Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
De-Matting Technique
I stumbled across this article internet surfing recently. I don't know about all the advice, but I really found the matt splitting to help me get through the numerous matts at this point in time. I think it was a lot less painful for Boze. Maybe some of you can find something helpful from this article as well. Although I have also heard that splitting matts can possibly cause even more matts??? Anyways, here is the article I found....
DE-MATTING TECHNIQUES by Barbara Bird
Dematting skill is something that is developed with practice over time, much like scissoring and styling. The following techniques are offered as a means of developing your skill in dematting. The more you utilize these techniques, the greater speed you will develop at achieving your result, with the least possible discomfort to the pet.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER - MAT SPLITTING
Splitting matted fur into smaller pieces is to dematting as holding the shears properly is to scissoring. It is your fundamental key to success. By slicing your matted area lengthwise into smaller pieces, you have a much better chance of untangling the hair. There is also less discomfort to the animal to have a small pieces of hair worked on rather than a large mass. One of the best tools for splitting mats is a plastic letter opener that looks like a business card, with a single tooth and a blade in the corner.
Mat splitting requires care and paying attention. Because you need to use a very sharp tool, there is always danger of slicing something besides hair. Watch out for edges of ears, folds of skin, and the tips of tails. Scissors can be used with great caution, ALWAYS working away from the skin. Never cut into mats with scissors pointing inwards to the dog.
Another way of dividing and conquering matting is to shorten the matted coat first. Using your rough out shears (an older, less valuable shears) roughly scissor off some of the length. This is especially effective on poodle or poodle mix coats. Oftentimes scissored off mats will brush apart after bathing on these coats. Just try it!
PICK, DON'T PULL
Most matted hair will break apart more easily if you use a picking action, rather than trying to pull a comb or rake through a hunk of hair. Correct picking technique is very similar to the technique we use to comb up hair in preparation to scissoring. You are lifting the tool in and out of the hair, not pulling through. Pick from the ends of the hair toward the skin, not from the skin out. Relax your wrist and get a sort of whipping action going. The objective of picking is to loosen the hair. Later you will get more separation with a comb.
ATTACK FROM THE SIDE
Once you have an area divided by splitting and loosened by picking, you can finish by combing through. I recommend you use a coarse comb and work from one side of a piece of matted hair rather than a front and center approach. If possible, hold the piece of hair in one hand and comb with the other. Holding the hair with your fingers between the part being combed and the skin will reduce discomfort to the animal. Release your hold to get the last bit of combing to the skin. Hopefully your picking loosened the hair from the skin.
SLIPPING N SLIDING
Products which make the hair slippery will ease the detangling efforts. There are plenty of different products to try. One of the most slippery products is Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine. Remoisturizers and thick conditioners work well used full strength. Less bad mats can be teased apart with aid from diluted spray-in conditioners. Some groomers do much of their dematting in the tub on a wet pet.
Grooming powders and even corn starch can lubricate the hair shaft for increased ease in tangle removing. Wear a paper mask if you choose this route, so you don't inhale a lot of powder as you work.
Silicone products such as The Stuff, Quicker Slicker, AbraCaDaBra and Best Shot coat each hair shaft with slick silicones. Silicone works best when it is dried onto the coat. It requires a leap of faith to trust that dematting will easier after the coat is bathed and dried.
BLOW IT OUT - THE USE OF AIR
Air flow can be used as an aid in untangling hair, either from a High Velocity dryer or a traditional stand/arm dryer. The action of the air serves to shake loose some of the hair that is woven together to form a tangle. In the case of more coarsely textured hair, much detangling can be done with air flow and splitting of larger areas. On finer coats, the use of air flow from an arm dryer while fluff drying will speed up dematting.
BATHING - THE USE OF WATER
Many groomers were trained with the admonition to never bathe a matted coat. It was cautioned that bathing would cause the matted fur to tighten its grip. This is true if the matted fur is not combed out after the coat is dried. Cleaning and conditioning a matted coat can often help to release the grip of tangles, and some products, such as the silicones mentioned above actually work best when dried into the coat. Avoid rubbing products into tangled hair, as rubbing can worsen the situation. Squeeze products through the coat and pat dry with towels. It is recommended that you do some mat splitting before the bath, thus insuring that your bathing will be thorough, products will be distributed, and hair thoroughly saturated. Big clumps can be difficult to penetrate.
TOOLS AND PRODUCTS
Find the tools and products that work best for you. For the purpose of splitting large matted areas, look for tools that have replacement blades. These tools are only as effective as they are sharp. Find out if you prefer the rake style or comb style mat tool. A V shaped comb is designed for picking technique. Try one. Look for a wide tooth comb or coarse comb. A teflon coated coarse-medium comb is great on small dogs such as Bichon, and a larger wooden-handled poodle comb is good for larger dogs. Many tools are coming out with ergonomic handles so that dematting need not be as stressful to the hands and wrists.
A pair of blending shears is also helpful for dematting. Blenders have one notched tooth blade and one straight blade. They can be used to break up mats or to cut out stubborn knots with less danger of slicing the dog or leaving a huge hole in the coat.
Detangling products are another personal choice. Basically these products do two things, they remove static electricity that causes the hair to cling together and they make the hair more slippery so that it will slide apart more easily with less breakage. Experiment with small quantities of several products until you find what you like. In trying out new products, always follow manufacturers instructions explicitly to give a product the best trial.
GO FOR IT!
By practicing and developing your dematting techniques, and by finding tools and products that work for you, you can gradually expand your ability and speed in dealing with a matted coat without harming yourself or the pet. You will be surprised at how much more dematting is possible Than you thought on many pets. Dematting can become a lucrative specialty service, similar to cat grooming or special needs grooming. As such, you can market yourself as a specialist and command an extra high fee.
You are also in control of determining on which animals and for which clients you choose to apply your special skills. You are not required to demat a screaming, hysterical dog who can't take it, or bail out a chronically neglectful client on an annual basis. By becoming a dematting specialist you can distinguish yourself from your competition. Your willingness to assess a client's pet for possible dematting and some expansion of your skills in this area will win you clients and loyalty.
BBird began grooming on the family Lhasa Apsos in the days before teddy bear trims or shorter cuts were acceptable. "Barbara! "Her mother would call, "Come help me untangle this mess!" For over 30 years she has advertised professional skills in dematting, gaining many devoted clients.
DE-MATTING TECHNIQUES by Barbara Bird
Dematting skill is something that is developed with practice over time, much like scissoring and styling. The following techniques are offered as a means of developing your skill in dematting. The more you utilize these techniques, the greater speed you will develop at achieving your result, with the least possible discomfort to the pet.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER - MAT SPLITTING
Splitting matted fur into smaller pieces is to dematting as holding the shears properly is to scissoring. It is your fundamental key to success. By slicing your matted area lengthwise into smaller pieces, you have a much better chance of untangling the hair. There is also less discomfort to the animal to have a small pieces of hair worked on rather than a large mass. One of the best tools for splitting mats is a plastic letter opener that looks like a business card, with a single tooth and a blade in the corner.
Mat splitting requires care and paying attention. Because you need to use a very sharp tool, there is always danger of slicing something besides hair. Watch out for edges of ears, folds of skin, and the tips of tails. Scissors can be used with great caution, ALWAYS working away from the skin. Never cut into mats with scissors pointing inwards to the dog.
Another way of dividing and conquering matting is to shorten the matted coat first. Using your rough out shears (an older, less valuable shears) roughly scissor off some of the length. This is especially effective on poodle or poodle mix coats. Oftentimes scissored off mats will brush apart after bathing on these coats. Just try it!
PICK, DON'T PULL
Most matted hair will break apart more easily if you use a picking action, rather than trying to pull a comb or rake through a hunk of hair. Correct picking technique is very similar to the technique we use to comb up hair in preparation to scissoring. You are lifting the tool in and out of the hair, not pulling through. Pick from the ends of the hair toward the skin, not from the skin out. Relax your wrist and get a sort of whipping action going. The objective of picking is to loosen the hair. Later you will get more separation with a comb.
ATTACK FROM THE SIDE
Once you have an area divided by splitting and loosened by picking, you can finish by combing through. I recommend you use a coarse comb and work from one side of a piece of matted hair rather than a front and center approach. If possible, hold the piece of hair in one hand and comb with the other. Holding the hair with your fingers between the part being combed and the skin will reduce discomfort to the animal. Release your hold to get the last bit of combing to the skin. Hopefully your picking loosened the hair from the skin.
SLIPPING N SLIDING
Products which make the hair slippery will ease the detangling efforts. There are plenty of different products to try. One of the most slippery products is Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine. Remoisturizers and thick conditioners work well used full strength. Less bad mats can be teased apart with aid from diluted spray-in conditioners. Some groomers do much of their dematting in the tub on a wet pet.
Grooming powders and even corn starch can lubricate the hair shaft for increased ease in tangle removing. Wear a paper mask if you choose this route, so you don't inhale a lot of powder as you work.
Silicone products such as The Stuff, Quicker Slicker, AbraCaDaBra and Best Shot coat each hair shaft with slick silicones. Silicone works best when it is dried onto the coat. It requires a leap of faith to trust that dematting will easier after the coat is bathed and dried.
BLOW IT OUT - THE USE OF AIR
Air flow can be used as an aid in untangling hair, either from a High Velocity dryer or a traditional stand/arm dryer. The action of the air serves to shake loose some of the hair that is woven together to form a tangle. In the case of more coarsely textured hair, much detangling can be done with air flow and splitting of larger areas. On finer coats, the use of air flow from an arm dryer while fluff drying will speed up dematting.
BATHING - THE USE OF WATER
Many groomers were trained with the admonition to never bathe a matted coat. It was cautioned that bathing would cause the matted fur to tighten its grip. This is true if the matted fur is not combed out after the coat is dried. Cleaning and conditioning a matted coat can often help to release the grip of tangles, and some products, such as the silicones mentioned above actually work best when dried into the coat. Avoid rubbing products into tangled hair, as rubbing can worsen the situation. Squeeze products through the coat and pat dry with towels. It is recommended that you do some mat splitting before the bath, thus insuring that your bathing will be thorough, products will be distributed, and hair thoroughly saturated. Big clumps can be difficult to penetrate.
TOOLS AND PRODUCTS
Find the tools and products that work best for you. For the purpose of splitting large matted areas, look for tools that have replacement blades. These tools are only as effective as they are sharp. Find out if you prefer the rake style or comb style mat tool. A V shaped comb is designed for picking technique. Try one. Look for a wide tooth comb or coarse comb. A teflon coated coarse-medium comb is great on small dogs such as Bichon, and a larger wooden-handled poodle comb is good for larger dogs. Many tools are coming out with ergonomic handles so that dematting need not be as stressful to the hands and wrists.
A pair of blending shears is also helpful for dematting. Blenders have one notched tooth blade and one straight blade. They can be used to break up mats or to cut out stubborn knots with less danger of slicing the dog or leaving a huge hole in the coat.
Detangling products are another personal choice. Basically these products do two things, they remove static electricity that causes the hair to cling together and they make the hair more slippery so that it will slide apart more easily with less breakage. Experiment with small quantities of several products until you find what you like. In trying out new products, always follow manufacturers instructions explicitly to give a product the best trial.
GO FOR IT!
By practicing and developing your dematting techniques, and by finding tools and products that work for you, you can gradually expand your ability and speed in dealing with a matted coat without harming yourself or the pet. You will be surprised at how much more dematting is possible Than you thought on many pets. Dematting can become a lucrative specialty service, similar to cat grooming or special needs grooming. As such, you can market yourself as a specialist and command an extra high fee.
You are also in control of determining on which animals and for which clients you choose to apply your special skills. You are not required to demat a screaming, hysterical dog who can't take it, or bail out a chronically neglectful client on an annual basis. By becoming a dematting specialist you can distinguish yourself from your competition. Your willingness to assess a client's pet for possible dematting and some expansion of your skills in this area will win you clients and loyalty.
BBird began grooming on the family Lhasa Apsos in the days before teddy bear trims or shorter cuts were acceptable. "Barbara! "Her mother would call, "Come help me untangle this mess!" For over 30 years she has advertised professional skills in dematting, gaining many devoted clients.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Connie on
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Lots of good advice, I am going to print this article out and put it in my "grooming suggestions" file. Thank you so much Terrie for sharing this with is. My Reily has not yet experienced a mat. I brush him daily, but i assume at some stage he will get the dredded mat. Especially when he switches from his big boy coat to an adult coat. Is this when most matting seems to start?
I was not at all aware of the silicone for dematting.
Connie -
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Permalink Reply by Jelane Hurst on
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Thanks so much Terri for the great info. Mocha seemed to get matted overnight. We comb her almost daily, but the mats seem to multiply and ger bigger overnight. She just turned 1 yr. end of Dec. Is this matting due to the switch over to adult coat? We didn't have a problem at all before this and only combed her a couple of times a week. Will this ever stop (matting)? Please, please tell me it will!!!!!
Jelane -
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Permalink Reply by Terrie Kaleta on
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Jelane, I wish I had an answer for you and me! My doodle is 10 months old. His mats started getting worse approximately 3 weeks ago. Like Mocha, I get through them and they are there again the next day. It is very frustrating. I can only hope that Boze is getting his adult coat and this will get better one day. I invested in about $150 of new grooming tools that I got over the internet and I think these will help the process be less painful for both the dog and I. I intend to try to scissor him down to 2 inches in the next day or two. I don't think I can do his legs very well though. That almost seems like artistry, and Boze does not exactly stand still for his grooming :o) I have an appointment scheduled with a groomer on Friday to "fix" any of my mistakes and to watch how she trims his legs. I love his long hair, but don't want to subject either of us to this long daily combing/de-matting/brushing ritual daily. I hope, once his adult hair has come in, that we can go back to longer hair and easier grooming. Hope this helps!
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Permalink Reply by Leslie and Halas on
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I think it will eventually stop, or at least get to the point where you can go back to your normal brushing schedule. I would guess that Mocha and Boze are losing their puppy coats. Halas went through it at around 10 months old. I ended up having to get a few mats shaved off, but since then, I've been brushing him about once per week, and then taking him to the groomer about every 5 or 6 weeks. I do brush tangles out whenever I find them, but that doesn't add up to more than a minute or 2 per day. At least, that's the system that was working for us until a couple of weeks ago. In one of the other grooming discussions, someone said their doodles seemed to blow their puppy coats twice- once around 10 months old and again at about 18 months old. Well, this seems to be what is happening with Halas, as he's just over 16 months old now. So we're back to matting overnight, but I'm hoping that it will again only last a few weeks. So there is hope. I think if you can just get through the next few weeks, you'll be fine until sometime this summer. And then you may or may not go through it again. I don't know if it happens with all doodles or not, but your descriptions seem to match about what Halas went through.
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Permalink Reply by Maryann,Roo and Tigger on
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Wow Thanks!
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