Best Length for no mats - not shaved

[Kristen]

Hi all, 

I'm wondering if there is a length that seems best to prevent mats? Also, Ive heard different advice about shaving doodles for summer. Is it good to do that or does it actually make them hotter? 

I brush Caspian out twice a week, BUT he doesn't let me get his front legs or belly well. I will probably just have them shave his belly, but what can I do for the legs? They get SO matted!

[Leslie J]

Caspian is adorable! I love the fluffy white fur! I’ll be watching for responses to this- Cocoa also mats terribly.

We keep Cocoa’s hair pretty short- about every 5-6 weeks we have her fur cut to about an inch. They cut her legs to more like 3/4 of an inch, pretty much shave her belly.  Her face and tail get cut to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

I wish we could go longer as her fur is gorgeous, but all the brushing and combing it requires is too hard on her.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is my major matting boy, but we've never shaved him. He is ten, so I have lots of experience with mats.  You can do the body fairly short and blend in the legs (leaving them a bit longer) so that they look longer than they are. Tummies can be fairly short - almost shaved, but chest needs some covering.  We use Cowboy Magic (like vasoline) on specific mats - rub it into the mat, wait a while and brush with a GOOD flexible slicker (LesPoochs is expensive but it is the best one for a dog with big time matting.  Also okay, but cheaper are flexible slickers by MGT and Magic Paw).  If the mat is a 'cottony' stuborn mess - take fingernail type scissors and slice through the mat in several places from the skin outward along the length of the hairs ( never slice toward the dog's skin).  For general brushing which also includes small mats, spray with something like Horse Mane N' Tail DeMatting Spray or the Conditioning Spray by Stazko - spray a section, smoosh it around - trying to make sure you get the area thoroughly covered, wait a bit then brush.  After you use the brush on  a section, use a steel comb.  I have one with rotating tines as well as a plain old steel comb I got from my groomer when Ned was a puppy.  Here is Ned and photos of the brushes and combs I use.   I am sorry the photos are not set up nicely, but I couldn't seem to add them in an organized manner.  Green brush is LesPoochs brand. Ned is a lot shorter than he looks - it's the leaving the legs a bit longer.  His major matting areas are his ears, tail, chest and neck. He rarely mats on his face or topknot.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

does the conditioning spray leave them feeling greasy?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Not dematting ones.   The sprays have silicon to help the mats “slide “ out. Be very careful when you spray because overspray can make the floor VERY slippery. Sometimes when I’m spraying Ned overall, I do it outside or put a big towel under him. 

[c zoomer]

I have a "new" way to tackle the tiny felt mats Dinah had all over her chest and upper legs .  I wanted to give Dinah some relief before her grooming appointment.  

The tip comes from Jen at Wash That Dog in Alexandria, VA.  I was using the single blade of my new sharp doggy scissors with blunt tips to slide down areas of her chest, just to break up some of the tension.  Jan suggested I try a plastic letter opener.  They are square plastic with a long tip to slide along the (letter edge) or skin in our doodle's case. Care must be taken to keep the plastic perpendicular to the skin, blade facing away.

You must use your judgement if there is more discomfort than helpfulness.This would pull too much on a larger mat, but the tiny ones Dinah had all over her chest did not pull on the skin before getting sliced.  Get a new one :) so it's sharp. :)

[Mammadood]

I was also wondering about the heat thing with grooming in the summer.  We had heard that the long coat can keep them cool, but we finally decided to get Freddie cut because she was panting like a maniac all the time.  We had to try something to cool her down.  Anyway, we cut her to about 3/4 inch, a little longer on the legs and he panting decreased SIGNIFICANTLY.  I'm not sure if she is like other doodles and maybe there are coat differences with doodles that have more retriever genes, but Freddie is definitely more poodle-like and definitely cooled off with a shorter coat.  Here are some before and after photos.  (Notice in the before photo she was sleeping on the AC vent...)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Freddie looks great!