# Need a conditioner to prevent matting



## sschoe2 (Mar 16, 2011)

I've been having trouble with Sari's hair especially the back of the top knott developing matts. Is there a good conditioner I can use. I typically bathe her every 2-3 weeks or when she smells bad. I have been using Hartz 3 in 1.


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## Aidan (Mar 4, 2009)

A good brush followed through with a comb will prevent matts. Also, anything by hartz is absolute garbage. If you can buy it at walmart in the pet section, it's garbage.

You would be better off ordering concentrated shampoo from a pet supply warehouse like pet edge or similar places. 

For conditioner I actually use a product sold at Sallys Beauty supply, it's for people, but works great on dogs! It's called Cure Care and it's about $6 a gallon. It's good stuff, but if the dog is matted you will probably need something else.

I have had good luck using results rinse by Show Season with Cure Care to de-matt doodles. Any conditioner will somewhat help prevent matts since it helps keep the hair healthy and prevents breakage. 

Although, at the end of the day if you don't brush/comb regularly, or daily if you are going through puppy coat... you are going to have a matted dog.


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## lavillerose (Feb 16, 2011)

There isn't a conditioner that really prevents matting. They help by lubricating the hairs and helping tangles slip apart, but you still have to do the work of combing them out.

And yes, as Aiden mentioned, please don't buy/use any Hartz products, especially flea shampoos. Just google the brand name and you'll learn why.


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

Depending on your dogs coat type the Conditioner could be causing some of the problem. I wholeheartedly 2nd getting a metal greyhound comb & that is a must once you brush check your work. Conditioner often will soften a coat & that is great if you have a really thick coated, coarse type poodle ( I have one that I use tons of conditioner on) but if your dog has a softer coat, lacks thicker tighter curls, easily mats you might want to forget the conditioner all together. Instead if you find a mat from your daily comb sessions then use a "demat" spray. Everyone has their favorite demat spray. I have very good luck with Mane N Tail that I get at Sally's. If I am putting in an order at Quadruped then I buy their demat spray or I also like Coat Handler Spray as well. I have heard good things about Crown Royale but have not tried that myself. Anyway, I would assess your dogs coat type & possibly NOT use conditioner.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I have had luck with Pantene and also with Herbal Essences for curly hair human shampoo. I also like the Chris Chriistenson dog products. The Spectrum One series is terrific. I have also used the Day to Day when it seemed she needed more conditioning. 

In the end you have to either brush your dog frequently with a metal comb or shave them down through coat change. It isn't that hard to brush them if you do it often.


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

If you want you can try "ice on ice" or "The Stuff" as leave in products. 
Ice on ice is also like sunscreen and it repels dirt, it can also make your floors very slippery.

Jaden's breeder uses these two products on her girls and recommended them to me for coat change.

ice on ice
the stuff


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

sschoe2 said:


> I've been having trouble with Sari's hair especially the back of the top knott developing matts. Is there a good conditioner I can use. I typically bathe her every 2-3 weeks or when she smells bad. I have been using Hartz 3 in 1.


I have found that too much conditioner makes my dogs long hair matt. It weighs it down I guess. I use lots of things but have found panteen works as good as others and is cheap. 

Are you talking about behind the ears? If there is a lot of scratching going on then they can get matts back there. I agree with the others regular brushing will help most. How old is Sari?


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## wickednag (Nov 30, 2011)

I use pink on our horses manes and tails. I think it would be worth trying on the poodles. It is in the ethnic section at Walmart.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Aidan said:


> ... If you can buy it at walmart in the pet section, it's garbage.
> 
> You would be better off ordering concentrated shampoo from a pet supply warehouse like pet edge or similar places.


 Not necessarily...I use the Oster brand wm sells on my shorthaired dogs, and if I'm in a pinch, on my long haired ones too. It's actually halfway decent on my poodle's and Lhasa's coat, (it doesnt dry it up or weigh it down too much...not saying i use it on them regularly but when i dont have anything else thats better, its what i turn to.  ) and awesome on the shorthairs. Leaves them soft and shiny and smells really good too. 
That being said, I agree that the op needs to quit using hartz...nasty stuff for sure!! My mother insists on using their whitening shampoo on the Lhasa when she bathes him and it makes his hair feel sooooo gross!!! (for those who are wondering, I do NOT use that stuff when _I_ bathe him!) Others have suggested some really good shampoos. Another good one is B3 Why Itch...I used it on Trev for a while. It adds some texture and is moisturizing.(supposedly you don't have to use conditioner afterwards, however my water is extremely hard and tends to dry hair out so I do condition afterwards.) I realize all those shampoos are expensive, but keep on mind that 1) you use less because they are better quality and 2) typically they are diluted. And the effects they have on the coat is totally worth it.  

As far as conditioner, I haven't tried very many, BUT I do really like CC's After U rinse....its light, doesn't weight down the hair, and makes drying/brushing out fast and easy. Ice on Ice is good for a leave in, too. 

Please excuse the punctuation errors, I'm on my iPad and it doesn't always add apostrophes when it should and I'm too lazy to go back and add them manually!!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i recommend getting a nice shampoo. my fav right now is plum silky. it's lightly conditioning and so i sometimes don't bother w/ a condtioner on temperance as i leave her fairly short and then i never condition her cords. 

i also sometimes use a bit of the cure care that aiden mentioned afterwards if i want to do a bit more conditioning (like on seelie). it's fragrance free so my puppers smell like yummy plum silky. it's a light conditioner and i water it down a bit so it just helps soften the hair more. 

i love crown royale 3 magic touch and ice on ice for a spray to use while brushing. i like both equally ... but right now i'm using ice on ice and liking the fact it's ff so the yummy plum silky smell comes thru


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## Aidan (Mar 4, 2009)

My complaint about walmart products is more about the ingredients in those products and less about how it makes the coat feel.

The same applies to what I use on my own hair.

Pantene makes human hair feel fantastic...it's a terrible shampoo for people (although works well on dogs..but i still refuse to ever use it) the ingredients are what matter. Pantene would be better off if they would market it as a pet shampoo. I can't believe people still use this stuff.

I've noticed when I use cheaper shampoos with certain ingredients I have to use a good clarifying shampoo just to remove most of the build up that occurs. I keep Coat Handler on hand just for when co-workers decide to bathe my dogs in crap.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Aidan said:


> My complaint about walmart products is more about the ingredients in those products and less about how it makes the coat feel.
> 
> The same applies to what I use on my own hair.
> 
> ...


. _ Ingredients in Oster's extra soothing shampoo: purified water, a blend of 3 natural and renewable coconut based cleansers, 1% all natural colloidal oatmeal, thickening agents, aloe Vera, natural chamomile extract, fragrance, and preservatives. _ now, I realize that the company obviously did not divulge all of the ingredients, as they did not explain what the thickening agents or preservatives were, but I think that, for the most part, this shampoo isn't going to mess anything up if used every now and then!! of course, that is JMO. And like I stated before, I definitely recommend something better for regular use.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

the annoying thing about animal products is that the fda doesn't require ingredient listing.

in human body care, they are. when you see an incomplete list, you just wonder.

i KNOW that a lot of the "natural" pet care is not natural. i am pretty versed in this.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

faerie said:


> the annoying thing about animal products is that the fda doesn't require ingredient listing.
> 
> in human body care, they are. when you see an incomplete list, you just wonder.
> 
> i KNOW that a lot of the "natural" pet care is not natural. i am pretty versed in this.


 Can't disagree with you there. As far as I know the FDA doesn't require companies to list all ingredients in human cosmetics/ shampoo/etc either. Perhaps that has changed though. however, I was not promoting the Oster product as being natural, or acceptable for use on a regular basis. I was merely pointing out that WM DOES sell a product that, IMO, isn't disgusting and that could be used in a pinch without harming anything. 

I'm not naive, I DO realize that most products being billed as natural, in both the human and dog world, are in fact not. Ive done quite a bit of research on that subject myself; perhaps not as much as you, but enough to have a decent understanding. If I'm looking for something truly natural, I do a lot of research before settling on something.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i am a soap and body care manufacturer. we most definitely ARE require to list all ingredients. for true soap (those that do not offer any claims other than for cleansing, then one is not required to list ingredients.) i make claims, thus it becomes a cosmetic. 

Cosmetic Labeling Manual

Labeling Regulations Applicable to Cosmetics



regarding grooming for animals, i have done a bit of research in it because i'm looking at offering a few pet care items under my brand in the future. I've not found many products which list their ingredients to get an idea, but there are some. i think iod does, but i could be wrong. 
i'm pretty sure crown royale 3 does.


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## sschoe2 (Mar 16, 2011)

I got Sari's hair back to normal. It took 3 rounds of dematting solution followed by heavy combing and even splitting with my bare fingers to get the matts out. I also gave her a bath yesterday. 

I haven't found the Hartz 3 in one to be bad at all but anything that might be better would be worth trying.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

faerie said:


> i am a soap and body care manufacturer. we most definitely ARE require to list all ingredients. for true soap (those that do not offer any claims other than for cleansing, then one is not required to list ingredients.) i make claims, thus it becomes a cosmetic.
> 
> Cosmetic Labeling Manual
> 
> ...


 I think you misunderstood my post, I was stating that I DO agree with you. I said "*Can't* disagree with you there." I was agreeing that the fda doesn't require a complete listing of ingredients and that it was annoying. I'm sorry if I was confusing. 

OK, I suppose I misunderstood some of the info I had read about human products. Thanks for explaining.


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## supysmom (Oct 10, 2011)

all the suggestions here are great. I just want to add. if you are having excessive matting, the coat is likely damaged and will continue to matt. you might need to consider clipping short and starting over. 
I also find combing the coat when it is wet is much better than dousing dry coat with a detangler. 
this is not about you, but I have many clients tell me they are brushing there pet when they are really not at all, not enough, not thoroughly, or using the wrong products and equipment. good shampoo and good tools are imperitive. there is much we can use in a pinch, but if YOU are going to groom your pet on a regular bases (and thats a must for poo owners) then you need to invest in your supplies. I gallon of great shampoo will go a long way and is well worth the money. 
another thing to consider is diet. better food will give you better, stronger coat. 
good luck


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