How to remove mats without being shaved down? - Page 2 - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

mom24doggies · 12-16-2012, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fluffyspoos

I thought your Lhases was a punk for grooming? (; He's making you a liar! Look at that good boy! Great video! I wish we could teach our clients this, and have them follow it!

Lol yah I guess he is making me a liar! It's just sometimes that he is a punk...mostly he wants to sit down. You can see that in the video, as soon as I let go of his leg and move to the tail he plunks down. Even during my competition I had to put a belly strap on him to hold him up as I was working on his front, he's such a lazy bum! I've pretty much just learned to deal with it there isn't any sense in getting frustrated with him.

When I posted about him I had probably just had a bad day with him lol.

Lou · 12-16-2012, 09:35 PM

Great how to brush your dog video!!! I had no clue of what i was doin! Lou has long hair all over, i dont think she has mats cause I brush her (incorrectly) but often, but I cant wait to try lifting the hair and brushing like you showed on the video, hope i dont find hidden mats!! Thank you :-)

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PoodlePowerBC · 12-17-2012, 05:01 AM

I think because you have a poodle/bichon cross he has a different coat than a poodle would. Maybe because Bichons have finer hair? My sister has a cross as well, and she gets her dog groomed every 2 weeks because it matts so quickly. I recommended to her that she uses a comb and makes sure that she gets right down to the skin at the very least in the areas the dog matts the worst.

Sara&Audi · 12-22-2012, 11:38 PM

Sorry for the late reply, it was finals week(fun, fun).
Thank you all for the advice. I made an appointment for next monday. I visited the groomers, and one of the groomers showed me how to properly brush her. She has to be completely shaved down and start over again.. :( I never bought a slicker brush before since they always said on the packaging for reducing shedding and removing loose hair, lol.
I will pay attention to her hair more often now with frequent grooming visits, blowdrying after baths, and brushing with a slicker brush.

Sara&Audi · 12-22-2012, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom24doggies

First of all, if she needs to be shaved with an 8 or 10, you are not going to be able to brush those mats out. Those blades are very short and are for tight mats, so if your groomer told you that you can assume they are tight. Have her shaved and start over again is my advise.

A pin brush is for show coats. Get a good quality soft slicker and use that instead. Don't just run the brush over the top of the coat, (I can almost guarantee that's what you are doing now, it's a very common mistake) line brush. Start at the bottom (feet) and work your way up, holding a section up with your left hand and brushing the section below with your right until you can see the skin. Use a light spray conditioner if you want. I like Ice on Ice, and if your pup has a dry coat or a lot of breakage Pure Paws H2o spray works wonders. After brushing, go back and run through everything with a comb, re brushing any areas that catch. Don't use a comb to pull through mats though.

You need to have her groomed more more often than every 4 months.....that isn't enough. That combined with the fact that you haven't been brushing thoroughly AND you are bathing her probably without blow drying is what has caused the mats. Bathing a mat causes it to tighten up, making it harder to remove. So for 4 months you have been bathing those mats in.

As far as how often she should be groomed, it depends on the clip. If you want her fluffy, every 4 weeks for a clip is good. She will however need to be bathed and brushed out at least once in between, and brushed every couple of days. A lot of customers at my shop come in every two weeks....one appointment they get a bath and blow dry with a face feet and tail trim and the next they get a full haircut. That works fine for most dogs, and if you brush her in between you won't ever run into trouble again.

Your other option is to learn how to do everything yourself. If you want I can explain how to go about that.

ETA: please don't try to brush her out this time....those mats are probably very big and tight, brushing them out WILL be painful. Let the groomer clip her down, you can always put a sweater on her.

Thank you!

One question, is a conditioner needed for her hair or is a good quality shampoo enough with through blow drying after?

3dogs · 12-23-2012, 12:51 PM

Great advice from everyone. Most important is the comb, comb, combe every section you brush put a comb through. The comb tells the truth. Some people only use pin brushes but you ha e to whip out that comb to double & triple check. If you bathe then the mats need to be out. Use a good conditioner to help separate those mats. A good detangler is a must. CC Ice on Ice has been mentioned, also mane & tail detangler works well. Some people like The Stuff, heck even Infusiom for humans is really nice.? I think that if your groomer was to " wet shave" you could possibly run a #4 right under those mats. I personally have never done anything shorter than a #7 except for the rare cases of 1x a year client. Wet shave is amazing & then once blown dry usually can leave 1 blade length longer.

paisley pup · 12-23-2012, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3dogs

Great advice from everyone. Most important is the comb, comb, combe every section you brush put a comb through. The comb tells the truth. Some people only use pin brushes but you ha e to whip out that comb to double & triple check. If you bathe then the mats need to be out. Use a good conditioner to help separate those mats. A good detangler is a must. CC Ice on Ice has been mentioned, also mane & tail detangler works well. Some people like The Stuff, heck even Infusiom for humans is really nice.? I think that if your groomer was to " wet shave" you could possibly run a #4 right under those mats. I personally have never done anything shorter than a #7 except for the rare cases of 1x a year client. Wet shave is amazing & then once blown dry usually can leave 1 blade length longer.

I've never heard of wet shaving wouldn't that ruin your blades?

mom24doggies · 12-23-2012, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sara&Audi

Thank you!

One question, is a conditioner needed for her hair or is a good quality shampoo enough with through blow drying after?

You are welcome! Well, it depends. I personally like a conditioner, my poodles have more delicate coats, so in order to keep their coats strong they need a conditioner. So it depends on your dog's coat type really as well as how often you bathe and how long her hair is. Climate also plays into it, a dog living in a damper climate won't need as much conditioner, whereas here in Texas the heat just sucks the moisture right out of hair! Either way, conditioner probably won't hurt. I like spectrum one or Coat Handler for my every day stuff. They make them feel smooth and look shiny, but keeps that nice puffy poodle look since they aren't heavy and don't weigh the coat down. Every 3-4 baths I use H2o conditioner, kind of as my "deep conditioning treatment". Hope that helped!

mom24doggies · 12-23-2012, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paisley pup

I've never heard of wet shaving wouldn't that ruin your blades?

Not if you dry and oil them afterwards. Actually wet shaving is supposedly easier on the blades, since the water sort of lubricates them and keeps the dirt from dulling them so much.

3dogs · 12-24-2012, 08:28 AM

The blades are ruined only by lazy care or lack of care. As stated once done using the blade dry it & oil it. Wet shaving is a great technique that few take advantage of but I have never had to run an 8 or 10 through a coat that is as short as the OP. Since it has only been 4 months & the coat was in a shaved condition before I just don't see a short blade as needed. I personally would try & find a different groomer.