First grooming/cut- a disaster

[nira rajavasireddy]

Laila had her first cut yesterday,and it was horrible. They claimed that she had a lot of mats and cut it really short. She looks like a skinny poodle! I do brush her, perhaps not every day, but at least 3 times a week and I bathe her every 3 weeks, myself. She has a fleece coat, and I couldn't feel any mats, when I brushed her. How can I prevent this from happening? I'd like to keep her coat long.

[Bonnie and Kona]

So many of us have been through this discouraging experience. I'm sorry, Nira. What I learned through the grooming group is that brushing is not adequate. I'm not sure how old Laila is, but she may be entering what is often described as "the dreaded coat change". At any rate, what you need to do is called line brushing. It is brushing and combing through the coat to get all the way to the skin. There are videos on YouTube that show you exactly what to do. I start with a small section, brush the hair in the opposite direction of growth and then take a bit at a time brushing down. When I have gone through that section, I comb through to be sure there are no tangles left. I am sure this will help you get control of the mats. The good thing about having her cut short now is that you can stay on top of the mats more easily as you

[Julie and Charlie]

Agreed, you need to get down to the skin. I use a comb rather than a brush, but that's my personal preference (and Charlie's!). Every other day, I get his mat-prone areas: ears, around the ears, face, bottoms of the legs, chest, armpits, inside of the his back legs, and his tail. And even then, I snip out mats! It happens, and I am fine with him looking shaggy!

I've never ever seen a mat on his back- there just isn't as much friction and movement there to cause mats. I do that about once a twice a week, and give it a once over with the comb- but it generally isn't a problem, and it's the biggest area, and is the shortest amount of time.

[Susan and Pippi]

How old is Laila? Is she shedding her puppy coat? Our Pippi is 16 months old now--there was a lot of matting between 9 and 14 months while the puppy coat was coming out and the adult coat was coming in. We finally had her cut very, very short. I brushed her, too, but I have since learned that I didn't brush too effectively. I didn't get rid of the mats--I was only brushing the surface, and the mats form near the skin.There's a lot of good information in this group about line brushing, which is what you have to do to keep mats away.

Now Pippi jumps up on her grooming table, because she enjoys her brushing routine. I have a lot of different grooming tools--a Les Poochs slicker brush, an undercoat rake, a comb with wide and close teeth, a pair of curved scissors, and a couple of mat breakers. I use them all. Pippi's coat is about 2 or 3 inches long now. I am fine with that, and I am fine with it a little shorter or a little longer--I think she's the softest, cutest dog I've ever seen. I do brush her every day. If I let it go for a day or two, the mats get big and hard to get rid of without cutting them out. She is most prone to mats around and on her ears, where her legs join with her chest and belly, and on top of her paws.

I know it was a shock to see Laila so sort, but please know that her coat will grow out again very soon, and, in the meantime, you will get used to seeing her look different. She will always be your adorable girl!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Yep...the only way for sure you are going to know you have all the tangles and mats out is to use a comb.  The brush doesn't get down deep enough even though Laila's coat looks pretty after you have brushed it.  It just takes care of the surface hair.  LIne brushing and combing are the best ways to go!

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley has a wavy fleece coat and I keep it long.  I brush him every other day and he is fully groomed every 2-3 weeks.  What I did find out is if he lays around after getting wet the wet areas seem to mat so I keep him moving or comb and brush him until he is almost dry after he goes into a pool or plays with the hose.   The other thing I think has made a big difference with his coat is the coconut oil which I put in his food every day.  I don't know if any of that will help you out but it has worked for me so thought I would pass it along.

[Dori Shults]

He is a beautiful boy!!!!! Yes I think coconut oil  does help quite a bit. Does he shed at all?

[nira rajavasireddy]

Thanks for everyone's response, I'll try the line brushing. Laila is 7 months so I don't think she's shedding her puppy coat.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Good luck, Nira. I'm sure line brushing will help a lot. 

[Marie Dennen]

I totally agree with the line brushing and combing. The comb should touch the skin and glide through. If it doesn't you are hitting matts and tangles. But if you can't keep up on the brushing and combing be honest with yourself and keep it short for the safety and comfort of your dog. Matting is progressive, it get worse over time. It pulls at the dogs skin and it can be uncomfortable. Think a really  pulled tight ponytail pulling at your scalp. It can get worse and prevent air circulation from getting to the skin. Bacteria can grow. Think wearing a couple of wool sweaters ALL the time. It just get tighter and thicker and more uncomfortable all the time.

[Dori Shults]

  I'm new to the list. We don't have a doodle yet, or I should say we have 7! It's our first litter. I am keeping one of the boys and am so excited! I have 3 female poodles and 1 retriever, 1 rescue Great Dane, 2 sheep dogs. It's a house full LOL I've been reading this with interest. We feed raw and I like the clean face so it keeps clean. But I love the doodle face, such personality. Does anyone here feed raw and how do you keep the face clean? I have been keeping our Sheep Dogs faces trimmed up but not shaven like a poodle.

I'm so sorry to hear of your grooming disaster :( I know that is very frustrating. Groomers have a tendency to get carried away, Our poodles have a casual puppy cut. Clean face,feet,tummy and rear. Every thing else is about 1" long. We have a great groomer but last time she painted toe nails! I thought hubby was going to go thru the roof lol I didn't care for it either. I'm going to start grooming them myself. I'm lucky as I have pretty good girls and hopefully they will be very patient with "mom" while she learns!

[F, Calla & Luca]

A reasonable and science based article on coconut oil:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/coconut-oil/