First time with mats!

[Amy & Bernie]

Poor Bernie. This is our first issue with matting but I guess I should have been more careful, considering the time of year and that he's up to a bath a week!

I've just found a number of mats on his legs, no where else. The slicker brush we have just seems to go over the mats and fluff the outer hair up nicely enough to disguise them. The mats themselves seem to be in the 'middle' if that makes sense, not at the base near the skin, and not all the way through to the tips of the hair - does that matter at all? No pun intended!

Any tips on tacking these myself? I don't want to take him to a groomer who may just insists on shaving him to avoid the work, and I honestly don't want to pay for her time to work through them if I can do it at home. A second reason for wanting to do it myself - this would be Bern's first groomer trip and I don't want his first experience to be a de-matting session, I can't imagine it would be pleasant!

Thanks so much.

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Bernie is such a cutie.  If the mats are not all the way to the skin or real tight I've had the best luck using a metal comb.  I hold the hair between the mat and the skin so it doesn't pull, then start picking thru the mat from the tip of the hair to the skin.  Sometimes using a detangler helps, but I let it soak up a little before combing.  My experience is if it's to wet the mat get tighter.  Hopefully this makes since.  Good luck

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

You can try a mat cutter, it seems to work pretty well.  No matter what, take care of it now.  Our foster dog was so matted her fur was shaved off in strips long enough for the groomer to wear like a feather boa!

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Here's what I do with Simon. Between baths, I spray him with either Ice on Ice (if just a couple small mats) or Isle of Dogs Detangle (worse mats). I brush him 1/2 dog at a time. I start with his feet, then up his legs, then shoulder, neck, ribs, back with a pin brush. On tougher mats, I spray Isle of Dogs heavily onto the mat, rub it in with my fingers and leave it for a minute or two while I go to brush something else. After the mat seems to be broken down and brushed out as much as I can (from the skin to the tip), I use a static-free metal comb - again from the skin up. If I get a mat that doesn't give up easily, I cut through it VERTICALLY - skin to tip - then break it down with the pin brush, then a comb.

When I wash Simon, I use Best Shot Ultra Wash shampoo. (It helps break down tangles you might've missed) And I love Double K The Solution for Detangling and Conditioning conditioner. After you put the conditioner on, I then use the metal comb to go through any little tangles/mats I missed. At that point, he is tangle/mat free and blowing him out is a breeze. After I've finished, I pin brush him again to finish getting out any extra hair.

I hope this helps.:-)

Ice on Ice www.chrissystems.com

Isle of Dogs www.groomers.com

Best Shot Ultra Wash and Double K The Solution www.groomersmall.com

[Amy & Bernie]

Thanks so much for the links! I'll be looking into the products. Simon is gorgeous! Did I read right, he lets you blow dry him?! I'm impressed, maybe I can use Bernie's ego to shame him into giving the blow dryer another shot =)

[Julie & Gracie May]

those are helpful tips--and thank you for the product links! are you saying you comb your doodle out before blow drying? is that recommended? (i haven't done it before but am willing to do whatever it takes)!

thanks!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

This is the perfect time to deal with them. Work them out slowly with a brush, then comb, then brush. Use a dematting spray to help separate them. You can use your fingers to pull them apart before you start combing. Hang on tight to the hair close to the skin so you don't pull to the point of hurting. If this isn't working cut the mattes in half lenghtwise in the direction of hair growth. Remember, divide and conquer.

[Amy & Bernie]

Dematting spray seems to be the magic product. And I'm afraid I'm at the cutting point, I've tried with a slicker brush and it will only go so deep...I need a comb as well I suppose. Is it wrong of me to hope this actually happens again once I fix it so all this stuff I buy goes to good use? ;)

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

I don't know how old Bernie is, but if he is somewhere between 7 months and a year, it is probably his puppy-to-adult coat change causing the mats. Simon's started around 10 months. If that is the case, believe me, you will use all of this stuff for quite a while. As I understand it, the slicker is more of a finishing tool. A good non-static metal comb, your fingers, and a pin brush are your best bets for breaking up the mats. And, as I learned the hard way, despite the many more experienced people who assured me it was the right thing to do, keeping the coat clipped short is really a must. This is the first time Simon's coat has been long in almost a year and I'm getting ready to cut it back soon.

Bernie is totally adorable, btw.

Since Barb is a pro groomer as well as a breeder of ALDs, she is better than an excellent source of info. :-)

 

[Jill Mooney]

THE MATS ARE KILLING US!!! We had to have Abbey shaved, it's FINALLY growing out and I'm trying to stay ahead of it. I'm going to try the products mentioned!! thanks!  Abbey will be 1 at end of march. Will the hair and matting get any easier???She absolutely HATES it when I brush her...and I feel so bad when I think she's hurting.   and do they really need to be blown out after baths? I love the curly look she has... thanks!!!! We're still new here on doodles!!!

[Amy & Bernie]

I hear ya Jill! We're new to Doodles too. I actually ended up buying the Top Paws Dematting Rake (the link is below) and I used it to brush him! All his mats are in his legs so I laid him down, made sure he was calm, then started carefully brushing. I started at the top and worked my way down to his toes, when we hit a mat it would take a few more strokes but we got them all out. Plus the dematting comb thinned out the hair quite a bit, which I think may help with matting later on?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3706191

[Lynda Kamrath]

Matt cutters work well, but you lose some of the hair that way.  I find that pulling the hair up (you can brush it up) and then combing it down a little strip at a time, works best.  Yes, brushing will just smooth over the matts but does not solve the problem at all.  Best thing, as you now know, is not to let them form in the first place.  My goldendoodle has a very heavy and curly coat but does not seem to matt much.  The puppy gets little hair balls on his stomach that he hates having removed, but he needs to get used to being handled in a grooming way.  A little clippers works well too.  A metal comb will be much more useful in tackling matts than a brush.