I adopted a 3 year old yorkie with a cottony coat & brought him to a grooming seminar. I was the only attendee so we got an awesome 1:1 lesson. I found the wide end of a greyhound comb gets through the tiny mats the best and the finer tooth end for finish. A pin brush works well also. Be especially easy/gentle on the ears to avoid hematomas. A small knitting needle can help pick out the mats and I use a mat breaking knife only as a last resort, usually to loosen the grip on a thistle or sticky burr that has hopelessly matted. The woman who taught me happened to groom Silky terries for the show ring so she was most helpful. She suspected that my dog's coat had been shaved many times and thought that if I stopped clipping it short and grew it out, the texture would improve. We tried it and it has become more silky than had been and tangles much less. I'm very dedicated to his coat - I brush/comb once or twice daily, bath/condition weekly, clean/pluck ears every 10 days or so, and have him professionally groomed (brush, bath, nails, paws, sanitary clip) every 6 weeks.
If brushing 1-2 times a day seems excessive, I brush after trips to the park or dog park. It's the best way to be sure he hasn't picked up ticks or burrs and to get the dry grass & leaves out. He's well exercised then too so he's content to let me brush him and even seems to relax and enjoy it. |