I don't know what else to do!!

[Karen]

My baby doodle (1 year) is now quite matted thanks to the snow and the fact I think he would live in a snowbank if I let him!

I have bought so many products, Cowboy Magic (did nothing), Chi detangled, 4 different brushes/combs but he still has mats that I cannot get rid of. I afraid to bring him to the groomer who will want to shave him.  He can't be shaved. It is winter and I just can't do that to him.  He was shaved down once and took it very hard.  

I guess my inquiry with all of you is... is it ok if his hair is a bit matted (mainly belly and bum)? He is such high maintenance :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Matts can be very painful, as they pull the skin. I've had dogs who had to be shaved down in winter and they did just fine; you can always put a sweater or coat on him. Matts also prevent her coat from insulating her properly against the cold anyway.

I'd either try to cut out the matts myself or take him to the groomer. You can't let those matts go until Spring. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I agree with Karen- you can't just leave the matts- they are only going to get worse with time. You are much better off getting him trimmed shorter to a length that you can easily manage. If they are only on the belly and bum, it's possible that the groomer can trim those areas short and keep the other areas relatively longer. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Karen ~ I would guess your doodle may be in the midst of going through the coat change and it take several months for the mature coat to come through.  It is extremely difficult to keep mats from forming during this time period. Once his mature coat is completely in, it will probably be easier to maintain.  At the very least, I still brush my boys' heads and tails daily.  When they were going through the coat change, I had the groomer take the body down to about 1/2 inch and it helped to keep their coat mat free.  Now that they are 5 and 3, I still keep the bodies shorter and their heads and tails doodley!  Neither has had their tail or face ever shaved. IMO - it is better to take the coat down than let it get out of hand with mats.  If you cannot get a comb through the body of the coat chances are the groomer is going to shaving the coat down.  You will be surprised how quickly it will grow back.  Your dog will thank you for it.

I just checked the temp in Nova Scotia today and I see it similar to our weather in washington state - although we do not have any wind today.  The last two weeks it was 19 degrees for a high and Beau's needed a haircut badly at Xmas, but I waited until 12/30 and asked the groomer to take his body to 1/2 inch (it was at 2.5 inches) which was right in the middle of the cold snap.  He loved it and has not needed to wear a coat in our weather.  However, if we had 29 miles an hour wind, my doods would not want to spend much time out in it anyway.  Here is a photo of Beau 10 days after he got his hair cut and it has already started to grow out.  I think you doodle will be so much more comfortable.  The mats will just keep getting tighter and it will cause him pain  Hopefully you an get the head and tail mat free and just take the body down and only trim head & tail.  Good luck.

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Your dogs are so beautiful.  Love to meet them one of these days.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I agree that he needs his matts cut out. But since it is so cold where you live, you might try just cutting them out yourself till its a bit warmer. He may look a little strange but thats OK. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

That's what I would do. 

[Kris and Sawyer]

That's what we do too. I've never had Sawyer shaved, but I've cut plenty of mats out. Also I tell our groomer, under no circumstances is he to be shaved..if you can't get a mat out, just leave it and I will take care of it. I'm an expert de-matter. Lol.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Thats what I tell my groomer too. Daphne gets matted under her arms and when they shave them out, I can see it in the pictures I take...I can't have that! So I just tell her, we have photos to be taken and she cannot be shaved..Lol!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Karen, as others stated, the matts really should be taken out. They will only get worse if you leave them in, and that will cause pain. You are at a tough stage with his coat matting. At this time it's an everyday need almost to brush them to keep the matts away. Some days it seemed like a losing battle with Yogi at that age. Thankfully he never got anything close to a big matt, but it sure took a lot of work. I did start clipping him shorter and shorter because I realized it was going to easier on him maintenance wise.
If you leave the tail and head long, they still look quite doodley, and actually pretty cute. At least until the coat becomes more manageable. I think it also depends on the coat. Yogi has an undercoat, his hair is very dense. On the other hand, Maci doesn't have the undercoat and her hair is thinner and much more manageable. I actually cut Yogi's coat down to
1/2" today for his sake. I think he got so he disliked being brushed sooo much.
Either way I understand with the extreme cold you would be reluctant to clip very short, but a cute coat is always an option if you need to get him clipped for the matts. Good luck!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I also agree with everyone here and do have matting issues with one doodle when he gets a certain length and regardless of the weather, I have to shave him down to about 1/2 in length. I always found it ironic however that it is more helpful to them to have more fur on them when it is hot out. There are many articles regarding the function of longer fur for sun protection and to help insulate them from the heat.  Being in Arizona this is important for us to know this. As for the cold, think of all the short hair dogs out there who don't even grow much of a coat. They do well in the cold I'd think. 

There is a slicing technique that is very helpful in cutting through most matts that saves a lot of hair. You open the scissors and put the point of one blade at the base (on or near the skin) and pull up through the matt to break it up. After several swipes, comb or brush and see whats left and repeat. It leaves less bald spots if that is an issue and I feel a little safer doing that than cutting so close to the skin. 

[Leslie J]

Cocoa has a chronic matting problem. I let her hair grow to about 2- 2 1/2" (I have to spend almost two hours a week to groom her when it's over 2"). I then have it cut to 1" all over before it gets matted. This way I never have to shave her down. I love the long shaggy look, but it's not possible with Cocoa. If there are only a few mats, I'd cut them off. I put a comb between the mat and the skin (so I don't accidentally cut her) and just snip it out.

[Karen]

Thank you all for your replies.  I have made an appointment for Hank to be groomed on Wednesday and as the groomer indicated last week, he will need to be shaved. His coat is so thick it is amazing.  She is also going to give a tutorial so this never happens again. All the combs, brushes, sprays aren't enough.  I'll buy him a coat to wear on our walks and from now on, keep his hair relatively short. 

Thank you everyone :)