coat length. We all need to develop a layer of brown fat to keep us warm. Dogs and people. This is not to be confused with the other kind of fat that we wish we didn't have. I let my dogs sleep in a cool room so there is not as much difference between inside and out. It is often around 14 here and sometimes a lot colder. That's -10 for my fellow Canadians. As long as the dog is moving around he will be fine. It would be different if you left him in a car or something like that.

[laurie lehr]

I don,t like Jasper shaved down either,but if you can use a thinning shear underneath the matt and brush out in sections. Jasper is always hot , no need for jackets for him