Matted ears

[Gail & Bogey]

I'm so upset. Just took Bogey to be groomed (new groomer). He told me his ears are so matted they are going to have to be shaved. I thought I had been doing good combing them out but apparently I had been combing over the matted hair and just combing the top hair. He said golden doodles need to be combed every time their hair gets wet or it mattes. I usually comb him a couple times a week, guess that's not enough. I'm really afraid to see him when I pick him up.

[Tracey & Spike]

That's so strange! You wouldn't think there would be enough hair on his ears to matt that bad. With your grooming you would have felt a hard patch on his ears wouldn't you? I'm new to owing a dood (a puppy in general actually) so I'm just getting into it. If this does happen to dood ears I'm going to have to really watch for it. It does seem strange though.... I wonder if the groomer is just lazy :(

Just remember.. no matter what happens... hair grows back. Or so other people have been saying to each other in the grooming group.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Aww poor baby doodle. But as said before the hair will grow back. Seems we have to be so super diligent or a matt magically appears. How old is Bogey?

I wonder if the matt was where the ear meets his head. I remember this being a problem with a cocker we had before.

[Gail & Bogey]

He's 12 months. I just combed his ears yesterday and I thought they were good! This is my first dog so guess I have some learning to do.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Me too! That's why I was curious. Good luck. When do you get to pick up your doodle baby?

[Vivian & Mojo]

My Doodles hair on his outer ear and under the ear flaps will matt and since my groomer recommended combing with a metal comb he hasn't had any bad enough to shave. The slight matts he does get I comb out with a de-matting comb but best I comb his ears often like at least 3x a week..

[Wanda Klomp]

You can use the metal comb that Vivian is talking about on the ears, because you don't want to blow the ears with the Doodle Blaster and hurt the insides. If you do blow them dry, always hold your hand against the ear canal to prevend air from getting in. But is is always better to brush first and then use the comb to check if all the tangles are gone.

You don't want to pull on the hairs and make your Doodle uncomfortable ;-)

Stopping now ;-)

[Janice Sutherland]

That sounds very strange. Mats in the long ear hairs are not difficult to work out with the right equipment, even when they are really tight. Just takes some time and gentle persuasion. I generally brush my doodles once a week (maybe) and they get wet all the time. Maybe during the spring shed they will need more brushing.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I think most professional groomers don't want to take the time to do thorough dematting. It is really time consuming. The ears are one place in particular that is very susceptible to matting, and they are difficult to detect. I use the line method of brushing, even on the ears. That's really the only way to find all the mats that hide on and around the ears. The mats are usually very close to the skin of the ear flap.

[Marie Dennen]

I am willing to take the time to dematt. However when I explain my rate for dematting is a dollar a minute (60$ an hour over and above the cost of the groom) and it adds time to how long I have to keep the dog for and might mean multiple visits, I find many customers are not willing to pay that or put that much time into it. I am usually able to meet somewhere in the middle with people. Most people want a quality cut for a reasonable price done in a timely manner. To provide that kind of service to all the customers, one cannot be spending a disproportionate amount of time on a severely matted dog. It is also really not right to put a dog through a lengthy dematting session. I encourage regular appointments to keep the coat healthy and easy to maintain. Better for the dog, the owner and the groomer. Prevention is key. Matted, pelted ears can result in serious complications, the leather can tear, the skin can get brush burned from all the excessive brushing it takes to get it out. Which nobody should be doing anyway but the technique it takes to avoid this can be extraordinarily time consuming.  Also when they do need to be shaved because of the pelting, hematomas can form at the end of the ear leather  because when the excessive matting comes off the dog feels funny and flaps his ears over and over. All of this can be prevented by not allowing matts to form in the first place. A good groomer knows these things and if i she recommended shaving the ears, my guess is they were in a condition that shaving them was the safest most comfortable thing to do for the dog. The hematomas can be prevented by cutting a sock at the end to make it open on both ends and putting it over the dogs head until the urge to flap passes. Again prevention is key. Be nice to your groomer, don't get mad at the butcher because you burned the bacon.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Argh!  lost the post...

Gail, this stuff happens and it will grow.  Ears are a common matting area in my experience (as is tail and underarms and where hip joins belly).  What you need to do is figure what Bogey's 'problem' areas are and make sure that you brush/comb these areas more often. First you brush, then you comb.  I have to do both the top and underside of Ned's because his coat is so thick.   You also need to use the correct products.  My new favorite comb:  http://www.theuntangler.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=67   I prefer the  LesPoochs brush which is currently out of production but here is a 'knock off that works pretty well:  http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-products/flexible-slicker-brush....

[Gail & Bogey]

Wasn't as bad as I had thought. He managed to keep quite a bit of hair on his ears and even though the rest is short, he's still cute. Took him to an outdoor concert tonight and several people stopped to tell me how cute he was.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

He is still cute!!! Glad it turned out good. But I am jealous you were able to go to an outdoor concert. I was personally just excited our temps got out of the 40's today