HELP! 3 INCH WADS OF MATTS!

[Sine]

Seems like 71/2 month old Joey develped very large matts that feel like 3-4 inch chunks of matted hair that go clear up next to his skin on his legs overnight. There is no way I can do anything about them at home. Plus, I totally don't have any experience with this subject matter besides reading stuff online and on DK which I really wished I did more of before he got to this matting stage. It is obvious I need to take him to the groomers which I am really reluctant to do because I love his coat but what can they do for the matts? Will they shave his whole body? Or just the matted areas? Or demattify him? What should I ask for? I am so sad because I feel like I have been a very irresponsible momma for allowing this to happen!

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

You have limited options

Unfortunately if you go to a groomer they will shave him down, from nose to toe! You may only think he has the 1 or 2 large matts but if he has matts that large his entire undercoat is probably already matted too and you just dont know it.

You can cut through the matts with a pair of scissors in a vertical motion, then brush them out at home.

It is very important that you dog be brushed weekly to keep matts at bay. I start by brushing an area then I comb. If I cant get the comb through the coat and all the way down to the skin then there is a matt and I need to keep brushing. I have some very thick coated dogs and I can get the comb through them.

[elyse]

Don't feel bad about this, I did the same thing with my standard poodle when we first got her. It only happens once and then you learn. I thought I was doing such a good job brushing her and then overnight at around 7 months she got all these matts starting on her legs. We had to have her shaved all the way down, like a lamb, and when my daughter showed her at our county fair no one knew what kind of dog we had. I've done much better with my doodle but that's only because I learned the hard way. It does grow back, I promise.

[Sine]

Thanks! Do you remember how short they shaved your standard poodle? Did the whole process hurt her around the matted areas?

[Loreta Janca]

Rusty had gotten pretty matted too. I thought I was doing such a good job brushing, but I just wasn't getting close enough to the skin. I should have been combing him, too. The groomer went over some options, but ultimately, shaving him was the best decision. She saved the fur on his head and face, and left his tail shaggy, but the rest was shaved. It's been a little over a month since then and his curls and waves are starting to grow out again. Shaving him at this point is probably the best option. It's not the worst thing in the world. It grows back fairly quickly and is less work than trying to get them out on your own. Good Luck.

[Maggie Mae (n Mom, Kay)]

When I try to brush my 7 month old she is very mouthy and unruly! I don't have a grooming table or any good way to keep her still. Any suggestions?

[Kyoko]

I give mine a Kong filled with her favorite stuff. When she is enjoying this, she lets me do anything.
Otherwise, she does not like to be combed certain areas like feet and under her ears.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

yes actually just dont feed her during the day, when it time to brush her feed in small bits and she will stay still for you.

[Connie]

I recently had Reily trimmed down to 1 inch. I loved his long hair, but I decided to choose to have his hair cut short to try to avoid matts. Reily is the same age as Joey, and his hair is starting the change from puppy hair to adult hair and I found it very difficult to keep him combed down to his skin. I did have good success using Cowboy Magic detangler, which I purchased at my local farm store, it is a horse product, but works great on dogs. From cowboymagic.com you can find locations where it is available. My plan is to let Reily's hair grow out long again and use Cowboy Magic on a regular basis.

Reily does seem to like his new shorter haircut now that weather is a bit warmer!

[Rae]

Please do not feel bad about this! The same thing happened to our Rozee at 9 months of age and we had been brushing and combing her daily but it seemed like overnight we had the mats from hell show up. We have a wonderful groomer but she's in Newberg - a little far for you to drive, I'm sure. We purchased an undercoat comb and a mat-breaker and both have really helped with the undercoat and removing mats. If all else fails - very carefully cut the darn mats out! Hope to see/meet you at the next Portland Doodle Romp!

[elyse]

They had to shave my standard right down to her skin, but I'm sure it hurt a lot less than trying to get out the matts even if they could. I promised myself I would never let that happen again. I give Harley a chew and brush her a couple of times a week now. I bought the cowboy magic which does seem to help and it smells nice too. Also I'm going to get a Les Pooches brush because I heard a lot of good things about it.

[Susan Dodgson]

I have had the same problem several times. I want to prevent shave down at all costs but my groomer won't listen. I have even sat there while she groomed her and tried to help at which point she only shaved the matts.looks pretty funky,but I prefer that to shave down. I took a picture with me to get a little shorter cut til I learned to handle the matt situation. She totally ignored my request and shaved her. Three years and I am finally in search of a doodle groomer in NE Pensylvania. anybody have any ideas? By the way I had problems with matts in spite of daily brushing, but I am now learning that I have not been doing it correctly. Thanks out there!

[Janie]

Try one of the best tools I have found for splitting mats it is a plastic letter opener that looks like a business card, with a single tooth and a blade in the corner. It works like magic...be careful and to not slice you dog...use it like a pick.