The Trouble with Mats!

Preventing mats in your pet is not only important for his style, but also for his health. Mats occur when adjacent hairs start to tangle together and knot. When the hairs tangle together, they pull on the animal's skin. The larger and tighter the mat, the more it pulls. At best, this pulling is uncomfortable. At worst, it can actually impede the animal's movement. Sometimes mats will actually rip patches of hair out of the skin, leaving bald spots underneath.

Mats also collect dirt and moisture and create a good environment for parasites, bacteria, and other beasties. Skin irritations and infections often develop underneath matted areas. Mats both encourage and prevent dogs from scratching themselves - they can hurt themselves trying to get at an itchy spot without being able to scratch through the mat to get to the spot that really itches.

When matting is severe, the best course of action is to shave the animal and start over. Even in cold weather, your pet going to be much more comfortable in a short shave than in a matted, moisture-absorbing, itchy coat. And he can always wear a cute, comfy sweater!

Tools

The most important tool for mat-prone pets is the comb. If you only have one tool, this is the one you must have. A greyhound comb is a metal comb with teeth about an inch long. A good all-purpose comb will be a medium/coarse comb. The teeth on one side are about one milimeter apart (the medium side) and the teeth on the other side are two milimeters apart (the coarse side). The medium/coarse should work well for anyone, although you may find that you prefer a finer or coarser comb for your pet's hair. Also, different combs have different length teeth. Experiment and find a comb that feels comfortable and works well!

A variation on the comb is the rake. The rake is built the same as a comb except that it is shaped like a "T." Because you are combing at a different angle, the rake is more comfortable to use for dense coats. Also, the teeth are usually longer and spread out more. A rake is a good option if your pet has a thick coat or if you find that using a comb causes pain in your wrist.

Keep Hair Healthy

Damaged hair mats more quickly and is less attractive in flow and appearance than healthy, unbroken hair. Minimizing breakage will give you a much better result.

1. Avoid brushing hair with a lot of dirt in it. Gritty particles sliding along the hair shaft can quickly turn smooth hair follicles into a weakened, jagged mess that will tangle like velcro.


2. Brushing dry hair creates static, which will also damage hair. Use a very light spritzing of water (or diluted leave-in conditioner appropriate for your pet's hair type) to keep static at bay while brushing and combing.


3. Brushing soaking wet hair isn't good either -- wet hair stretches and breaks easily.


4. Bathing your pet and letting them air dry is a recipe for a type of very tight, all over matting I like to call "bath mats." Shaving close to the skin is the only humane way to remove bath mats. So, if you choose to bathe your long-haired pet at home in between grooming appointments, either make sure the coat is detangled before you add water or commit to completely drying and combing the coat out after the bath.

Technique

With either the rake or the comb, the technique is basically the same. You want to put the teeth all the way down to touch the skin and then turn the comb to pull away from the body. It's very important not to drag the teeth along the skin (the way people usually tend to comb their own hair). If you hit a tangle, use short tugs to gently unravel it. If it does not unravel easily, you should switch to another tool (more on those later). Although you can get tangles out by pulling harder and breaking the hair, it can cause pain for the dog and the broken hair is going to tangle more quickly and tightly in the future.

If you are coming across tangles that do not unravel easily, the slicker brush is a very helpful tool. It has a field of bent metal pins that grab and pull on the tangle, then release. By brushing over the same spot a number of times with the slicker, you can gradually loosen a tangle until it disappears. It's a much gentler way to encourage a mat to separate than combing. However, because its pins don't grab and hold, the brush will glide right over a tangle or mat -- so always use your comb to check your work, making sure it doesn't snag anywhere in the coat. Be aware that a slicker brush's pins can do a lot of damage to the skin if used improperly. Pull away from the body the same way you do with a comb or rake and be especially careful that you're not hurting your pet if you have to go over the same spot many times or if you're using it on sensitive areas like ears, armpits, or the belly.

If you are still having trouble, there are a variety of conditioning sprays specially formulated to help de-tangle trouble spots. Various ingredients in leave-in sprays help make the hair shafts smooth and easy to tease apart. You can spray it directly on a tangle and then use the slicker brush and comb to separate the hairs.

Mats that resist the spray, slicker, and comb may require shaving or splitting. At this point, you should consult a professional groomer. Cutting mats yourself is not recommended. If you decide to go that route anyway, be extremely careful not to cut your pet's skin.

Schedule

Your pet's ideal grooming schedule will vary based on breed, coat type, and style. Please consult your groomer to find out what level of professional maintenance will work best for you and your pet.

For between grooming maintenance at home, a weekly comb-out session is ideal for most pets. Picking a set day and/or time for your comb-out session makes it easy to remember when it was last done and when it should be done again. And on a weekly schedule, it should be a quick and easy process. If once a week is too often or not often enough, adjust the schedule until it works for your pet's coat type and style. And if you find that the maintenance is too much to deal with, you always have the option of visiting your groomer more often or switching to a shorter style.

Be sure to go over all the trouble spots - pets typically mat quickly in their armpits, under their collar, behind their ears, and on their tail. Keeping the legs in good shape should be a priority -- you can usually still have a cute haircut with a short body and full legs, but not the other way around!

Remember that moisture will cause hair to mat more quickly and more strongly. And it's not just bathing -- swimming, running through snow or morning dew, and spending time in the rain will all help speed up the matting process, so be extra vigilant about detangling if your dog is being exposed to moisture.

Be extra gentle with sensitive areas like the belly, throat, and bony areas like the spine or elbows. Always be extremely careful using products or tools near the face in general and the eyes in particular! And if you are unsure or uncomfortable maintaining your pet at home, please let your groomer take care of it, with a style and on a schedule that works for you and your pet.

Training

How you handle your pet during comb-out sessions will make a big difference in how well he handles the process.

Your pet may fuss, fight, and argue when you try to groom him at home. If you know you're not hurting him, then he's simply mentally uncomfortable with the process. Part of that may be that you are not confident about what you are doing and he senses that. It may also be that he thinks that fighting will make you stop. Baby animals, in particular, will fight anything new -- it's an instinctive response. But letting them control the grooming session can cause many problems down the road. So be patient, be kind, be calm, but also, be in charge. Know that your pet will be much safer and happier when he learns to calmly accept grooming from you and from pet professionals. You have the power to train him either way - to be calm or to fight - based on the way you respond to his fussing.

If you're combing him and he resists, you should never allow him to pull away from you. You should never end the grooming session while he is arguing, either. If you stop what you're doing or let go while they are resisting, you are letting them know that if they fight, you will stop. If you allow them to think this, it's like training them to argue. So don't let go. Don't play tug-of-war with them -- follow them or hold them so they're not pulling against you -- but don't stop. If you're ready to end the grooming session, wait until your pet is in a calm state of mind, not pulling, fussing, or making noises at you. This will show your pet that good behavior, not bad, is necessary for the comb-out to end. And once they learn to let it happen, most pets really enjoy comb-out time - it becomes a relaxing, bonding experience.

While you will usually have faster, better results if you start working with an animal when it is very young, even older animals with bad habits can be turned around with regular, kind, consistent leadership. And keep in mind that when you're doing the best for your pet, there's no reason to feel guilty about doing something they might not like very much. Guilt actually undermines your relationship with your animal and weakens your emotional bond. You love your pet and want what's best for him. Don't be someone he doesn't respect and who gives him confusing emotional signals. Be your pet's parent.

(For more on training your pet to accept grooming calmly, please review our "Puppy Prep School" hand-out. It is appropriate not only for puppies but for older dogs and for cats as well!)

--Vania Velotta
Pet Groom Studio, Orange Village, OH
www.petgroomstudio.com
Groomerisms
www.groomerisms.com

Disclaimer: Vania Velotta is neither a certified pet trainer nor a veterinarian. Her advice is based on years of experience in the pet care industry and working with rescued animals as well as theories and techniques expressed by professional trainers and experienced pet owners through a variety of media. This advice is not intended to replace or supercede the advice of professional pet trainers or veterinarians. Always consult a qualified professional if you have questions about behavior or medical issues. There are many techniques and philosophies today concerning pet care and behavior - find what works best for you and your pet!