# Brushing a soft/puppy coat



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Archie has a soft, cottony puppy-type coat that mats if you look at it funny. With the rain and the wet happening around here and our attempt to grow it longer for the winter, he's so bad right now that I'm probably going to have the groomer just shave him tomorrow so he doesn't have to go through too much dematting with her (he whines and screams and throws a fit if you mess with his mats too much for too long at a time).

Is there something I'm missing? Are there special considerations involved with brushing a mixed-up puppy coat? Right now I brush him out with a pinbrush at least once a day, and follow up with a comb if I feel any tangles at all. I also use a detangling spray (the Everyday Isle of Dogs Silky Coating Brush Spray), but I'm not sure if there's a better one I should be using. He hates the spray so I admit I haven't been using it every time, either, which may be the problem.

I'm thinking more frequent trims may be a good idea, too - he's pretty good until his hair gets too much past about 1 inch or so (2.5 cm). It would just be nice to let it get long and fluffy once in a while. He's about 16 months old and still has this hair, so I don't think it's going to change much.

What else should I do to avoid these mats before they start??


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Merlin also has a puupy type coat. He's 20 months old now. I feel his coat starting to change on his back, but it might be wishful thinking. Apparently toys can take up to 24 months to change coat. Much longer than spoos.

His coat doesn't mat so easily, even when longer. If I brush every second day, he's okay.

You seem to be doing everything right, I don't know what else you could do. Do you use conditioner when bathing ? This might make a difference.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Dechi said:


> Merlin also has a puupy type coat. He's 20 months old now. I feel his coat starting to change on his back, but it might be wishful thinking. Apparently toys can take up to 24 months to change coat. Much longer than spoos.
> 
> His coat doesn't mat so easily, even when longer. If I brush every second day, he's okay.
> 
> You seem to be doing everything right, I don't know what else you could do. Do you use conditioner when bathing ? This might make a difference.


I use Isle of Dogs conditioner and load him up with detangler every time he takes a bath. It keeps his hair nice and smooth for a couple of days or so. Maybe he just needs a weekly bath or something (I tend to put them off until he's really messy because I only have my own hair dryer to dry him with and it takes a while).

I'm thinking part of the trouble is that he's a mix, so his coat isn't completely consistent. He's got a few slightly coarser (but still soft) straight hairs mixed in there, which is probably Cocker hair if my guess on his mix is right.

I guess he's still cute with perpetually short hair...(grumble grumble grumble)


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

When I got Bella at 1.5 years old, (she was not taken care of) her hair was soft and thin, not really pretty at all. It took about 2 years and you would not believe she's the same dog. In fact my old groomer who groomed for show and has since passed away told me he never would have thought she would wind up with such a thick coat of hair, and she is a toy. Cayenne was 1.5 and her coat is still soft, but I can see the back getting thicker and she is 2 yr and 2 months. I kept them both short until the coat inproved


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I use a comb first then a brush. I also use CC Ice on Ice when I feel problems. You have to get all the way to the skin. It is easier to do that with a comb and part the hair in sections back to front.


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## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

As I'm dealing with Mira's puppy coat, I'll explain what I do.

First, I use a pin brush or slicker brush all over the coat. Then I go in with a poodle comb immediately after. I do not think you should skip the comb if you don't feel any tangles with your hands.. You usually won't unless you use a comb because it gets through to the skin. If I hit any knots with my poodle comb I'll use a detangling spray. I do this every. day. If I skip a day I'll usually come off with more hair on the brush and that means more frizz on the coat.

Washing once a week will help tremendously. I am in your position as I don't have a force dryer and I hate to sit there for hour+ using my hand held one. If Mira got a fresh bath I know I could skip every other day for brushing because her coat gets really soft. I'm getting a force dryer to help with this... I think weekly or every other week baths are a must. Going to the groomer every 4-6 weeks just doesn't cut it and that's probably why you end up with more matts. 

No judgement if your not willing to do all of this... long hair is hard work!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

How often do you bathe him? My feeling is that no matter how much you brush and comb, the longer it had been since their last bath, the more easily they will mat. I was able to get Timi though coat change with long coat just fine with baths every 3 days - the times we got to four days, we really paid the price for it!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I must be lucky. I bathe every 2-3 weeks (or when he's rolled into something and he stinks) and he doesn't ever mat with brushing every 2-3 days. His hair is getting very long too. Probably close to 2 inches now.


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

I agree with Mithy. After you brush, always follow up with a comb to the skin. If you are brushing every day, followed by a comb to the skin that should work! 

I know that with Axel, even if I dont feel anything like a mat or tangle after brushing him, I still MUST use a comb to finish the job.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Based on what you have have told us about your routine and Archie I think there are two problem areas. The first is your dryer. It is very difficult to pull the dog's hair straight while drying with a hand held dryer, and if the dog's hair is not dried straight you will have problems with matting fairly quickly. The second area of concern is the fact that Archie's hair is that of a mixed background. I can just picture that Cocker hair winding around his poodle hair! I wonder if a product like Cowboy Magic detangler would be more helpful than the lighter spray in products? Also, I know they are expensive, but the Activet brush really did make brushing more pleasant for the dogs and me.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I have the dryer for the dogs, but I use my hand held and got a stand to put it in so both hands are free. The stand was only 29.00 I think


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

I would use a slicker brush if you are dealing with a lot of tangles and mats. The pin brush is just going to make it more difficult for you and Archie. Winter had the same soft cottony coat you describe. Constant brushing and bathing every week with a proper shampoo and conditioner is what helped me. 

Here is a video I did with Winter on how to brush a poodle. 

http://youtu.be/oJoWfStDQbI


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Thanks so much, everybody! It does sound like I need to step up the brushing and make sure that I comb him every single day. Good tip on regular baths, too - right now he gets groomed every 4-6 weeks with a home bath probably once in between there, and that's clearly not enough. I didn't really think about clean hair being less tangly, but of course it would be. Especially with conditioner.

Poor little fella's getting shaved down tonight so he doesn't have to go through getting the current mats combed out (we got caught in the rain yesterday without a brush on hand afterward, so he magically came up with a few new ones), and then I'm planning to start from scratch with a more comprehensive brushing/combing/bathing routine. I'm also considering getting a set of clippers myself so I can keep him trimmed if need be, as scheduling with my groomer can sometimes be a problem. I'm looking into the products some of you mentioned, too.

And I noticed a bunch of wispy, white guard hairs popping up around his shoulders today, so maybe he's going through a coat change after all. Sigh...I'll get the hang of this someday soon!!


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Charmed said:


> Based on what you have have told us about your routine and Archie I think there are two problem areas. The first is your dryer. It is very difficult to pull the dog's hair straight while drying with a hand held dryer, and if the dog's hair is not dried straight you will have problems with matting fairly quickly. The second area of concern is the fact that Archie's hair is that of a mixed background. I can just picture that Cocker hair winding around his poodle hair! I wonder if a product like Cowboy Magic detangler would be more helpful than the lighter spray in products? Also, I know they are expensive, but the Activet brush really did make brushing more pleasant for the dogs and me.


Which Activet brush do you use? It seems like most people like purple for poodles, or maybe the purple/silver duo.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Dechi said:


> I must be lucky. I bathe every 2-3 weeks (or when he's rolled into something and he stinks) and he doesn't ever mat with brushing every 2-3 days. His hair is getting very long too. Probably close to 2 inches now.



He might have coat like my Tangee did - she basically had puppy coat her entire life, and never matted no matter how long it got.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I use an Activet that is green on one side and gold on the other. I chose it after reading about which brushes were recommended for poodle coats. I will add that I have the double size and I think a single is fine for Archie. If you Google you can find the Activet chart and decide for yourself which brush best fits Archie's hair type. My Standards have thick,more coarse, type coats. I do brush our rough coated Jack Russell Terrier with the Activet and it works great on him. His coat is wispy, tangly and he hates being brushed. This is my 18th year of poodle ownership and I have always been searching for the "perfect" slicker" for me. I got the Activet last year and now instead of searching for the perfect brush... I am trying to save enough money to buy the next one.


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

I'll second the recommendation for Cowboy Magic products. I use the shampoo and conditioner if I've--ahem--waited a little too long between groomings, and it is a big help in getting the mats to brush out.

I also say you need to use a slicker. You're not trying to keep a show coat, so a slicker is the way to go. Brush in sections, all the way down, and then try to pull the comb through all the way to the skin. If you can't pull the comb through, back to the slicker. 

I've also used a mat comb:


I consider this to be more of an advanced tool that takes some experience and finesse to use safely and effectively, but your dog's groomer might help you with it, especially if your guy has "that kind" of coat that just instantly mats.

And there's no shame in shaving it all off and starting all over! I've done that a couple of times. I call it a clean slate!

Good luck!

--Q


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