Have a knotty golden retriever 🤦‍♀️

[EleanorRigbyWasReal]

So. She’s 5. Gorgeous dog. Thick woolly coat... not one of the sleek ones 😂

She’s always in water, every day. Loves it...not a pavement plodder. It’s not a problem, she’s always been like that. What’s a real problem is that she hates to be brushed so, she matts up easily. Her groomer (sees her 3 times a year approx) has recommended different things. Conditioners and special brushes but still the little knots are there and lead to matting. She bit me yesterday... just a wee “that’s enough!” warning nip but I have to do something. Can’t just leave her to knot up.

We have a Matt Breaker. Various special slickers. Pure bristle brush. Metal teeth comb with nobbles on the end. A Mason Pearson detangler brush and yet... knots prevail.

Any advice welcome.

She likes to lie on my knee!

Awww... she's beautiful.....I have a blonde too! No advice im afraid as ours loves being brushed....as soon as she sees us approaching with her brush she rolls on her back legs in the air and is like putty in our hands!! Sends her into a kind of semi comatose trance.....obvs finds it very relaxing

Is the Mason Pearson like a tangle teezer? Our neighbour swore by it for her treever.

fudge My old girl liked a brush too. Hairy as a monkey but not long enough to knot. She went into zen like state and dribbled. Happy times...

Our retriever likes the undercoat rake but not other brushes, so we just use that - it seems to work ok. He also loves mud and gets knotty very quickly.

lockdown permitting, I'd suggest monthly or 6 weekly groomer visits.

Other than that, feed tiny treats every few minutes while you brush her out, as a reward for sitting still and tolerating it, and also to make the experience a positive one that she will learn to look forward to when you get the brush out. Do short sessions of 5 minutes each time and build this up until you can groom her whole coat. Just do one section at a time while you build up her tolerance/treat her while you do it.

Exactly the same here, no biting usually but lots of squirming and the odd “bugger off grumble” but he can’t be trusted at the Groomer so it’s down to me.
I have bought some scissors with blunt ends and just try and do bits while DH offers him peanut butter on a spoon

Our pup has a similar coat but loves being brushed. Pile of treats on the dining room table and she'll sit then roll on her back. She's not so keen on ears or back of head so we're working on that.

Could you use a very dilute solution of Mane & Tail conditioner on the surface of the knotty bits, then teaze the knotty bits and wipe with a warm wet flannel? Is it the outer guard hairs that are knotted?

@Fudgecakes 🥰 Oh, she’s gorgeous!

The Mason Pearson is the blue detangler. Has plastic bristles. Also, she has a board bristle brush, like a gentleman’s hairbrush. Will try the tips with treats. Dh usually distracts with treats whilst I “do”.

I’ll try the Tangle Teezer for dogs. They get good reviews.

@TheOriginalMrsMoss... we’ve various leave in dog conditioners. Is Mane and Tail special? Thanks

After she's been to the groomers, do you keep on top of the brushing straight away?

I'm just wondering whether you leave it too long before brushing her again, and so you've accidentally hurt her?

Could you get her groomed so she's clean and matt/tangle free, and then work from there to get her used to being brushed everyday? Using lick-e-mats or similar can be helpful as a distraction technique!

@raspberrysundaes yes absolutely! She’s brushed every day, in the evening. Without that she’d be a mess.

We have a Likimat. That’s a good idea - haven’t tried it whilst grooming.

From being a puppy, she hasn’t enjoyed grooming. Not sure why. Other dogs we’ve had used to just keel over in ecstasy at sight of a brush! 😂

DH offering our Goldie peanut butter on a spoon was very effective last night and I managed to cut off the worst of ddogs matts. It seemed to send him into some sort of trance and he wasn’t the least bit bothered about what I was doing so I can definitely recommend that over just offering treats
I have ordered an undercoat rake too and will make sure I keep on top of it now
Good luck to all fellow floofy Retriever owners!

@Hoppinggreen... I recognise your name 😊

My girl is the one who, 5 years ago, was going back to the breeder! We got her for my son, who’s autistic but who, after 4 days, changed his mind. I wrote on here many times.

We kept her in the end. She’s my best girl! Love her so much. It was my mum who talked me into keeping her and I remember her telling me “one day she’ll be such a comfort to you”. My mum died last year and she was absolutely right.

@EleanorRigbyWasReal

We have a Likimat. That’s a good idea - haven’t tried it whilst grooming.

From being a puppy, she hasn’t enjoyed grooming. Not sure why. Other dogs we’ve had used to just keel over in ecstasy at sight of a brush! 😂

Definitely try a lickimat. I put peanut butter on ours! The other thing you can try is spreading peanut butter on the side of the bath or wall of the shower for the dog to lick while they're being bathed.

Things like doggy pate, cream cheese or wet food could work just as well, but mine goes nuts for peanuts

Yes Eleanor I remember you!
I’m so glad it worked out and I’m sorry about your mum x

Thanks @Hoppinggreen. Take care.

[quote EleanorRigbyWasReal]@Hoppinggreen... I recognise your name 😊

My girl is the one who, 5 years ago, was going back to the breeder! We got her for my son, who’s autistic but who, after 4 days, changed his mind. I wrote on here many times.

We kept her in the end. She’s my best girl! Love her so much. It was my mum who talked me into keeping her and I remember her telling me “one day she’ll be such a comfort to you”. My mum died last year and she was absolutely right.[/quote]
@EleanorRigbyWasReal

Sorry to hear about your Mum - I lost my Mum last year too and I miss her so much.

Mane & Tail was originally for horses and dogs but humans can use it. I've got a puppy spray detangler but Mane & Tail is thicker and more the consistency of a leave-in conditioner. Watered down, left to soak in the worst tangles then rinsed and combed out might work.

I use this slicker;

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/groom-room-dogs-and-cat-premium-bamboo-slicker

Which is gentle but good for double coats. It lifts out lots of loose hairs. I've seen the Furminator recommended for double-coated dogs but some people say they can break the guard hairs so not sure about those.

So... the Tangle PetTeezer and the strategic use of a LikiMat. It’s a work in progress...

Good luck!! 🐾 🐾

I used to snip off the little knots with nail scissors.

We have a big woolly rug of a cocker who also hates being groomed. It's a two-man job - DH doles out tiny tiny treats (we use Barker and Barker little liver treats) while I do the brushing and snipping. We find Cowboy Magic detangler the best.

I’ve gotten some leave in conditioner which will hopefully help.

Have NO idea why I hadn’t thought of using the Likimat to distract her, before 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦‍♀️