Hmmmm.

[Rachael x]

Okay so Poppy's hair is getting pretty long.
I was planning on keeping her hair long-ish but its starting to get really matted around her front legs and tummy.
Also the hair on her head is getting really long too, I like to put it in a bow sometimes but I dont want to leave a bow in while Im at work and she is alone.
But then again I want her to be able to see LOL!
So Im thinking of getting her cut...
Thing is its winter and really cold here in England, do you think I should wait until after winter or get her cut now? it may be a little out of hand come spring.
Also she turns into devil dog when I try to comb her LOL she is okay with be combing her back but wont let me comb her chest or front legs.
Im worried she will be really wriggly at the groomers and get hurt when they are cutting her.
Also she has a break in the end of her tail, I dont really want them messing with it so do you think I should tell them to keep the hair longer on the end of her tail?

Thanks in advance.

[Deuce]

I think the hair being long on the tails looks super cute, it's what I'm doing with Rizzo My pup gets super matted on his front legs and tummy too, and also hates when I start brushing them...The rest of his body he is fine with??? Anyway, what I do is I keep his "arm-pits" shaved down, and I shave them with a lady shaver, it's super quiet and small enough to just do small bits at a time. Whenever he gets a matt that I can't brush out with spray in conditioner and a comb then I'll use the shaver and shave it out. It doesn't look obvious this way and it keeps him a little bit calmer during the process...plus I don't have to worry about cutting him with the grooming shears when get gets all wriggly. What kind of coat does Poppy have? Cottony or Silky? If it's more towards the silky side, I'd reccomend not putting leave in/spray in conditioner in her hair, it seems that the cleaner Rizzo's fur is the less it gets matted up and he is more on the silky side. Good luck with what you do choose

[kjc]

I put my fingers on the mat while I comb it out to prevent from pulling the hair. I work from under the chin down to the chest and only try to get a few mats out per session. Mats alone can be very uncomfortable for a pup, and combing just aggravates them. Cornstarch applied to the mat will help the hairs to untangle, and use lots of conditioner or creme rinse after the shampoo when bathing.

For the front legs I start at the feet and work my way up, again keeping my fingers on any mats to prevent pulling.

You may still have to cut out any mats on her tummy, too sensitive to work out on a young pup. I keep the tummy up to the front legs shaved on mine. Be very careful when cutting out mats. The skin can be pulled up into the center of the mat through the matting action. I just snip little hairs away, only those I can see clearly do not have skin involved. It may take me 15-20 small snips to remove a mat the size of a pop bottle top.
Never cut straight across the bottom of a mat or in the mat towards the pup. Always cut with the scissors facing away from the pup.

[Rachael x]

Thanks for the advice
Im not sure what kind of coat she has to be honest... the puppy colours on her head are growing out and the blonde that is coming through feels quite silky, but the fur on her back is still jet black and feels quite cottony so I dont know.
Im at work at the moment so I have asked my mum to take her to the groomers and see if they can work the mats out then cut the hair on her tummy and under arms quite short.
She dosnt mind me brushing her back I think its because when Im doing her tummy or front legs she can see the comb and just wants to kill it LOL.

[Deuce]

PS...Poppy is adorable I love your avatar pic, she looks like she is grinning, lol.

[Rachael x]

Thank you
Rizzo looks so cute in your pic too, he looks like a little lion rawr!