Need a Brush/Comb that will help prevent a doodle from getting matted

[Tricia Campbell]

Hi All,
I thought I would prevent Duffy from getting matted if I brushed him enough. Well I brushed alot & he is now 7 months & very matted. I haven't got him groomed yet, Its like a baby getting his first haircut. I worry that it won't grow in the same ect. I am also thinking that maybe the brush I am using just ain't cutting it. Looking for some suggestions. I attached a photo of Duffy so you can see his hair type.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Tricia:
Most of the people I know swear by the "Chris Christiansen" brushes...if you look at the reviews section here on DoodleKisses, you'll see some opinions.
Make sure that you get all the way down to the skin when brushing, and then use a good wide toothed metal comb.
I'm sure the others here will have more suggestions. Good luck.

[Leslie and Halas]

I use a pin brush and a poodle comb on Halas. He was getting really matted over the summer. In early July, when he was 10 months old, I had to have some of the mats shaved off. Those spots are growing back very slowly. The fur growing in doesn't seem any different than the fur he already has. It's a little curlier, but I think that's just because it's so short in those spots right now. But it's very soft, just like it was before. I had been getting him groomed regularly before July, but I had let him go about 10 days without brushing. After his July visit, where they shaved off the mats that they couldn't brush out, it's been much easier to keep up with. Part of the reason is that I check him every day for tangles, and brush them out right away. Also, I think his adult coat was growing in, which may have been causing some of the matting. If that's the case, you may only have 2 or 3 more months of this, and then it will get better. And if you aren't already using a conditioner/detangler, you may want to try that. It really helps.

By the way, you can probably tell your groomer that you don't really want him cut. My groomer has a Face, Feet, and Fanny package. He gets a bath and a good brushing. They trim his feet and toenails, trim a little bit around the eyes, and trim around the sanitary areas. So you don't necessarily have to get a lot of his fur cut if you take him to the groomer.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

Samson had a period at about 7 months where the puppy coat seemed to be at war with the adult coat. We would find big mats in places that I had brushed hours earlier. It did get better when his adult coat came in. I still have to brush every couple of days at least. I use a rake brush, a metal comb and a mat breaker. I will have to look for some conditioner/detangler. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Leslie and Halas]

That's how Halas was, too. I'd finish brushing him, and he'd already have tangle in one of the spots I brushed at the beginning. I now brush out tangles when I find them (which is probably almost every day or every other day), and give him an overall brushing about once a week. The overall brushing takes a lot less time if I keep up on the tangles when I find them.

Cowboy Magic is a good detangler/conditioner. I just started using it, but it seems to work better than others I've tried.

[Tricia Campbell]

As always thank you for the great suggestions, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this site & all the wonderful members.

[Diane Dolphin Rocker]

Hi Tricia - here is a link to a video showing how to brush a doodle. It is posted on YouTube and can also be found on the video section of this site. http://doodlekisses.com/video/video/show?id=2065244%3AVideo%3A36241. I also use the lime green Les Pooches brush. Good luck!

[fergie11]

I use this little comb - made especially to get matts out. Fergie doesn't really matt but it gets that really soft undercoat out which is what I think causes the matts. The teeth are jagged and about 2" long. The comb is only about 2 inches wide. It's made by Safari and I got it a fleet farm for only about $5. I love it!

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Blake is a non-shedder but has a very soft and mixed coat that will matt at the skin if I don't brush him at least every other day with a pin brush and slicker brush.....I recommend that you use these and be sure to go all the way through to the skin......I also will bathe him between groomer visits and use a conditioner...While I have him in the tub I apply the conditioner after shampooing and literally brush and comb it through...This loosens any tangles and matts....After I rinse, I brush him again....and then again once he is dry.....This is extremely helpful in combating the matting issue....

I must also brush him after a swim and a play date or romp with other dogs.....The saliva of the other dogs will contribute to the matting especially around the ears and head......yes, high maintenance but necessary and worth the effort......

[Tegan]

I know this is a little off topic, but are the Les Pooch or Chris Christensen brushes worth the extra money? At the moment I use a wooden pin brush/ bristle brush combo (it's a pin brush on one side and a bristle brush on the other). I have Arthritis and I find it pretty tiring brushing Kali out, she's a big dog and seems to need brushing every day or so (and I tend to leave it for longer than I should). Her coat doesn't seem to mat to much anymore but she does get them on her ears and muzzle (she really hates me brushing those two places but I've been trying to get her more accustom to having them brushed by giving her a treat if she's good while I do it). Any suggestions? She's a 9 month old Goldendoodle and from the coat descriptions I've read she seems to have a fleece type coat. Also, when will her adult coat grow in? I've been told that it's not until they are about a year old. Is this correct?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am fighting matting with Ned right now. He is almost 7 months and he has been matting right behind the ears for about 3 weeks. Jacquie Yorke gave me some advice about brushes etc, so I have been using both a pin brush and a slicker brush. I also used a conditioner when I washed him. It helped some. People talk about giving their dogs a thorough brushing every (pick an amount of time) and a short brushing in between. I have found that Ned doesn't hold still to have a thorough brushing ever, so every short in-between brushing is as thorough as I can get. I know as he matures he will hold still for longer periods but for now, if I see him in a quiet mood, I am grabbing that brush!