Mats, Mats, and more Mats (Grooming Questions)

[Shannon R.]

My doodle was shaved the first time I took her to the groomer because she was so matted. I was not happy with how she looked. We have been brushing her and using de-matting tools on her since. She was just at the groomer mid-January for a trim/bath. Since then, she has become very matted again, despite our brushing. I feel like she gets to a certain length and we can't keep up. We were on vacation for a week so she didn't get brushed and I feel like there's no going back now.

It's time to go to the groomer again but I do not want her shaved. I have a couple of questions....

1) Does your groomer shave your doodle if they have mats or do they try to get them out? I didn't take her when she got shaved but from what my husband said, it seemed they weren't even willing to try. Just wondering if that is normal or maybe I should try another groomer?

2) Do you have any good tips for keeping the mats away? I feel like we really tried to stay on top of it but it still didn't do any good (it did for awhile and then got out of control again).

3) Do you think there is anything I can do before I take her to the groomer so they won't shave her?

Thanks!

[Leslie J]

Cocoa has a real problem with mats. When her hair gets long the only way to avoid mats is to comb her out from head to tail every week. This takes about 1 1/2 hours, which we do in several half hour sessions. She hates it. If we miss a couple of weeks she becomes hopelessly matted. The only way at that point to avoid a shave is to comb her out yourself and cut the mats out. It is very time consuming. I don't think a groomer can spend that amount of time on any one dog.

I have young kids and sometimes I can't keep up with Cocoa's grooming, so my solution is to let it grow until it's too much work and then (before it mats) have her hair cut all over to 1". Then I let it grow out again for a few months until it gets too long for me to maintain.

[Marianne Kay]

Your doodle is lovely! In my experience, there is a $20.00 extra fee for matting, when it is not severe. If it is severe, the groomer can name a price, if they have time in their schedule, otherwise they will shave her. Its a good idea to comb your doodle everyday, and if you can't do that, break it up into sections. So one day I will do the head, ears, and neck. The next day I will go over that quickly and start on the chest and the front legs. The next day go over the first two sections quickly, then start the trunk, and so on. I found a trick in one of the grooming videos on Youtube. It involves setting the hairdryer on cool and blowing the coat. Where you do not see pink skin and hair blowing freely, you have a matted area. That is what you might want to try before you take her to the groomer. I keep Pierre under 3/4" (dry coat) to make it easier to maintain. When Pierre was a puppy his vet told me the matts are not pleasant for the dog and it can hurt as they move. There are sprays to help break up the hair. I will let someone else recommend one. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Lulu is a doll! Have you joined the Grooming Group yet? If not you can find lots of suggestions there about grooming products including detanglers, both tools and spray-on types and suggestions for high quality brushes and combs as they do make a difference.  Also, if she is near a year old she may be going through the coat change from puppy to adult. This really increases the matting problem temporarily and many people find it a blessing to get their doodles cut short as it can be just impossible to keep up with the mats at that time. Are you line brushing her? There is info on this in the grooming group too and it is essential to use this method to avoid mats.

I groom Tara now but her former groomer would not remove mats (part of the reason I do my own grooming now) and would always want to shave her or cut her down really short.  At this point the only way to avoid a shave down would be to remove the mats yourself before you take her to the groomer but for some dogs this can be a long and painful process and it might be kinder for her if you just get her shaved. :( Good luck!

Link to Grooming Group:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/doodlegrooming

[Paul & Michele]

Hello!  I have taken to grooming our 2 soon to be 3 doodles myself after a few bad grooming cuts.  I went through petedge.com I purchased their Top performance Fresh pet shampoo and conditioner.  It dilutes 7 to 1 but I usually fill up a water bottle 2/3 full shampoo or cond. and 1/3 w water.  It works great, helps cut down on the mats and they will smell good for 2 weeks (trust me it works and smells great)  then my husband for Valentines day a couple of years ago got me their blue force dryer on there (kinda looks like a small canister vacuum w long hose about 250.00)  I wash them and then blow them dry and the mats are gone. It's great!!  I usually will blow them out w it before I trim them and it makes trimming them easier also.  Or if I am wanting them to look fluffed out I will blow them w it too.  Check out some of my photos and you will be able to see how it works.  My black doodle has a wavy coat and the white one is a tight curl unless blown out.  Hope this helps:)

[Bonnie and Kona]

I agree with Ricki,  be sure to join the grooming group. (There are many discussions in the grooming group about how to safely cut out mats. Please be careful. They can be painful and cutting them the wrong way can injure your pup.) "The dreaded coat change" often makes the matting much worse than before or after that stage. You can look for discussions on line-brushing. We thought we were brushing our first doodle beautifully until he came home from the groomer shaved. It was then that I learned how to line brush and did so several times a week. Our second doodle sheds a little bit and doesn't seem to mat. Having your doodle shaved will make it easier to keep up with the mats while her adult coat is growing in and tangling up with the puppy coat that is falling out. Wishing you the best luck keeping up with your cutie pie. 

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

My groomer is extremely busy, we take the girls for baths, sani trims, nails and ears and that is what she schedules time for.  If we want more than that we have to schedule ahead of time.  I have learned to trim Polly on my own and we keep her at about an inch.  At first I was scared to go that short, I couldn't see it ahead of time, but once we went there it is perfect, she stays a fluff ball, easy to brush and we get tons of compliments on her.  You may want to try shorter but not shaved.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

You have gotten lots of good advice here.  First you need to be using the best tools.  The former Les Poochs brush, no longer available under that name (now Activet) is going to be your friend.  It takes a little getting used to and is expensive, but if you want to be able to maintain this coat, this is going to help you.  Also you need a wide tooth comb and a narrow tooth comb.  Go to you tube and watch some videos on "line brushing".  You can find this under some called "Grooming Sully".  Sully is a goldendoodle and there is a series of videos on Grooming Sully and one talks about line brushing.  I would recommend putting your doodle up on a table for brushing.  If you don't have a grooming table, use a kitchen table or island.  Put down a rubber backed rug so it isn't slippery and the doodle feels secure.  Any type of sturdy surface.  They seem to behave better when up on a table rather than on a sofa or floor.  The bottom line is you need to be sure you are getting all the way to the skin.  The videos are going to show you how to do this.  Some areas that are particularly prone to matting will be the collar area.  Under the ears.  The little fine hairs on the belly.  The arm pits.  If you use a harness, those areas.  Always make sure they are completely brushed out with no mats prior to giving a bath.  If you bathe mats you are going to "set" them which will make them harder to get out.  Then last but not least, brush as often as possible.  My DH brushes our girls every morning.  Granted, we are retired, but if you do this daily it is going to take a whole lot less time and be much easier on all of you.  If you can't do it daily, do it every other day.  I'm talking 10 mins every day, 15 mins every other day or 90 mins once a week, you pick.  As for the groomer getting the mats out vs shaving, it really just depends on how bad they are.  If they are pretty bad, down to the skin, you really don't want them putting your doodle through this.  It is painful if they are too bad.  If they aren't all the way to the skin, then yes there are tools available to get them out but it will probably cost you more money. Make sure the groomers knows you are willing to pay vs having shaved.   I would talk with the groomer on the phone about how they handle mats before you make the appointment.  Then if you are comfortable with what they say, make the appointment but talk with them again with the doodle in front of them and ask them what they are willing to do.  If you don't like the answer, then don't keep the appointment.  There has to be communication between you and the groomer.  It is much easier to shave a matted dog than it is to get the mats out.  Groomers make their money by how many dogs they can do.  So, if we are expecting them to demat, then we need to be willing to pay.  But they don't know this unless you tell them.  However, we all need to keep the comfort of our dogs in mind when making this decision.  So, bottom line, is it is up to you to keep the mats out.  Get up 10 or 15 mins early and spend a little quality time brushing.  It will benefit both of you.

[Shannon R.]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I'm going to have to suck it up and just have her shaved again. I didn't realize there was a grooming board so thanks for that link. I also appreciate all of the info on tools we can buy. Lulu is about 18 months and she is quite curly. My husband recently stumbled upon line brushing and has been trying that (but too late for all the mats this time).

[Moe]

I think it varies depending on the groomer. There is one in my area that shaves the dog no matter what. Another will spend the entire day getting matts out if that is what you want. It can be very expensive because she charges for the time. I really can't keep up w brushing my goldendoodle. Her coat is so curly and think I just can't do it. I have carpal tunnel in my hands. I've just resigned myself to keeping her short. I think you have to work with what you have and how much time you are willing to put toward grooming. Now I actually prefer her really short. :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I found that brushing is not enough! After I brush Enzo ,(every single day) I over her with a rotating tooth comb. It reaches closer to her skin and gets out any knots they are starting. Works perfectly for us! No mats!

[Stella]

My Chase when he was younger matted like crazy. His coat looked lovely at 1.5 inches, but it took me three hours twice a week to keep it mat free. That was just too much work. There is only one way to keep the coat free of mats, line brush and COMB each section right to the skin. When you only use a brush often only the outer part of the coat is brushed, it doesn't get right to the skin. If the coat is already matted, the kindest thing to do is shave them. It is very painful trying to comb out established mats and it isn't fair to the dog. Go for the shave down and start from scratch, comb through the coat at least twice a week. Some doodles mat their whole lives, some get better as they get older. I keep Chase at about 3/4 inch and life is better for both of us!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is the king of mats.  He matted severely until he was about 2 1/2 years old then it finally got better.  IF we thoroughly brush him (like 2, 40 minutes sessions), he can go 2 weeks with only a check for mats. Our groomer works with us.  We try to thoroughly brush/comb him before we take him to the groomer and she gets out whatever is left. THEN we thoroughly brush/comb him after he is groomed because if any hairs are left in his coat after cutting (we have him scissor cut), they will form a small mat. When he was in the most severe part of matting, we did keep him shorter - not shaved, just short.  Because Ned is a large mini, my husband holds/snuggles him and I brush comb.  This way he can put Ned in positions for me to get everywhere.  I would upload a picture of Ned at that time but we are camping and the internet just sucks!  I will be lucky if I can get my words to post!  We use Activet brushes (formerly LesPoochs) and a steel comb or The Untangler comb (with rotating tines).