How old is he? He should be changing from puppy to adult coat. This is normal. He sounds like he will just be one of the lighter ones and coat should be silky when this is all over with. It is best to take mats out, if you want to keep it long (for in the future) to use a detangler (conditioner and water mixture) spray on mat then pull hair apart with your fingers. Then you can bath him and add a teaspoon of mineral oil to his rinse water and then give a final rinse with clean water. And blow dry. As long as you condition/oil it well you should not get any mats until around the 5th day after his bath. Best of luck. For a pet - it is really just a lot easier to keep them in a puppy or schnouzer (spell?) cut.
T.