# Dematting comb



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Hello,
I need some advise on combs to work out some mats. What are you using, where you got them and are you satisfied with the results?
Thanks,
Jcris


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi jcris! I did buy a dematting comb once when DUlcie was a lot younger, in anticipation of coat change and possibly needing it. However, we were lucky and she never did have a major problem with matting, so I can't say if it was helpful or not. I CAN say that the few times I tried to use it, I found it hard on my wrists and also I wound up holding her hair close to her body and working through the mats as I would with a regular comb anyway. So I don't even know where I put the old matting comb and I use a regular MADAN comb (the wider tooth kind) to work out mats and I find that works as well as anything. Someone else may have more insight for longer coats and matting.

One thing I do to reduce matting is I keep Dulcie's coat on the shorter side. Longer in winter (about 2 or so inches) and much shorter in warm months (about an inch or even less if we are going to the beach and very warm weather). That really cuts down on the possibility of matting, even if I am too busy to comb every day.


----------



## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Use caution with dematting combs. They are literally just sharp blades mounted on a tool, so it is very easy to cut a dog with them. If the mats are not to bad I would go with the simple route of using a detangling spray, a slicker brush and a regular comb to break them up. Here is a video of how to properly brush a poodle and it also shows how to break up and brush out mats. 

http://youtu.be/oJoWfStDQbI


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

I was just coming back to add that with detangled spray and a slicker brush, after combing, you can deal with most matts. poodlecrazy#1 beat me to it!  

I think, if there is heavier matting (jcris, I know you've mentioned that your girls spend a lot of time outdoors and also in water frequently), then you might consider clipping them into a short cut (just clipping the matts right off) and then keeping them a little shorter than usual. Combing and brushing for a few minutes each evening will also help stay ahead of it, especially if they are in shorter coats. I don't mean skinned - but even 1 to 1.5 inches is often much easier to manage.


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I never used one. I think they tear out or break too much hair. And like Poodlecrazy said, they're a little dangerous. When I was showing Matisse, he was a lot of work. I would use a slicker brush, a pin brush in places and a comb to follow up with. Every day, at least once he had to be gone over all the way to the skin, every square inch. Keeping on top of clipping helps. (those split ends tend to mat more easily). And a bath every week. A clean dog tends to tangle less. Now I've got both of mine in short pet type trims and it's a piece of cake. I don't even have to brush every day...more like every other or every 3rd day. It's mostly their tail, head hair and around the ankles, under the arm pits that are a little more prone to tangle. So, my advice is that...and not to use a de-matting comb.


----------



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Thanks everyone,
I've just let the girls coats go too long without trimming. So I've got some mats to deal with. Princess will let me do almost anything when I groom her and Belle is very finicky. She can be a real struggle. I just got a HV dryer and Princess will just lay down and darn near go to sleep when I dry her. Poor little Belle won't even stay in the garage if she sees the dryer. Part of that has to be my lack of a consistent grooming schedule. Thanks for the tips and for now I think some dematting solution will suffice. And of course more patience. Haha
Jcris


----------



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

I've been looking at various combs and brushes online this morning and WHOA!!!! The assortment is confusing. Ionic, gold pin, slicker with soft bristles and rounded ends, all manner of shapes and sizes. Holy smokes! and let's not get into shampoo and such. lol
Still looking,
Jcris


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

If you use a pin brush, I was told the ones with the little nubs on the end will wreck the hair...break it, tear it out. So if you get one, get the ones with the straight pins, no nubs.

I have a slicker from Petco or Petsmart by Safari. I also got a couple online that were way expensive and it turns out I like my $12 or $13 Safari best. It's pretty soft.

I have a comb I got at a dog show where you can get stuff from vendors at usually, a much better price. It has tines close together and at the other end they get further apart. 

For the mats you already have, you may need to shave them off, which is the least painful or get help from a groomer.

As far as your fearful dog, I'd recommend counter conditioning and desensitizing her to the dryer before you try to do any more with her. Have it turned off and feed her meals to her as near to it as she is comfortable. Make a fuss if she goes close to it and give her tasty treats. Once she starts pairing the turned off dryer with good things, you can try turning it on but keep her where she's far enough away that she can tolerate it and associate the noise with an extra fun time...special toy that is reserved for just that, high value treats. Gradually work her closer to the turned on dryer but don't force it on her right away. When you think she's not too terrified, try aiming it on her but use it on the lowest setting and just do a little part of her for a few seconds, high value reinforcer and end the session on the best note you can. I'd do this a couple times a day to work up to things. You might also try some Rescue Remedy to help calm her nerves a little. It might mean no bath for a couple weeks but I'd rather see her get a little less fearful of the dryer first if this will help. You may wind up needing to just do it and get someone to help. While you dry, your helper can hold a spoon with peanut butter on it or show her a toy to try to distract her a little bit. Good luck. It's a shame she is so afraid. Be sure to make all grooming chores rewarding and pleasant as you can.


----------



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Great ideas about desensitizing Belle. She is just so afraid it's kind of comical but I certainly don't wish to create a bigger problem. I'll try and be more patient. It's funny though,the other day she let me trim her face with the trimmer and handled it really well. I do notice it's better to groom her whens she's a bit tired and perhaps less on edge. Thanks again Poodle beguiled!
Jcris


----------



## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

I keep Stella in a long coat compared to most owners here that are not showing. Her jacket area is at least 5-6 in long. I only us a pin brush (never use a slicker on the hair you want to keep is what I was told) and a comb to groom her. I have a normal comb with Teflon coating (supposed to help with static, but I don't think so at all) and I have a "Greyhound" style comb that has teeth 2 inches long. You just have to be sure to comb all the way down to the skin, you do this after brushing to be sure you got all the tangles. And be sure to fully brush/comb before your bathe and blow dry. That way you don't start off with matts.
I attached a couple photos so you can see the groom that I keep Stella in so its easier to understand what Im talking about.


----------



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Stella is absolutely beautiful!
Thanks so much for the insight.
Jcris


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

AngelAviary said:


> I keep Stella in a long coat compared to most owners here that are not showing. Her jacket area is at least 5-6 in long. I only us a pin brush (never use a slicker on the hair you want to keep is what I was told) and a comb to groom her. I have a normal comb with Teflon coating (supposed to help with static, but I don't think so at all) and I have a "Greyhound" style comb that has teeth 2 inches long. You just have to be sure to comb all the way down to the skin, you do this after brushing to be sure you got all the tangles. And be sure to fully brush/comb before your bathe and blow dry. That way you don't start off with matts.
> I attached a couple photos so you can see the groom that I keep Stella in so its easier to understand what Im talking about.


Oh yes. I remember at a show once, I was brushing Matisse with the slicker on his back and my breeder chastised me, saying I could use the slicker on some other areas but not on his back. So where the hair gets clipped often, it doesn't much matter but where you want it to grow a slicker is not the right thing. Then I took a pin brush that had little plastic nubs and I got scolded again. :ahhhhh: NO NUBS. So, now I know. 

Now my two are in short hair cuts. It doesn't matter what I use. I use the slicker and comb. If I want to give them a nice massage kind of brushing, I have a boar bristle brush that's nice and soft. They like that. But that wouldn't even penetrate anything much longer than my two guys hair.


----------



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

The weather is warming and a shorter cut is coming soon. So much easier to care for. I'll use caution with any slicker I may use. The one I've used has rather sharp ends/tips. I see they are available with rounded tips. Those would seem better. What do you think?
Jcris


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Just like the pin brush with the little nubs I was told not to use by experienced people, I don't think a slicker brush with rounded ends would be good either. I think it makes the tines too thick and they get caught in the hair. Just a straight tine but try to make sure the tines are a little flexible and soft, not too hard. And there's a technique to brushing. Keep the brush straight, not that you flick your wrist and dig the tines into the skin. And not too much pressure. Look for a video.

I don't know if the picture here shows very well, but this is some of the stuff I used when Matisse was still showing and I had to band his hair.




These two people, I love to watch. They're unbelievably good. If you hunt around, you might find a video about slicker brushing. 
http://www.superstylingsessions.com/dvd-s.html


Here's another

http://www.groomertogroomer.com/videos/sue-zecco-mini-poodle-demo-part-1/


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

jcris, I think most of us have been there and done that about letting the coat get a little long for our dogs' activity level and then mats getting ahead of us.

Something I read about slickers is to try running it along your own arm and see if it hurts. If it does, that may not be the right one - I use the slicker all over DUlcie's body because it makes her coat nice and soft and fluffy --- unlike everyone else though, I never could get into the habit of using the brush first and then the comb. I always comb first to get all the knots out before going over her with the brush. I don't have a method like a pro - I just size her up and start somewhere and take it bit by bit, dealing with the most tangly areas first (usually ankles, legs, tail and head, ears and neck). Then I go over her with the slicker or pin brush to fluff and finish her. I realize this is backwards from everything I have read but it seems to work for Dulcie and me. When I comb, I treat her like one of my kids -- that is, I put my hand on her body and make sure that I don't pull, instead holding the hair close to her body and using the comb to work out tangles. She doesn't seem to mind this much at all, although she really dislikes when I try to do her tail.

P.S. With Belle you maybe could try the approach I used with Dulcie at first. D didn't like brushing or grooming at all at first. So, instead of longish combing/brushing sessions every night or two, what I started doing was sitting n the floor with her while we were relaxing (i.e. when she had settled down for the evening after supper and a bathroom break) and I'd just do a little at a time. Maybe deal with the two front legs and her topknot one night -- next morning before going out, maybe comb and brush her back legs, ears and tail. Or even fewer places, more frequently. I am talking about 5 minutes at a time, tops. To this day, that is still how I brush and comb her. In little increments, during a relaxing time of day (usually shortly after a meal) and nearly always followed by something enjoyable. Like a walk/playtime outdoors or a nice long sessions of tug or chew with a bully stick. By keeping the sessions very short and frequent, I manage to keep ahead of the tangles and mats without pushing her beyond her limit and now she is quite tolerant. She never looks like a perfectly groomed poodle (to my eye) but she always looks presentable, and more important she doesn't have a chance to get badly matted, and that is good enough for us both!


----------

