TOP TIPS TO MAINTAIN YOUR DOGS COAT BETWEEN GROOMS

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What Does it Mean When My Groomer Says My Dog is Matted? 

 It means that your dogs hair has become tangled.
Matted and tangled hair on a dog can be caused by a number of things.
Lack of regular brushing: Life is very busy these days, and many owners don't have extra time to stop and thoroughly brush out their dogs coat. Many pet owners are also under the false impression that they don't need to brush their pets hair.
Unfortunately, many breeders and pet stores don't bother to educate the people buying their puppies about how to groom them between professional grooming's.
Many medium and long hair breeds require daily brushing to keep the coat mat and tangle free. If your dog is left un-brushed between professional grooming's, their coat is more likely to become matted and tangled. Just imagine going even a week without bothering to brush your hair.
Even coats on non-shedding breeds will mat and tangle if not brushed regularly. Some non-shedding breeds still shed dead hair. Unfortunately, that dead hair stays in the coat and wraps itself around the good hair causing mats and tangles.
Other non-shedding breeds, such as curly coated breeds, will also mat and tangle. The curls in the hair can tightly wrap around each other causing mats and tangles if not brushed regularly.

 Why can't my groomer just brush the mats and tangles out?

 That is their job!  
A groomers job is to gently brush, comb, bathe, and trim or clip your pet. It is NOT the groomers job to de-mat a pets coat do to the neglect cause by the owner not regularly brushing their pet  between grooming's 

Brushing and combing mats and tangles out of a pets coat is a painful process in most cases. People become groomers to help dogs feel good, not to hurt them. It is an owners responsibility to take care of their dogs coat between professional grooming's.
There are several different types of matting. Sometimes, light matting can be brushed out of a dogs coat, but it depends greatly on the dog itself. Brushing out mats and tangles depends on- how large and tight the mats and tangles are.- how your pet tolerates being brushed. (If they don't like for you to brush them, the are most likely not going to want the groomer to brush them either.)- the time involved in removing the mats. (it is not fair to the dog to make them stand for long periods of time, pulling and tugging on their coat just to try and keep the hair long)

Won't the mats and tangles just fall out when the Groomer bathes my dog?
Mats and tangles are not like dirt and can not be 'wash out' of a dogs coat.When matted and tangled hair becomes wet and is left to dry, the mats and tangles become even tighter, making them even harder to remove.
On rare occasions a Groomer can bathe a dog, with very light matting, and use special shampoos and conditioners to help the groomer loosen up the mats and tangles enough to be easily, and safely brushed out.
I DO brush my dog everyday, but the groomer still said that he is matted.
The most common mistake that pet owners make when brushing out their pets, is that they only brush the top of the coat. This means that when the owner is brushing their pets coat, the brush is not getting to the hair closest to the dogs skin, and is only going through the top part of the hair.

 So why did the groomer tell this owner that the coat is matted and must be shaved off?
 

 Because the owner had only been brushing the top part of the coat, the hair closest to the skin was matted solid.
The matting had become one big solid mat covering the entire dog.

Because the owner had been bathing this dog with the mats in its coat, the mats had become so tight that there was no choice but to shave the coat off and start over.


Why can't the groomer just cut out the mats and leave the rest of the coat?
In some cases the groomer can cut mats and tangles out leaving most of the coat intact.
There are several different types of mats.

Small, loose hanging mats:
This dog has a few small, looses mats that are not tight to the skin.
 The groomer was able to thin the mats out with thinning shears.
 

If your dog has just a few matts, we may be able to take care of these with a de-matting treatment and / or clip these out and style your dog in such a way that blends the clipped area into the longer coat.

If your dog is badly matted, the groomers will need to take more time with shaving the matted areas. This is time-intensive and requires extra care not to cause any nicks if the matts have formed close to the skin. Think of this as an emergency treatment of a neglected coat. As professional pet groomers we will do our best to advise you of your responsibility after treatment and ongoing preventative care.

Ideally, your dog should come to Paws & Relax Salon  every four to six weeks or thereabouts, depending on breed and how much you do at home. 

In between grooms, your dog will benefit from daily (or every-other-day) brushing out. 

If you need help with choosing the right brush or using the right technique, ask us and we will be happy to show you.

Disclaimer form to sign by each customer .