Best grooming tools for brushing and preventing mats

[Flora Wan]

I visited my vet today and the onsite groomer said that from her experience, my doodle will likely have a fairly woolly adult coat which means that it'll mat easily and is hard to manage. She is currently only 4-months-old and has a big fluffy white coat. The groomer even found a mat on top of her head and she got professionally groomed (by another groomer) just 5 days ago!

I've been trying to brush her every morning but now I'm worried that I'm not doing it right. I ordered the CC 16mm T-brush and a Poodle comb because I heard that these were good. I also have a pin brush at home which is the brush I've been using.

From your experience, what tools have you used that you found were best for brushing out your doodle and preventing mats in between grooming visits? Is there a specific way that you brush? Do detangler sprays work?

I'm so new to this that I don't even know what a mat feels like but I'll feel so bad if my puppy starts matting all over and it hurts her! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[Ann & Reggie]

Your pup look just like mine..until yesterday ( turning 9 months next week). I just had to shave him as he was all matted and I did not realize the extent. I knew he had some but he actually had a webbing under the mats that looked like a wig with tte pupppy fur attached. He was so long ans fluffy, just like yours. She said he is like a sheep..all wool. It took 5 hours adn they still need to do his head. I can barely recognize him as he look so skinny, but the head of a lion. His collars are too loose and he has lots of room in his crate!! I know this was best fo rhim but hard on me. What kind of comb do you use?

[Flora Wan]

Wow, they do look alike! I love the "sheep" look, too, but I know I won't be able to maintain it and keep it from matting : (

My groomer recommended that I do a complete shave (regardless of mats) when she's 1 year old because that's when the adult coat is coming out but the puppy fur is still stuck in there so the coat would be easily matted. The groomer also recommended that I keep the hair short and says that she'll still be cute but much easier to manage.

In terms of combs, I just ordered a Poodle comb (http://shop.bbird.biz/product.sc?categoryId=16&productId=104). I currently only have one comb that looks like this: http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-3763377t400.jpg

I've also ordered the Chris Christensen 16mm T-Brush (http://shop.bbird.biz/product.sc?categoryId=16&productId=72) which I'm sure is better than the pin brush I have now.

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

Those are great tools! And from a great groomer too! (Bbird is a shampoo guru!)

In terms of brushing technique, check out this video on “line brushing”. This is a great way to prevent matts and make sure that you are brushing all the way to the skin:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnandSully#play/uploads/12/szIij_zknNs

Barb also wrote a great post about brushing which you can read here:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/doodlegrooming/forum/topics/brush...

[Barb, Murphy, Emmet, & Hudson]

great video I just watched it!

[Park Mom]

Hmmm. I clicked on the link to the video, but it connected me to a video of a jack russell doing an agility course. If you have a chance, and if you see this, could you double check the link please? I am dying to learn how to take care of Bumble's coat!

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

That's weird, I got the same thing. Maybe the link was changed. Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIij_zknNs

[Mary Steward]

I want to thank sharon boo and cricket for including the link to the video. Would sure love to see more like this. Also, want to thank her for the link to Barb's other post. I had lost track of some of the ones that recommended which detanglers worked well. I have searched and mane and tail must be mail ordered, and the shipping was more than the product. So I looked up cowboy magic, and found a place that is supposed to carry it less than 15 mins from my house! So, Thank you so much, even if you believe this info may have been somewhere else on the site, refressing the info for us new folks is very kind of you all.

[Sharon, Boo & Cricket]

No problem! I'm happy to help! :)