Grooming and matts

[ChickensHaveNoLips]

I found a matt on Jasper's ear earlier, the first one ever. I brush him with a furminator every week, and use a soft bristle brush on him inbetween. He is a water loving spaniel, and considering the weather lately he has often been soaked on his walks. How do you deal with matts? Do they have to be cut out? (I did cut it) Is the only way to prevent them to keep the coat clipped more tightly? He was last professionally groomed and clipped at the end of April. Any advice appreciated :)

I normally keep my cocker's coat long, but had him clipped off recently because his matts just got to be too bad. It is possible to keep on top of them but it takes work, especially if they love the water.

I wouldn't have thought a soft brush would penetrate the coat enough to really get to the tangles, especially on very tufty bits like ears - I use a detangling comb. I have a matt breaker for if I find any bad bits and use a coat king to strip out the dead hair. If I find a bit that's so bad it has to be cut out I use thinning scissors so the missing bit blends in a bit better.

Mine is a black show-type cocker so he has a LOT of fur to deal with, I have to admit his clipped coat is so much easier to look after that I'm considering keeping it that way. What kind of spaniel is Jasper?

chickens, by clipping him short do you lose his lovely shiny ginerness? I want to get eric clipped becasue of the mud and general stinkyness but I dont want to ruin his beatiful coat. whe n my cat gets matts, which is a lot he is long haired, I jjust go at them with the furminator for a few days until. they break up, or he claws my face off which ever comes first.

Arf at face clawing Rather you than me, dita! Heh. No, he didn't lose his lovely colour, but the undercoat is less silky looking. I prefer him with a longer coat, because I like the silky ears, flags and curly tail. DH prefers him clipped, because he looks 'neater' and is easier to dry etc. I think I will have to have him clipped again this month because keeping up with his grooming when he's almost constantly soaked is getting difficult. I don't want to stop him swimming and enjoying being a bog monster. It makes him so happy

Well, my cockapoo has just been butchered at the groomer's due to his matting! Am cross actually (even though I know it's my fault really) but they usually comb most out (he's very patient and lets them do it) and clip the odd one that's really bad, but this time they just shaved great swathes of fur off. He looks like a badly-shorn sheep!

Am going to try a new brush on him as the current one clearly isn't up to the job.

Do you groom every day? I seem to have to with my terrier cross, but I wonder if I send him to the groomers, do they do some magic which would mean I would be able to do it less often, or do they just shed all summer anyway, in which case I can save my money by doing it myself.

my border stops molting when she has been stripped, dont know about the spaniel, our sofa currently looks like it is our third dog.

Have just finished clipping my labradoodle, as she was a bit matted and far too hot. she looks really sweet, all blond and fluffy. I cut any mats out one by one with sizzors and then give her a number 4 all over!

I think Jas has gone in to moult now. I'm currently grooming him almost daily and getting handfuls of fur from him. If he shakes, I can see him spreading his DNA in the sunlight.