Dog has bad matts!!! What to do?

[Personofinterest1]

Hi all, we got our dog in early March so then obviously most of his life we’ve been in lockdown. We had been grooming him ourselves - we bought a kit and watched YouTube videos and I thought we had been doing ok but I discovered two bad mats on his front paws when I was trimming them today and two behind his ears which are quite big.

I looked it up and they said not it touch it myself but to bring him to a groomer who can do it properly.

I’m really afraid the groomer is going to give out and say we are neglecting him. I didn’t realise mats were painful for dogs.

Is there any way to stop him getting them going forward? He never likes being brushed so we were lazy with it ourselves and now I feel terrible. Would brushing have kept them away? He’s a cockapoo.

Just be honest with the groomer believe me they will have seen worse and going forward take him to be professionally groomed at regular intervals and just touch home up in between at home . They won’t think he’s been neglected from what you’ve described .

Some dogs, and cats, just get matted, despite owners best efforts. Im a vet nurse and often have to dematt pets under sedation if they get too distressed at groomers. No judgement, some pets justhave that sort of fur so please dont beat yourself up.

Talk to a groomer and ask for recommendations for clippers and then you can do it yourself. It takes a bit of practice and you would be horrified at the results of my clips but the main thing is to take care and go slowly to avoix catching the skin.

A good groomet will show you, then get him regularly groomed and you can just get out any matts as they develop.

Just be honest with the groomer and make regular appointments. You need to get him used to being groomed slowly by giving lots of treats and only doing a bit at a time.

Im a groomer and i wouldn't give it a second thought if a dog turned up with matts id just shave them out.
9 out of 10 fluffy dogs come in with some matts, honestly don't worry about it

@Personofinterest1, we have a cockapoo too. His fur needs to be brushed and combed daily to prevent matts. He cooperates because he gets fed bits of chicken or liver while getting brushed. He recently got a bit matted around his shoulders and neck. I think it was because his harness was getting too tight. I managed to remove them by cutting them out. I was very careful not to snip his skin. I held the matt low down as possible, trimmed the part above my fingers then gently pulled the rest of it apart. Afterwards I applied conditioning spray and combed him through. If the matt is large and tight to the skin, it would be best to let a groomer clip him short. Don’t beat yourself up though. Groomers will see this day in day out. Clip him short then try to get him used to being brushed and combed daily. I use a slicker brush then a metal comb. If he has any little knots, I use anti tangle spray before brushing.

Good professional groomers will not bawl you out. I'm sure it will be obvious in many other ways you are a good loving owner and if you think your technique is lacking, ask when booking so the groomer can allow a bit of time to show you, advise best tools for your dog and help you both learn how to enjoy groom time.

It took months to get my woolly boy to accept a groom and he's still learning tolerance and patience yet. He's 3.

Thanks everyone for being so kind. I was a bit verging on hysterical before about it. I feel so bad we’ve not done right by the dog and now he’ll have the consequences. I’ve contacted a groomer who mentioned mats specifically so will see what they say back. I will get a detangling spray too for brushing

I used to snip the matts out from behind my spaniel ears she would never let us brush back there but would sit for me to snip them I think she remembered the time she got her leg stuck in one while scratching back there and decided it was the lesser of two evils

I have a fluffy dog who matts easily. I take her to the groomers for a skinhead every 6 weeks, I just say go as short as you can and she gets scalped. I’m lazy about brushing and when I do try she hates it so this is best. She’s comfortable and has a coat for outside walks so isnt cold.

I'm pretty sure its loreal who do a non toxic kids detangling spray that is really good for uncooperative dogs. Alternatively I smear peanut butter on top of her nose and by the time she's worked out how to lick it off, I've done whatever it is she she didn't want done.