I'm Freaking Out...Murphy Has Started The Coat Change

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I was just doing Murph's nightly "belly rub" and found two enormous mats...and they wern't there yesterday.  They are really huge, and there's no way to comb them out.  I have been dreading this day.  Murphy has big problems with grooming since he was a new puppy.  I have come to the conclusion that he has "tactile sensitivity".  My son (who has Down Syndrome) also has this, and he things touching his skin feel very different to him than to the rest of us.  We have to buy him shirts that have absolutely no tags...even cutting them out doesn't help.  As a result, we only comb Murph very lightly and never for more than a few minutes at a time.  I talk to him through the whole thing very softly and lightly pet him. Treats don't work at all, because it's an anxiety thing.  Even then, he's scared, but he will tolerate it.  I don't know if there is such a thing as "tactile sensitivity" with a dog...I've never heard of it, but I do believe that Murphy has this.  There is absolutely no way for me to comb the mats out daily for a few months like I did with Guinness.  It would be torture for Murph, and it just isn't fair to him.  I am going to have to have his coat cut way down, and it breaks my heart.  I'm going to start by cutting these mats out myself, but my guess is he'll be at the groomer's by the end of the week.  I can't even imagine him without this big, fluffy coat.  Anyone been through this with a coat like Murphy's and a Dood who has serious issues with being combed or brushed?

[Ali & Sonny D.]

Wow! Good for you and for Murphy!!! He looks very handsome!

[Sally]

Duncan's tummy usually gets cut down/shaved every six weeks....It really doesn't show except when I give him belly rubs and it makes it so much easier since that fur is so much cottonier that it was always matting.
Yay for Murph. Hope it stays this way.

[ej]

Murph you look so handsome, and manly with your new football :) Will you share the narrow ends of the football with Guinness?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

NO, NEVER! I share NOTHING with Guinness! Ooops, Mom just told me it doesn't matter anyway, because she just threw it away, and I had just started to pull out the stuffing. I really miss my football...I looked like a cool Doodle jock with that in my mouth.

[Lorraine Bromley]

So what's the thought on how long this process takes before the matts stop altogether? Or do they?!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

With Guinness it pretty much stopped when he was 15 mos. The process with him took about 7 mos.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri is now almost 17 months old and she only matts behind her ears and armpits now (and that happens when she is longer...this summer has been a dream with her shorter hair).

[Hunter and Daisy's Doodle Mom]

Our last visit to the groomer I felt like a "dead beat dog mom" because Hunter and Daisy are still going through coat changes and slowly getting more wavy and fleecy vs. the stick straight hair and they had mats that I could not get out between visits. I had to sign a stupid piece of paper signing that they were "severely matted" and may need to be shaved in certain areas. Okay, severely matted was such an over exaggeration and I was sort of offended, but I realize they had to have me sign something that they may have to shave some areas all the way down, which I totally understood. But, now between this vist, they aren't matting even 1/2 of much. I swear those things were reproducing on their own overnight! I keep my scissors on hand with me during brushing and just snip off any small knots I see forming. I never heard of this brush I've seen mentioned a few times. I'll have to google it and find one.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I know the feeling about being a "bad Doodle mom". That's exactly how I felt, although the only way to have avoided this would have been to stay up all night brushing him. I swear that they came OVERNIGHT. I had to sign that same paper, and initial in a few other places on the form. I was so embarrassed that I don't even know what I was initialing. I hope I didn't give them title to my house, or even worse my dogs. Like I really needed any more guilt, right!

[Leslie and Halas]

Murph looks great! I'm glad that the grooming experience wasn't too traumatic for him. Murph, sorry about your football. It was nice while it lasted, right?