detangler

[sarah c gammel]

 okay so i should have joined this group first when i got lotus.  took her to the groomer today and she was a bit overwhelmed ( the groomer that is)            .i thouglht i had been doing a fairly good job with keeping lotus combed but she said she was loaded with mats and it would cost me 90- 110 dollars to groom her. well she pretty much shaved her. my question is what is the best detangler and conditioner  for my curly fleece labradoodle and any advice would be helpful   i obvioulsy have a lot to learn  thanks

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Hi Sarah, sorry your baby had to be shaved. :(  Are you familiar with "line brushing"? This is a good way to prevent matting rather than trying to get the mats out once they have formed. A good brush (Les Pooches or Chris Christensen) and line brushing will make a big difference.  I prefer not to use a chemical detangler on Tara so I just use thinning shears and cut through a mat until it can be brushed out or I use a small amount of conditioner to loosen it (usually my own because Tara's is a shampoo/conditioner combo).  Others can give you some ideas about the products you asked about but here is a video about line brushing in case you are not familiar:

Good luck-I feel your pain!

[Leslie C.]

Hi, Sarah.

Sorry to hear that you too experienced mats.  I think it does come with a doodle... and yes, I have paid the $110 and yes LiliBear has been shaved.  I have tried to use Cowboy Magic as a mat preventor in the snow and it has helped. 

 

Good luck!  ~Leslie

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I use Cowboy Magic on mats.  You leave it sitting for a short time so it can 'soak' into the mat, making easier to comb out.  You need to make sure that you are both brushing AND combing as well as using tools that work for your dog's coat.  I would recommend the LesPoochs brush, but they aren't available.  MGT makes a cheap knock-off that works pretty well.