Maintenance and Matting
We love your pups, and we want to ensure they are well taken care of! Here you'll find information on the best ways to upkeep your dog's coat through brushing, bathing, and grooming. You'll also be able to find more information about the dangers of matting and not only how to treat a matted dog, but also how to prevent it from reoccuring.
Brushing
How often you should be brushing and maintaining your dog's coat varies a lot by breed! As a general rule we recommend brushing your dog 2-3 times per week. Some dogs with curly hair or thick hair may require more frequent attention.
- When brushing pay special attention to easy to miss areas such as armpits, legs, toes/paws, ears, and the muzzle. These places can matt quickly and can cause discomfort for the dog during grooming.
- Dogs that lick, scratch, or swim are also more prone to matting and will need to be brushed more frequently. Pay attention to the daily behaviors of your dog to give them the best possible care!
- Certain brushes such as the slicker brush are great for day-to-day care, but don't reach all the way to the skin. This can cause matting even when a dog is being brushed daily. We recommend investing in a metal comb along with your typical brush to ensure that all fur is being brushed adequately. Visit our Products page to learn more about some of our favorites!
- Force dryers are also a great way to reduce matting and brushing time. Through the use of strong, high heat, hair is "forced" to straighten out and matts can sometimes be blown out without the use of dematting. This tool is especially beneficial for dogs with long coats but may be distressing for dogs with sensitivity to loud noises or strong wind.
Bathing
- why baths are important
- how often should you bathe?
- in store or at home?
- brush before bathing!
- what to use?
- video tutorial
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Grooming
Grooming is a great way to keep your dog's coat maintained. There are many different factors that influence how often your dog should be getting groomed. We recommend getting set up on a continuous schedule to ensure proper care but figuring how long to go in between visits may take a little while!
- On average we suggest 4-6 weeks in between visits; however, if your dog receives short haircuts, waiting 6-8 weeks may be a better fit.
- Booking a bath along with what we call a Face, Feet, and Fanny can also be a great way to maintain your dog's coat in between grooms. During these appointments we bathe and brush out the dogs, then trim around the eyes, sanitary area, and paw pads to give your dog a small neaten up in the hair growing process. This is especially helpful for dogs with very large fluffy coats that may need help with frequent brushing.
Matting
Matting is an uncomfortable and often painful experience for dogs of all breeds. While it may seem unavoidable, through the proper care, even dogs with the curliest fur can have a healthy and long coat.
- Matting occurs when a dog's fur gets tangled and wraps around itself, forming clumps of both dead and live fur. The farther they progress, the more fur that will be caught in the matts, and the more tightly wound it will become.
- Dematting is an extremely long and painful process. It pulls on already irritated skin and can damage the coat, making it more susceptible to matting in the future. Dematting can also create a negative association for the dog with grooming. A trip to the salon may be overwhelming and mildly uncomfortable for the dog but should never be painful. Spending time dematting causes dogs to associate their pain with grooming and can make them more resistant to being groomed again.
- Excessive brushing in cases of dematting can also cause brush burn. This is difficult to avoid on matted coats because there may be underlying sensitive skin or sores that were previously hidden by the matts.
- Because of these dangers associated with dematting, most times it is better to start over and regrow a healthy coat rather than dematt and risk further damaging a dog's fur and skin. Shaving a dog down is not ideal, and may not look the way we prefer, but it is always better to prioritize safety over aesthetics.
- Matting can best be prevented through regular brushing, combing, and grooming. Using a force dryer after a dog is wet can reduce matting, as well as using conditioner in their baths and a conditioning spray during brushing. If your dog's fur doesn't grow very fast and they go long periods of time in between grooms, bringing them in for a bath can be a great way to get additional help with brushing for a lower cost.
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