Saving Truffle's Coat - Advice & Encouragement Needed!

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Hi there all you grooming experts. 

I took Truffle for his grooming today and received some bad news.  In part because Truffle is 10 months old and going through his coat change, and in part because he was recently neutered and had a cone on for two weeks, he has severe mats all over his body, particularly around his neck and under his chin.

The groomer called me to give me two options (1) shave him down to what will likely be almost his skin (or if we're lucky 1/4 inch) or (2) attempt to demat him with a rake over the next 10-14 days, doing a small portion of his body 30-60 minutes a day so that when I bring him in again, they can get through any remaining mats without torturing our little monster.

I feel like a completely incompetent dog owner.  I comb him almost daily, yet I was obviously doing a crappy job.  Anyway, the thought of option (1) made me cry (I was sobbing on the phone to my husband who must think I've lost all sense of perspective), so I am now determined to make enough headway with the mats to salvage Truffle's beautiful fleece coat.

The groomer gave me a good rake to use and showed me how to use it, and I hope I can make progress without hurting Truffle or getting too discouraged.

The groomer told me he's had one client in 12 years who managed to successfully demat her dog and save her dog's coat, so I know it's not impossible.  But I also know that it's going to be very difficult.  I refuse, however, to give up without a fight.  If we ultimately have to shave it down, I'll at least know that I tried my best to avoid it (although had I really tried my best, perhaps he wouldn't be as matted as he is  now).

Anyway, would love any practical advice on how to remove the mats (which are all, for the most part, big and clumpy and close to his skin) - including how to keep Truffle still for short periods of time while I work on them (he will be getting lots of yummy treats over the coming days, that's for sure).  And if you have good luck wishes to spare, I'll happily accept them!  Thanks in advance for the support

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Jennifer ~ don't beat yourself up about this.  It happens to many puppies especially when they are getting their adult coat and having a cone on for 2 weeks could not have helped.  Go ahead and have him shaved down, he will feel like a million bucks and so will you.  Hopefully they can save his head, ears & tail and he will be cute as can be.  You won't believe how it will change his disposition - he must be miserable.  This will help with getting the puppy coat out and you can then easily keep up with it until the adult coat actually comes in.  It will grow back relatively quickly.  Both of mine are so much happier with shorter hair.  IMO t is much easier on your puppy to have the haircut, than to have you try to demat.  It can be extremely hard on them and actually bruise the skin.  My groomer would give you the same advice.  She refuses to de-mat an extremely matted dog. Looking forward to seeing Truffle sporting a short coat! 

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Thanks, Linda. Your Beau reminds me of my Truffle - they have similar markings, down to the dark patch down their sides!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Jennifer - I have noticed that too.  I think Truffle is so darn cute.  Beau was thrilled the first time he got a short hair cut.  You could noticeably see he was just so happy! I then went out and bought a wading pool and it was so much fun because we did not have to worry about that long coat!  Hang in there, you will get through this.  I am anxious to see what type of adult coat Truffle will have.  He looks like he has a fleece coat.

[Shari Becker]

As promised, here is a before, an after and a "a few weeks later after playing at the park."

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Wow - Lexi looks so different in the photos, but so adorable in all of them!  Thanks for sharing, Shari.

[Jennifer Tramell]

I had a similar situation only I groom my dogs myself.  My Tessa was a mess - I didn't think she was that matted until I started grooming (she had just turned 1).  I knew that I wouldn't spend the necessary time for dematting so I just gave her a short cut.  I left her longer on her undersides and legs but everywhere else was cut very, very short.  I couldn't even get the clippers through her hair so I scissored everything.  Good luck on your dematting, but I'm loving Tessa's short summer cut.  She brings in less dirt, leaves, straw and it's so much easier watching for fleas & ticks.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Take heart!  You CAN do it!  When I met my partner's dog, Sadhu, an 85 pound golden retriever and wolf mix, he had never lived in a house and he had never been brushed.  He was one giant mat! I knew that if I shaved him down, his coat may never come in properly again (it's a golden retriever thing).  Because he was not used to being brushed, he didn't have much patience for it, so his transformation took me a whole summer.  But his coat has been gorgeous ever since I succeeded in my mission.

You will have to do many short sessions, cutting through the mats, not parallel to Truffels' body, but perpendicular, cutting away from his body, through the mats.  Sometimes just a couple of such cuts through a mat will loosen the hair enough to then get through it with a de-matting blade.  When using a dematting blade, start from the tips of the hair and work your way inward towards the skin.  Like if you were brushing the knots out of a child's hair, you wouldn't start at the scalp.

Offer lots of calm, positive words.  I found most animals to be putty in my hands when I'd whisper sweet nothin's in their ears as I groomed.  Take a break whenever he starts to fuss.  Work on the mats while he's lying down. 

I hope this helps.  Depending on where you live, you might want to consider biting the bullet and getting him sheared for the summer anyway.  As Shari says, and from my experience with Yarrow, their hair grows back very quickly.  And if it gets hot where you are, you may have to cut off his hair for his comfort anyway. 

Either way, don't be disheartened.  :)

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Thanks, Deb.  W/ the help of my co-trainer Sophie (my 8 yo daughter) who coaxed Truffle into sort-of-submission with a few of his favorite treats, I actually succeeded in removing three mats earlier today.  For a fleeting few minutes, I felt like I had won a huge battle.  I'm thinking that even if I'm successful removing most of the mats, I may ask the groomer to trim him down a bit so that his coat isn't as overwhelmingly difficult to maintain while his adult fur comes in.  We'll see how the next couple of days go.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

It will get easier as you really get the knack of it. Having no former experience with a doodle coat, I acted on the advice of another DK member who suggested that the puppy coat be cut down to a length of about 2" when the 'molting' started, to make it easier to brush out the loose puppy hair and prevent matting. I have to say, it was EXCELLENT advice. That was nearly 2 months ago and I had to cut her hair back again just recently... This time for her comfort as it's beginning to get hot and she tends to get overheater very easily. I does grow back quickly.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley has a wavy fleece coat and very light and fine. He weigghts 55 lbs and is 32 months old. We went through the coat change with the mat challenge but I did not have him shaved. I brushed him every night with a lot of patience. It was our time together. The brush times gradually increased as he relaxed and seem to enjoy the attention. I still brush him every 3rd day for about an hour and he always just lays there making contented noises. When I am done and I tell him 'okay' he gives me this look of surprise like he doesn't want it to end.
His cousin has a curly fleece coat. Oakley is 4 years old and about 55 lbs. His coat is extremely thick and challenging to brush. My aon and d-i-l didn't have much time to brush him daily with both working and raising thr twins. His coat had to be shaved because of all the mats close to the skin. It has taken over a year to get him back to a nice length. Both Hurley and Oakley are at the groomers every 2-3 weeks.
I think it depends a lot on the type of coat your doodle has and the amount of time you have to spend brushing and grooming him.
There seems to be mixed opinions on whether a dogs coat should be cut for the summer. We keep both doodles in long coats to protect their skin from the sun and Meier are outside for long periods of time in the summer. Walks are very early in the morning or late into the evening. Booties are worn when needed. Just to put that in perspective both families live in the Las Vegas, Nv area.
Both the vet and the groomer have said to not cut Hurley's coat unless absolutely necessary because of the type of coat it is. But Oakley's coat is so thick and curly he has more protection from the sun.

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Thanks, Diane.  Truffle's coat is very similar to Hurley's.  My husband and I had a good run working on Truffle's coat for about 30 mn last evening, when he was nice and sleepy.  The good news is I'm removing mats.  What's left to be seen is whether I can remove enough of them to avoid a shave. But I'll take what I can get at this point.  Truffle's attitude today is "every time you use that rake on me, I get to bite your sweatshirt." Patience is key.  Unfortunately, I would never list patience is one of my stronger traits!

[Christy&Riley]

Riley is 13 months and mattes horribly. I spend time almost every night working a few at a time. I use a safari detangler tool and it helps. It has curved blades that slice through. I also have just cut some out or use a round tip scissor to cut down the middle of the matte. Riley looks really bad shaved so I'm doing all i can to avoid it. I threw caution to the wind last weekend and scissor cut her. Just taking off an inch has really helped. Her curly coat helps hide my very amateur cut. I learned on DK that having a longer coat helps the doodle stay cool so it makes me feel less guilt in the heat. Oh ya, thinning shears really help as well. Especially around the collar and under the chin. Good lick