How To Groom A Matted Dog

Sometimes dog fleas.can be the cause of a dog’s coat getting matted.  If the dog has an allergy and licks the area where he has been bitten the fur will get tangled up and matted.  If it is left unseen to this matting will worsen so, in this situation, the flea problem will need to be dealt with as well as grooming out the matted area.

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How to Remove Matting

Depending how badly matted the dog is then you will need to either cut the area with scissors or get yourself a dematting comb or rake and work the knots out if they are not too bad.  If the dog is matted all over, as in the picture then the only option is to shave the dog using a very short clipper blade.  (If you are not sure how to use dog clippers to give your dog a shave then refer to our page on How To Groom Your Dog With Clippers and, if you are totally new to all of this, our pages on Prepare Yourself for Grooming Your Dog at Home and An Introduction to Clipping Your Dog might be really helpful).  You may find once matting has been taken off, particularly around the eye area, that the skin is red raw underneath.  This is the damage done by the fur pulling on the skin as well as the skin not being able to breathe.  This may need some cream or solution to help the area to heal quickly.

If your dog is matted shave the mats off first before giving the dog a bath.  If you wash a matted dog first it only makes the matting worse.

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Worst Areas on a Dog for Matting

Any dog with long coats have a tendency for matting up and certain areas need to be given particular attention.  The areas most prone to matting are:-

• Under the front shoulders – here, the fur gets matted up as the dog moves it’s legs, and this area in particular needs to be kept brushed regularly.  If the hair does mat up, then a de-matting comb can be used if these are not too thick and the blades on this tool will be able to slice through the knots.  Another alternative is to cut this matted hair with scissors or, if that is not possible then shaving is the only other option.  Care must be taken not to cut or hurt the dog.

• Around the ears – particularly on small dogs if brushing is not a regular habit.  The little designer dogs have hair which, if not brushed out regularly, will accumulate and mat up.  Once again, if the matting is too thick for a de-matting tool then it will need to be either cut off with scissors or shaved off using dog grooming clippers.

• • Between the paws – sometimes the longer fur between the back and front pads clumps up and becomes matted.  The easiest way to remove this is cutting it out with the scissors.  Just be careful not to cut the dog.

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• Under the belly – is also an area to watch out for.  The fur on the inside of the hind legs and around the tummy area is very prone to matting if not kept well brushed.  Sometimes the hair gets entangled, creating a little matting.  These are best cut out with the scissors or clipping them off with a short blade.  Your dog will be quite sensitive around this area, so if you are using a de-matting comb then hold the knot with one hand, making sure that you are holding it close to the skin so as not to pull, as you use the comb with the other hand.

• • Tail – if long-coated tails are not regularly brushed they will quickly matt up also.  The dog’s tail will be prone to getting grass seeds, twigs and other bits of the environment caught up in them, so it is important to prevent this area from becoming matted.  Some dogs have undercoat which may not be so visible, so that on the surface it appears the dog is not matted, however underneath the coat is very knotted close to the skin.  This is then difficult to cut off, even with scissors.  In this case it is best to just shave the whole tail very short and start again.
  • All Over – if a long-haired dog has had no brushing for a very long period of time then they will get matted right to the skin, including the face as per the pictures on this page.  This can be so uncomfortable for the dog and, not only that, cause severe health issues by way of infections from skin irritation and grass seeds getting caught in the knots and entering the dog’s body.  The only way to remedy this is to shave the dog, using a very short blade that will be able to cut between the matted hair and the skin  (refer to our page on Dog Grooming Blades), taking the whole coat off, including the face, ears and tail, and trimming all the knots from between the paws.

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How to Tell If My Dog is Matted

The best way to tell if your dog is matted close to the skin is by running a comb through the coat.  If the comb easily goes through then you know your dog does not have any mats.  If the comb gets stuck and you are not able to get it through, then you know the fur is either needing a good brush to get the undercoat out or has got some matting in the undercoat.  This is when a grooming rake may come in handy, however if your dog looks like this one in the photo then a close shaving is the best way to remove it all so you can start again.

Detangling Products

If you would rather not clip your dog off completely to the skin, and it would depend upon the severity of the matting and how close to the skin it is, then an alternative would be to try using a de-matting tool in conjunction with a special detangling spray.

Chris Christensen Ice on Ice ULTRA Dematting Spray 8oz
from: CherryBrook