Combing and brushing and the hair just won't stop coming out

[Sabrina and Bentley]

Hi gang,

I need help.  I honestly have not been great about brushing Bentley since we've had him.  He's 13 months old and he started matting pretty bad around 8 months.  Even with the matting, I only brushed/combed him about once a month, so you can imagine how time consuming each brush out was.  Now it seems like when I do brush him out, he matts quicker and even worse than the previous time.  I've never taken the time to brush him out to the point that  I can see his skin, so am I making it worse each time I'm brushing him?

 

Today, I decided to follow the directions correctly.  I spent about an hour on his back leg with a brush (cheaper version of Les Pooches) and then I started doing the lines with a steel comb.  This was the first time I've seen his skin from me grooming him, so I know that I was doing it right.  My question is, even after an hour of brushing and combing, I probably could have continued for another hour and hair would just keep coming out.   The amount of hair that I brushed out was enough to make a small dog.  Is that normal?  Does that mean I'm just not brushing him enough?  Should I continue until I have little to no hair coming out?  He has a wooly, non-shedding coat, and even after all of that brushing, it still didn't feel super soft.  Am I doing something wrong (other than not brushing him enough)?  Also, is this part of his puppy coat shedding, or does this get better?

I want to start doing this on a more regular basis because it's torture for both of us.  I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Cynthia and Magic]

He is sooooo cute - and looks like a larger version of my Magic!

I'm sure more experienced folks will answer - but it sure sounds like puppy coat to me. Magic had the same coat - and I could knit a sweater with the puppy coat I brushed off him...and the matting was terrible. Now when I brush him I barely get enough hair to fill the brush. Sounds to me like it's a good time for a shave down just to make it easier and you can start over. I keep Magic short in the summer and grooming is such a breeze!

Good luck with the brushing.....I am sure you will get lots of help here!!

[Sabrina and Bentley]

We have discussed a shave down.  I would hate to do it, but I'm so overwhelmed that I don't feel like there's an end in sight.  Thank you for giving me hope that it won't be this bad forever once I start a more regular maintenance. :-)

[Carolyn Shusterman]

Sabrina, I know what you mean about combing/brushing enought hair to make another dog.  I found the greatest comb ever for getting the matts out that aren't matted right next to the skin (those have to be cut out).  It's the Safari dematting comb for less then $9 at the following company.  http://gobstock.com/3242.html   This comb will cut your grooming time in half. 

Yes, this is part of the puppy shedding and it will get better when you are on (at least) a once a week brushing/combing schedule.  Taking him to a groomer to get a summer cut would sure make it easier for you. 

 

 

[Sabrina and Bentley]

I'll have to check out that comb.  Anything to make it easier!  He's going for his summer cut this weekend.  Trying to get him prepped so that they don't shave him down.  I'm glad to know that this is part of the puppy shedding phase.  Thanks!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Bentley is such a cutie!! 

I don't know about everyone else, but a once a month brush-out at my house would simply not cut it.  I could maybe get away with that on Cubbie (fleece coat) assuming he was cut short, but there is no way that would work with Ollie (my wool coated doodle).  If I have Ollie's coat long (over an inch) it needs a good brushing at least once a week and then I usually also do a quick brusing/combing later in the week too.  When he gets long he gets matted down near his skin and it is like trying to brush out a cottonball.  No matter how often I brush him, I always get a lot of hair in my brush. 

I would suggest that you brush Bentley out from head to tail to the point where you can go through with a comb and not find any knots or tangles and then keep up with it.  If he is going through his coat change then it will seem like you can't brush him out often enough, but that phase eventually ends.  Depending on how long his coat is right now, you might want to take the length down a bit to make it easier on you.  Be sure that you don't leave any mats in his coat because they will just get worse and they can start to pull at his skin and make him uncomfortable too.  Good luck!   :)

[Camilla and Darwin]

When Darwin is long I comb/brush him EVERY DAY. That is the only way he will not get mats. If I wait 3 days, they start to show up. I would say that if you can't keep up with extremely regular brushing you should shave him down. It's painful for them to walk around with a bunch of mats, not to mention it's painful for them when we have to go through their coats for hours pulling out tangles. 

The hair coming out sounds normal. Darwin had lots of hair coming out at that age...