# matting



## Kellykath (Mar 28, 2012)

I am having trouble with my miniature poodle getting matted. It's not been too bad lately, but whenever I take him to the groomer, they always make me feel so badly. They had to shave him down once they said because there were too many. That was when he still had his puppy coat. It's better now, but he still gets quite matted. I have a mat comb but it is very hard to get him to sit still enough for me to get them out. I usually brush him as best I can and cut out bad mats. I do NOT want to ever have to shave him down again. Any tips? Thanks!


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## Harrymummy (Aug 27, 2012)

Although you don't mention in your posting, do you comb and brush everyday? I have no secret to share but its something I do since I had harry. Skippy a day or two is okay every so often as it rarely results in extra matting that is hard to deal with. Its also great bonding time and he usually does not my mind. He is quite cooperative now. Plus I am very systematic with my combing as i comb section by section. 

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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Usually matting that has to be "shaved down" is caused by not getting the brush all the way to the skin. I found many people "thought" they were brushing correctly, but were really only skimming over the top and not getting in deep enough. I always use a comb to finish. I make sure the comb glides easily through the hair all over. If you brush every day it only takes a short while and like Harrymummy said, it is a great bonding time.


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

I thought I would ask here instead of making a new thread but while we are on the subject of brushing, how do you guys make your poodles enjoy the brushing? One poodle of mine endured it but doesn't like it, the other walks away when he sees the brush. I use a slicker brush first and then go through with comb. 


Also to ad to the matting topic, maybe she had her puppy coat and adult coat mixed which can create a lot off mats (I've seen this reasoning come up on the forum )

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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

We are working in the "enjoying" brushing still. My spoo tends to get matty on her ears and topknot - which are the longest part of her body, and the most "tussled" throughout the day. At 18 months, she has really not grown out of her puppy coat, and may always have a fine easly matted coat. She squirrles around, moves her head, tries to mouth the brush, etc. if I really need to sit down and work on the matts which trains the owner not to do it as much because it's not fun. 

I have really tried to make it part of our pre-walk routine. I make her come over and get her topknot brushed and a new band put in to keep her hair out of her eyes before we go anywhere. She has become more tolerant of the brushing and is accepting it as a part of the "pre-fun" routine. Sometimes I still need to force her into longer sessions to get the tangles out (or stickers/twigs), but I am trying to get away from those as much as possiable because they have not been positive for me. I am perfectly capable of handeling the squirrles, I just don't want to constantly be sparring, so am trying to make it a more positive experiance for both of us.


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

Just like N2Mischeif said, you must get down to the skin with a comb. If you're washing at home, make sure you're brushing out the coat completely before you wash. If you wash a matted coat the mats will get worse. Make sure the coat is a length that you don't mind maintaining. At the point where it's more a chore to you and your dog and less a bonding time, go shorter. If it feels like a chore you won't want to keep it brushed out frequently enough.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

The most important thing to remember is to brush all the way down to the skin, then comb, comb, and comb again to check your work! My Molly has a long coat so I use a pin brush(a slicker would not reach down to the skin) and then I comb her. Because I brush/comb her everyday and sometimes twice a day, she has never had a serious mat .
I have read here that if your do find a mat, that you can sometimes work it out of the coat using a couple of tsps of hair conditioner/rinse to a spray bottle of water to help untangle it.
All in all the only way to avoid serious matting is to be committed to brushing! A LOT! LOL!


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

With 2 standard poodles, I have gone through this myself in the last few months, through the worst of coat change. Detangler is a great tool; you can get lots of dog detanglers online or "Cowboy Magic" from a tack store. If you are doing a lot of de-matting, that could be why your dog doesn't like being brushed. Like if you have a little girl with long hair (which I do)? If you let her hair hang loose all day and she plays hard, you're going to have a heck of a time brushing that out painlessly. But back to dogs, what I would do is get a good poodle comb, good slicker brush, and use detangler. After you've brushed and combed him from skin to tip of his hair and he's mat-free, bath him, use conditioner, and blowdry him carefully, section by section. This will really help with mats! If he already has a lot, I'd take him to a groomer and let them shave him down again. It will grow again! And it's so much more comfortable for the dog. Then you can start again with a mat-free coat, give him lots of treats, and eventually he won't hate being brushed so much. (Also keep in mind once his adult coat is completely grown in, he will stop getting quite so many mats--yay!)


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## Angl (Nov 9, 2012)

pinkteaji said:


> I thought I would ask here instead of making a new thread but while we are on the subject of brushing, how do you guys make your poodles enjoy the brushing? One poodle of mine endured it but doesn't like it, the other walks away when he sees the brush. I use a slicker brush first and then go through with comb.
> 
> 
> Also to ad to the matting topic, maybe she had her puppy coat and adult coat mixed which can create a lot off mats (I've seen this reasoning come up on the forum )
> ...


Took months of brushing and treating for good behavior. My groomer taught me. 


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

Angl said:


> Took months of brushing and treating for good behavior. My groomer taught me.
> 
> 
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What were some of the things she taught you?

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## Harrymummy (Aug 27, 2012)

Combination of activities. 

1. Have been combing and brushing since harry about 11 weeks old. So he has had an almost daily groom from the beginning. Plus I bought him from a lady who bus a fog groomer so she got him off to a good start. 

2. Started by letting him sniff the comb and brush and let him get used to the sensation. Keeping sessions to a handful if strokes with lots of praise. Each session increasing the number of strokes. Do this gradually

3. If too much resistance then add treats. A few brushes. If the wriggle gets manic then treats. Try to anticipate the next struggle and treat before it happens. I also find doing sections help. Do a leg. Treat. Do next leg. Treat. Therefore he knows after each section he will get a treat. 

4. Harry loves tummy rubs so I include that in too. Treats in the form of things he loves

5. I make lots of happy noise and praise him 

Okay. That's my bag of tricks. The more often and consistent helps. 

I know ppl brush then comb and I think the books say that too. However I prefer to comb then brush. I comb in sections so each time I see his skin to check for parasites plus spot on matting in each section. (I think this was due to my parasite obsession when i first got him..so religious check him) Afterwards u do a big brush. If necessary I will do a quick comb to double check matts if he has had a playful day. Sounds time consuming but am usually done in 15 min or so...maybe longer if we are playing along the way

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## Angl (Nov 9, 2012)

pinkteaji said:


> What were some of the things she taught you?
> 
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She taught me how to line brush. Just brush a tiny area down to the skin( there are you tube videos on technique). She told me every time he is good and still, give tiny treat. Eventually, he got better about it. After line brushing, take a comb and go down to skin to make sure you get all mats and tangles 


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

Besides all the great advice given here are 2 more suggestions. 1. If you have damaged the coat by detangling wrong then the coat will just mat up worse each time. & best to start over with a freshly clipped coat. 2. You might not be going to the groomer often enough. An owner that is chopping out "bad mats" is waiting too long between grooms. Also the groomer that you have chosen may not be a groomer that is comfortable dematting a coat properly. I will demat IF the owner is a regular under 6 weeks or somebody that usually does a good job at home but maybe had a lapse in brushing their dog. I will NOT though keep on dematting a dog that keeps coming in all matted up or not a regular, like those that wait 3-6 months to come in & then want their matted dog long. Not happening.

During a coat change you might want to go to your groomer every 2 weeks for a B & B with FFT done as well. Once the "change" is more manageable then go back to your regular 6-8 week schedule.


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Hi, can I just say thanks for all the great tips on this thread?! 

Pippin is a 'mare to groom. I did not know that their coat changes like it has and as a pup she used to get lots of mats which I did not deal with well I guess (snipped them out). She was soooo little when we got her I was a bit scared of breaking her! lol. Then we had problems with the groomer so I have started doing her myself and recently gave her a shave which went ok, as it is the first time she's had clippers on her body. Think I was more stressed than her!

I will try doing just bits at a time, although her feet are a problem - not the tops but between the pads... I'm terrified of catching her, so she has woolly feet, poor thing.

Manxcat


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## Harrymummy (Aug 27, 2012)

Manxcat said:


> I will try doing just bits at a time, although her feet are a problem - not the tops but between the pads... I'm terrified of catching her, so she has woolly feet, poor thing.
> 
> Manxcat


Manxcat, don't worry. Daily grooming is under the hat. My clipping of Harry remains a disaster. Before my holiday I had time to do his front and back right paws only. Blade heated so decided to not stress him out and do left side later. The week proceeded. Work took over. The flight due out. Mass panic and lack of sleep. Stress stress stress. Result...The poor thing had to go to the kennel with shaved right paws but hairy left paws. Lob-sided!!!!


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

3dogs said:


> I will NOT though keep on dematting a dog that keeps coming in all matted up or not a regular, like those that wait 3-6 months to come in & then want their matted dog long. Not happening.


That is actually why I don't take my girl to the groomer more often. She matts easly. I want her topknot and ears long, but keep the rest of her short. She gets bathed :bath:, completely dematted, and her feet/face/sanitary done every few weeks (2-3). Many times I would like to ger her in, but don't want the groomer judging me because of the matts so just do her myself.


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Harrymummy said:


> Manxcat, don't worry. Daily grooming is under the hat. My clipping of Harry remains a disaster. Before my holiday I had time to do his front and back right paws only. Blade heated so decided to not stress him out and do left side later. The week proceeded. Work took over. The flight due out. Mass panic and lack of sleep. Stress stress stress. Result...The poor thing had to go to the kennel with shaved right paws but hairy left paws. Lob-sided!!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


THANK YOU! I was starting to feel woefully inadequate as a poodle-mum! It's a good job we aren't showing her... and I've had a couple of comments from her breeder about her "styling" or lack thereof! Think her dad doing well at Crufts this year has made the breeder kind of disown us lol! He knew we were amateurs though, but I've stopped sending him photos of her, and don't normally use her KC name - very embarassing! )

I will keep plodding on!

Thanks
Manxcat


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

Pluto said:


> That is actually why I don't take my girl to the groomer more often. She matts easly. I want her topknot and ears long, but keep the rest of her short. She gets bathed :bath:, completely dematted, and her feet/face/sanitary done every few weeks (2-3). Many times I would like to ger her in, but don't want the groomer judging me because of the matts so just do her myself.


We wouldn't be judging you. Dematting is really rough on our hands too, and if we had to demat every dog that came through our door we would be crippled in a few years. Rarely do I demat more than ears, tails and sometimes faces, especially when someone isn't regular.


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

Have the groomer show you the correct way to brush. If the groomer refuses then I would hesitate to use that groomer. I've given lessons to many customers over the years how to correctly brush their dogs.also, if you are having problems with her being too wiggly, then I suggest you set a bath Matt on top of your washer or a small table top and try brushing her up there. Sometimes when they know their boundaries are smaller they don't put up a fight. 
I always hate being the barer of bad news when a client comes in all proud of themselves for all the hard work they have put into keeping up their dogs coat and then I discover underneath the beautiful inch of brushed out coat, there is a 2 inch pelt. But when I have to strip a dog I always educate the owners on how to correctly brush at home and what correct tools to use. I also have them preschedule the rest of their appointments for the year so we can keep them on a regular routine. Beware, some groomers may not know good brush out techniques themselves and will strip a dog even when there very brush able. I know this because through the years we have accidentally hired these type groomers. I've had a groomer tell me the dog was pelted and there was no way they could brush them out and I come over to find little pin Matt's sparatically thorough the coat and it took me less then ten minutes to completely brush out. I'm not saying that the groomers who have stripped your dog didn't make the right decision but I'm just suggesting you make sure to find a groomer who is willing to spend time educating you on maintaining your desired coat. And lastly, don't ever be embarrassed to bring your dog to us. We understand that sometimes life is busier then you anticipated and just because your dog is matted doesn't mean that you neglect your dog, I can guarantee you that we have seen truly neglected coats and dogs that are poorly taken care of. 


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

pinkteaji said:


> I thought I would ask here instead of making a new thread but while we are on the subject of brushing, how do you guys make your poodles enjoy the brushing? (...)
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I started by giving her tiny training treats for the few seconds she didnt wiggle and praise. Now I dont need any treats but I do give her 1/2 a pig ear when we are done with the brushing, so she knows to expect the high value treat at the end so she lets me brush her for a long time, I still give her the occasional mid-brushing session treat for being a good girl. I also talk to her a little while I brush her, it takes me about 20 minutes, every day before bed time. 



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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

hunny518 said:


> Have the groomer show you the correct way to brush. If the groomer refuses then I would hesitate to use that groomer. I've given lessons to many customers over the years how to correctly brush their dogs.also, if you are having problems with her being too wiggly, then I suggest you set a bath Matt on top of your washer or a small table top and try brushing her up there. Sometimes when they know their boundaries are smaller they don't put up a fight.
> I always hate being the barer of bad news when a client comes in all proud of themselves for all the hard work they have put into keeping up their dogs coat and then I discover underneath the beautiful inch of brushed out coat, there is a 2 inch pelt. But when I have to strip a dog I always educate the owners on how to correctly brush at home and what correct tools to use. I also have them preschedule the rest of their appointments for the year so we can keep them on a regular routine. Beware, some groomers may not know good brush out techniques themselves and will strip a dog even when there very brush able. I know this because through the years we have accidentally hired these type groomers. I've had a groomer tell me the dog was pelted and there was no way they could brush them out and I come over to find little pin Matt's sparatically thorough the coat and it took me less then ten minutes to completely brush out. I'm not saying that the groomers who have stripped your dog didn't make the right decision but I'm just suggesting you make sure to find a groomer who is willing to spend time educating you on maintaining your desired coat. And lastly, don't ever be embarrassed to bring your dog to us. We understand that sometimes life is busier then you anticipated and just because your dog is matted doesn't mean that you neglect your dog, I can guarantee you that we have seen truly neglected coats and dogs that are poorly taken care of.
> 
> 
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That was incredibly insightful, thank you so much. I'll have to definitely ask a groomer to show me. 

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