# Help with combing!



## Aidan (Mar 4, 2009)

Thicker teeth on the comb will help..in fact in many online stores they are actually called poodle combs! 

He could just be matted under where you can't see, that could be part of the reason you can't get the comb through.

Also, it's not uncommon for some hair to come up when combing, even sometimes a lot of it. Poodles don't shed their hair like some other double coated breeds do. Shepherds, Collies, etc... shed the dead stuff all over the place..for poodles, it has to be combed or brushed out.

When I first start combing and brushing a dog I start at the bottom and work my way up on all parts of the dog.

For instance: I'll take the first foot with my brush and start brushing from the bottom of that foot up to the shoulder, the same for all 4 feet. Then I will brush the body starting with the tip of the tail..brushing up until I get all the way to the back of the dogs neck, then brush the ears from the tip and up and last the topknot. This is pretty much how I was taught and it works well for me. It's easier to make sure I get everything going from bottom to top.

After I've brushed the dog I will then take a comb to make sure the dog is fully combed out in the same pattern I used while brushing.

Sometimes adding a cond. spray can help! Also, I only brush dirty dogs if I have to. I prefer to get the dog clean and THEN brush. It's difficult to brush out a dirty dog.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Yes he is a little matted at the moment, we have just moved house so things have been up in the air and I didn't brush him this week, naughty me! His cost is only about 2 inches long but maybe I will trim him a but shorter. Do you use a slicker to brush then as I find a slicker only gets the top of the coat and I need a comb to get the other hair out.

I find that of I gently pull his hair then bits of loose hair come out even after iv combed. Maybe the comb doesn't get all the hair that's got caught out. Iv got some les poochs slickers on order so they should hopefully arrive soon. Maybe they will work better, I'll try working from the foot up like you say. I just wonder why so much hair comes out when I brush him. I do think I'm pulling to hard and perhaps pulling hair out


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Aidan said:


> Thicker teeth on the comb will help..in fact in many online stores they are actually called poodle combs!
> 
> He could just be matted under where you can't see, that could be part of the reason you can't get the comb through.
> 
> ...


I start with Lexi's feet first. She will fall asleep when I do her ears, back feet and tail, but will try and hide her front feet from me. I hardley ever brush her. I start with the wide end of the comb and then go over everything with the fine tooth end. Is this a bad thing to not start with a brush? I do use the brush to fluff ears and tail after I have combed her out. There is fur that comes out some in the comb and it looks like it has perfect little rings in it.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I take a slicker over my dogs first, make sure the hair is good and parted before I take a comb through.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm getting a handful of hair out when I brush at the moment. And I only did his neck, part of his back and part of 1 leg last night. I need to brush him more tonight and I found his slicker today (we are still unpacking everything, iv not found his ice on ice spray yet.) I'll try get these matts out but he does seem
To get a lot of hair come out when I brush. I'll try find the link to the comb I have when I get home later, I think it's meant for poodles but not sure.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I always get a lot of hair out when I brush my dogs, though I'm not brushing to save hair (you pretty much have to pretend you're brushing silk) since my dogs aren't show dogs.


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## Aidan (Mar 4, 2009)

Mars coat kings are wonderful on matted and difficult coated dogs. They get coat out..would not be ideal for a show coat, but for a pet coat i go to town with them. I love my coat king. It's an expensive tool..but well worth it!


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

That's good to know that it's normal to get that much hair out, my freind said I would make him bald if I kept at it! I need to keep tackling these matts, I love his length but might shave him very short soon, maybe 1/2 an inch so its easier to manage. Do most people brush daily then? Maybe I should start conditioning him again, he needs a bath soon so he is clean for when my mum comes out of hospital and he has got pee on his legs and tummy as usual! I wish he had better aim!


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## oceanrose (Sep 10, 2011)

Dilute some cream rinse in a spray bottle with water (just a teaspoon or so of conditioner, the rest water).

Mist the coat gently and then select an area to start. Part the coat to the skin and run your comb through from top to bottom. When the loose hair is out and it's smooth, section another area (I normally go right above), mist and comb that. Repeat all over. If he's got coat coming out, this will remove it in a semblance of order. If you just try randomly combing a section you're not going to get to the skin and he will just continue to mat. Once the mats are out I'd switch to using a slicker and pin brush and running the coat through to make sure there are no mats in there too.


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## BigRedDog (Mar 2, 2011)

*Brushing and Combing*

If you brush you dog systamatically, it will be easier . First of all use a grooming table so you won't get overly tired. You need a good slicker brush and a steel comb.
Start at the back and pull the coat up, so that you can see the skin. Hold the coat firmly so it does not pull the skin with one hand. With the other use the slicker brush in downward motion, section by section. (It will take a long time). When you think a small section is brushed, check it with the comb. The comb should go through smoothly..if not..brush again.
If the coat is matted, it might be easier for all concerned to clip you dog down short, and start all over. Their coats grow fast, so no worries.
Get accustomed to brusing every other day, if not every day to keep the coat in good condition.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

It does sound to me like perhaps you are brushing harder then you need to. Even when Trev had like 4 or 5 inches of hair on his neck and legs and at least 1" everwhere else I never got very much loose hair out when brushing. A little bit, yes, but certainly not a handful! It sounds to me like you are breaking the hairs off, especially considering that you say he's 2" long and doesn't have as nice of a coat. I would go with what everyone else is saying, use a spray-on conditioner and part the hair as you brush. Also, try using a "pat pull" motion instead of a "dragging" motion. Bring the brush down in a patting motion (using the full pad) and then pull slightly down and away. Almost like you are drawing loops going away from your body with the brush. Does that make any sense at all? Lol...it's much easier to show someone then to describe it.  If you just drag the brush across the hair, then yes it pulls on the skin and hair, which is uncomfortable for the dog and breaks off the hairs. And when brushing out a mat, start at the tip of the mat and work inward, just like you would when brushing your own hair. Those mats come out sooo much easier when you combine starting at the tip of the mat and the pat pull brushing motion. Most dogs don't even mind me brushing them when I do that. 

And don't force a comb through the coat...chances are, if you have to force the comb through, you missed mats. What I do, is brush the dog until I think I'm done, then I take a comb and go back over everywhere. If I can't slide the comb through easily in a certain area, then I go back at that spot with a brush. On some poodles with very thick coats, getting a comb through (even on a mat free dog) is very difficult. Try using a wider toothed comb, that should help.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Thanks so much for the tips! I was dragging the slicker and comb through his coat so was definitly pulling hair out and breaking it 

I actually did this to him a few day ago though so I dont have to put him through my awful brushing skills, especially as he just matts up so bad when he gets wet (and we have had snow recently)

Before









After


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

his ears were a bit wet from going out in the snow but his boots and snow suit kept the rest of him dry


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Poppy has been a bit neglected of late, and I've found much more fluff coming out than usual. I find the easiest way of getting through her coat when it has got a bit long and not been brushed for a week or so is to use a pin brush, followed by a comb. A slicker brush seems to hurt her, and the comb without brushing pulls too much, but a thorough brushing with the pin brush removes the worst of the tangles, then going over her first with the coarse end of a greyhound brush, and then the fine, gets rid of any snags I may have missed. If she starts getting really snarled, it tells me it is time for a clip! I am beginning to really lust after a CC Buttercomb, though...

PS Just seen your photos - love that old fashioned look from the floor!


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

I dont have a pin brush, do I need a particular kind?

Bass standard pin brush - dog pin brushes - Bass pet grooming tools UK

Is this one OK?

I will take all these tips and start a new brushing style as i have clearly been doing it wrong.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

My favorite brushes:

Wood Pin Brushes for Pet Grooming, Show Dogs & Cats

I use this brush on my show mini and doesnt pull out as much hair as the other pin brushes I have used including the metal pin brushes by CC.

If your dog is matted it is not uncommon to get lots of hair out.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

Not sure my budget can stretch to that much, especially as I have ordered 2 of the LP slickers in the group buy. I will have a look online for one thats about £15-20. I guess I am looking for one without plastic bits on the ends?


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