Why does matting happen?

Matting is typically found in areas of your dog with the most friction; armpits, where the collar or harness sits, legs and backend where they lay down, behind the ears or other areas of the body where they might be scratching.

Water can also contribute to matting and in Ireland we have it plenty! Weather your dog loves puddles, going for walks in the rain, lying on wet grass or perhaps he's getting too many bubble baths,  if you don't brush out the hair when it dries matting will appear very quickly. 

Why don’t groomers always de-matt? 

The simple answer is because it’s uncomfortable for your dog. And I personally am not prepared to cause any dog discomfort if it can be avoided.  The easiest way to imagine how dematting feels like is similar to brushing out dreadlocks in your own hair. Even if you never had dreadlocks I think you can imagine the discomfort.

The dematting process involves taking small sections of hair at a time and working to release the mats using scissors, brushes and other tools. If the matting on your dog is heavy and very tight, the safest and least painful way to remove this altogether is to clip his hair short. Also known as shaving off the coat. This means I have to work close to the skin with my clipper blade and on the release of the mats there can often be signs of irritation of the skin so you can imagine we do not take the decision to clip the coat off lightly.

While this results in a very short haircut it is much more comfortable for your dog. This is perhaps not the style that most owners would prefer, but remember that hair grows back in a few weeks. And with a grooming plan and a regular brushing routine, you'll be well on your way to have your pooch sporting your preferred look.

How to avoid matting?

Brush, brush and brush. Depending on your dog breed and desired length and style of the hair brushing should be done a few times a week. During colder and wetter months it should be done more frequently especially around the areas where the collar and harness sit.

If you're too busy and this does not fit into your daily life, I would recommend speaking to your groomer and get a plan in place for your dog. To give you an idea, for a cavachon (cavapoo, cockapoo etc.) that you prefer to keep long I recommend having a full groom every 8 weeks and a wash & brush out every 4-5 weeks. This way we can stay on top of the mats if there are any and ensure we can keep the coat longer when they come in for the full groom.

Regular grooming is the best way to stay on top of the pesky matts and for your dog to feel and look their best!