I'm overwhelmed and need a reality check

[JerZeeGin]

I feel like I'm in over my head.  The groomer I used for 15 yrs on my poodle told me she can only shave the doodle matts and there is no other reasonable choice.  So I researched posts here and elsewhere and decided to groom her myself, bought a ton of supplies that would work better on a doodle than what I had for my poodle: lespooch green brush and red matt zapper, ear powder, and andes grooming electric shears, and Cherrybrook natural grooming spray for tangles.  I also began giving her salmon oil (organic, wild) this week, and made and use the homemade lemon spray...her hair is a little shinier and slightly more silky but essentially no difference yet.

Here's the problem...essentially I have no qualms about grooming Ginger, but it takes me days to work through the matts and by the time i get to the tail, her head is matted again.  I can't even get her matt-free enough to use the shears.   So I hand trim with scissors, but that looks a bit hacked.  It's been two solid weeks of effort and I'm no better off than before I started,  and >$200 in the hole, and her hair keeps getting longer and matting worse with each week that goes by. 

So, I did more research and read about the magic of Isle of Dogs Rehab kit for detangling but i read found some comments on another site that there is too much fragrance in their products and I decided I don't want to mail order any of these products because I can't smell them first (I am allergic to a lot of fragrances).  And I thought what am I doing buying more products anyway, when absolutely nothing I've done has made any difference at all.  I can honestly see why my friend shaves her doodle 2 or 3x a year. 

 

Is there any common products that I can find in stores for me to smell? Should I use the trimmers right after I've dematted an area?  Sorry to sound so needy...but where am I going wrong?

 

Thanks,

Cathie

[Helen & Kirby]

Well, it does grow out.  I had to have Kirby cllipped really close last November too, and now its really long again---and she just hit that matting stage.   I combed every day and had groomings, and all was fine until suddenly-MATS AGAIN!  It just happens.  That coat change thing.  I guess its time for a trim.  Still don't have that stripping the puppy hair out thing figured out though. 

[2qnpolyp1871h]

i totally understand how you feel.

ava matts constantly. i rather keep her with the long hair but she has been shaved twice before (she is a little over 2). i will probably have to shave her again for the spring/summer because she loves swimming.

she pretty much matts every single day. i can spend one hour brushing her and i won't even be half done and she only tolerates it for so long. there are matts on her *all* the time. i can get the matts out with the lespooch brush as well but like you said, it does take awhile. 

 

i don't think she's had a whole body brushing done in one sitting since she was tiny. :p