Okay, I know exactly how you feel as this happened with Luma as a puppy and I gave in and got her shaved. Now Rosie still has the coarse, thick puppy coat we are attempting to grow out.
Tips I can give, from experience:
Use a dematting rake. They look scary but really help bad, close to the skin matting.
You want to hook the curved part under the matt and this next part is important: you need to hold the hair right under the rake so that your fingers are a barrier between the rake and her skin. While you turn the hooked end up and work it upwards, use your fingers to pull the hair in the opposite direction (downward) so its muuuuch less painful for her. (Hope that made sense)
Take lots of breaks. Otherwise she'll start crying when you barely touch her. This sounds so bad, but trust me, they will start getting super sensitive and start fearing the rake before you even start in on another matt, so stop to soothe her. Work with a partner, and make sure you aren't holding her so tight that you create other matts from where your hands were, lol.
Take pics when you're all done and make sure you keep up with the daily (or even multiple times a day) brushings!!! And yes, don't be afraid to cut out mats that are in super sensitive places like her tummy. |