Anyone have any grooming tips for matted poodle??

[trifintol]

My poodle's coat has got quite matted in places and because he is very 'wooly' this happens very easily. I try to keep on top of it with brushing him often but in certain areas am not able to get the mats out. Should I brush the coat when it is wet or would this make it worse? Trouble is I don't want to hurt him - maybe I havn't been brushing hard enough. I know it helps if his coat is kept short (specially in this weather). Anyone have any tips or advice???

[lilacben]

Why don't you clip him.? It is very hot and the new coat would grow back better.

[jacey]

Please check the fur inside the tops of his legs (like our armpits) as ,when it gets matted there, it can rip out ,as they walk, or just keep pulling their skin, ouch! I agree with lilac ben. It would be best to get him clipped. :-)

[jules77]

I agree with the others, and I would get him professionally clipped. If you find yourself in this situation again, a small amount of baby oil massaged into the fur, and a bit of patience to part the actual matt before using a comb, should get out most matts.

[lankeela]

Do not bath him unless he has either been well brushed out or clipped. If you do it will make the mats even more difficult to get out. You can get special combs which go through mats, or you can cut them provided you are careful and do it downwards away from the skin. Make sure it is done thoroughly or as said above it will pull his skin and hurt him. If you live anywhere near a college that does animal courses the students often groom dogs for nothing to learn how to clip and strip them.

[Razzle09]

I had a Hungarian sheep dog for 15 years and keeping him groomed was impossible. They have the same type of coats as poodles. Even though the coat was to be kept in dredlocks I found it simpler to keep it short. A good dog groomer once every three months should do the trick and should not cost that much.

[fredpuli47]

The price of poodle is eternal vigilance ! You have to keep an eye on the coat, all the time. As soon as you see a knot forming you can gently tease it out, pulling at the sides of it , sideways with both hands, being careful not to tug the skin (hence the sideways action). The dog generally enjoys the attention , once it's adjusted to this. That will get rid of knots as they form but, with practice, you can tease out quite big knots.( If the knot is stubborn though, give up promptly) Then you have to raise the knot from the skin slightly, and slip scissors under to cut the 'threads' which attach it. You should have enough room to do this without touching the skin.

A visit to a groomer is worthwhile for any novice. They can show you, for future reference.Most owners settle for a lamb clip ("puppy clip") where the coat is evenly cut quite short all over and can be kept in order by simple scissoring (and constant full brushing!Proper brushing with a proper brush ought to avoid these problems, most, if not all, of the time )

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