Removing tangles from a Matted Dog (Ten Tips) 1. Brush before Bathing Always brush your dog before you give him a bath. The bath water tends to set the mats in making them even harder to remove. 2. Never brush a dry coat Never brush a dog without first spraying it with a styling product such as a de-tangling spray or a diluted conditioning spray. Brushing and combing dry hair will tend to split it and you are likely to be fighting against static electricity. 3. Use the right equipment Use a pin brush and part the hair with a rat tail comb so that you are brushing small sections at a time. Begin at the lowest portion of the dog (paws) and work up the sides and then to the back and head. After brushing the entire dog, go back with a steel comb and comb the hair completely. You are likely to find some mats that were missed with the pin brush. Use a slicker brush for styling and making the coat look sleek and beautiful. 4. Golden Rule of Ten Never brush the same area more than 10 strokes at a time. Go onto another section and come back if necessary. Brushing in one area, even if you know that knots are present, only tends to irritate the skin (and the dog). 5. Remove Small Mats To remove small mats, separate the mat with your fingers, pulling very gently until the mat falls away from the hair. Go back over with the comb. You can do this with the dog on your lap as you watch television. If you are gentle, the dog will not mind in the least and feel much pampered. 6. Remove medium size mats To remove slightly larger mats, use the end of a steel comb and pull gently through the mat as you hold the hair closest to the skin with your fingers. The dog should not feel any discomfort if you are holding the hair properly. Never yank or get frustrated with the dog. Keep everything on a high, positive note. 7. Challenges of Large Mats Larger hair mats will require a de-matting comb. These look a little like a comb but have a sharp edge that cuts through a knot. They are also called de-matting tools, de-matting rakes, or mat splitters. Carefully move the de-matting comb through the mat, holding the hair closest to the skin to prevent pulling the mat and causing pain to the dog. 8. Beware: Scissors cut hair AND skin Never cut into a mat with a pair of scissors as it is likely you could cut the dog’s skin if the dog were to suddenly move. A very large mat can be removed by first placing the scissor blade nearest the skin and cutting the mat in half as you cut outwards towards the ends of the hair. Once the mat is cut in half, you can try and remove each half using the techniques shown above. If you have a severely matted dog, you can try this technique several times to get the mat down to a manageable size. Be very cautious with scissors. If you have a matted dog that does not sit still for grooming, avoid the scissors altogether. 9. Clippers: Only option for severely tangled dogs If the dog’s mats cannot be removed in any of the ways above, the dog may need to be shaved down using a clipper. Once the hair is very short, daily brushing will help keep the mats under control. 10. Your friendly blow dryer Use a blow dryer after a bath. Blow the dog’s hair as you brush. You can brush in the direction the hair grows as well as in the opposite direction. Brush or comb a section of hair as you are drying the hair. Hand held dryers that have stands work really well if you need an extra hand. If you are using a dryer without a stand, you can create a temporary stand by rolling up a small towel and placing the dryer on it. Use a low, cool setting and monitor the dryer carefully so that the air intake is never blocked by the towel.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:33:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015