Owning a dog with growing fur or hair can get more complicated than many think. Without regularly grooming, whether it is daily brushing, or monthly grooms – matts can form on your dog. Skin conditions can begin and pests can linger.

WHAT IS MATTING?

Matting occurs when a dog’s hair next to the skin gets knotted and turns into masses of fur. If un-brushed, the clump gets bigger, tighter, and closer to the body.

This can be caused by:
- Lack of brushing (lack means, not daily);
- Everytime a coat gets wet from rain, puddles, swimming
– and not properly brushed out after;
- Clothing, a harness or collar that continually rubs against a dog’s fur.

It is important your dog stays mat free as it can cause health issues like stress from licking and biting at the area, leading to general discomfort. Lice and parasites might be hiding in their coat, which might cause sores, lesions, bruising, or discolored skin. Matted fur/hair are great hiding spots for pests and possible skin infections.

Regular grooms (every 2 months minimum) are great ways for inspection and care for your dogs physical wellbeing. Simply put, matting is painful for your dog and brushing out established matts involves a process of pulling live hair out of the skin.

It also blocks healthy new fur/hair from growing in. Imagine getting gum stuck in your own hair, and trying to brush and comb that out? It is painful, it tugs and almost impossible. Matts also appear on sensitive parts of the dogs body, like ears or under the armpits! What is worse, dogs do not understand why we are putting them through this pain. De-matting can cause increase pain and irritation, redness, and swelling.

DO WE NEED TO GET A SHAVE DOWN?

If the matting is somewhat loose and not close to the skin, it may be possible to brush through and remove some areas.

This process is usually painful and stressful for most dogs. For pelted dogs, unfortunately a shave down to the skin is the only resort. Shaving out the matting is not an easy fix! The clippers the groomers use get hot, which can cause further irritation. The matting might pull on the skin as it’s being taken off, which increases the likelihood of nicks.

The best thing to do is to avoid matting in the first place, and maintain a healthy and knot free coat.

MAINTAIN YOUR DOG’S COAT

• Book your pet for regular grooming appointments to prevent a matted coat and promote healthy skin and coat care.
• Follow your regular grooming routine, do not extend the time between grooms as matting may result
• Brush your dog after every walk, once you have removed the harness and collar. Pay attention to all areas to highly mobile areas prone to friction, i.e. chest, armpits. (You can request a brush add on of $15 during your daycare day)
• Pay attention to areas prone to matting: behind the ears, legs, armpits, chest, feet, belly and neck area.
• Use the correct brush for your dog. Ask your groomer which brush is right for your pet and we can order it for you.
• If matting is something you have faced in the past, choose a shorter, more manageable style. A longer style means higher maintenance and more work for you!