Playing in the snow and what it does to her coat.... :(

[Julie and Maggie]

Hey everyone, 

Help me figure out what to do next time... :)

We spent a week in Tahoe. I had her groomed the week before and I believe Maggie (18months) was pretty matt free. Maggie LOVED romping around in the snow. It was very powdery conditions. This is where I think I messed up... since we were in a rental house I was hesitant to brush her out too much because even though I try to clean up I didn't want to leave those furry dust bunnies around. So she got brushed out maybe once. It wasn't until we got home though that I realized just how matted she had become. And it wasn't until her grooming appointment a couple days later that I got even more just how matted she was. I pleaded with her groomer to not shave her since we had barely gotten over her summer shave when she went through the coat change. My groomer took hours with her and thankfully saved her coat, although she did get shaved down on several parts around her belly and under her arms. I can deal with that since her overall look is preserved.

So those of you who frequent or live in snow, what do you do? 

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

My dogs do not tend to get matted from snow. The coat change can last thru a few groomings and since she was shaved in the summer, perhaps not all of her puppy coat is gone.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurleybis 13 months old and definitely going through the loss of his puppy coat. I used to brush him every 2nd or third day. Now it is every day. We don't live in snow but we take him to the snow. Plus he is in every swimming pool he can get to so he is wet a lot of the time. Because snow may not be a daily occurence but a wet doodle is frequent with Hurley. I brush him after every wet romp usung his brush and a metal comb. After reading a suggestion presented in this group I ordered Mane & Tail. While it is still quite the task, using Mane & Tail lightly sprayed all over initially & then in depth on matted areas before working out the matts has made the task a lot more pleasant Hurley and me.
All of that probably didn't help you much but I do recommend Mane & Taik detangler as part of the solution to getting rid of mattes.i

[Bob Johnston]

Dip Dip and Dip again. A nice bucket of warm water gets rid of all those lovely snow balls then pat dry spray some detangler with a light brushing and your good to go. For most coats I would imagine.

[Anne]

A friend of mine told me she puts a snug fitting Tshirt on her dog before he goes out in the snow to protect him from turning into a huge snowball.  Sounds like a good idea!

[Patti]

Two words,... "snow suit"