As a groomer I would suggest shaving her down to about a 1/4 inch. Trying to take out all those matts is going to stress that poor pup out really bad. And asking a groomer to just shave off part of the hair isn't going to work either. If you were to come to me with a pup matted like this I would seriously tell you to take it all down and start over.

She has to be brushed Everyday. If you cant brush her everyday then I would suggest keeping her hair some what short so this doesn't continue to happen. The matts must be taken care of asap though because they only get worse with time.

Here you go - Chris Christensen Systems http://www.chrissystems.com

My groomer said to cut into the mats and work with your fingers then use a metal comb. She doesn't have to cut out all the mats that way. She just cuts into them.

Thank you so much everyone for your help. I know she has a ton of hair and it is sooooo beautiful. I really hate to shave it all off, but she just has an unbelievable amount of matts that I really think it is the only option. They are all down pretty much to her skin too. When I got her she had already had all these matts. I have another yorkie who is 71/2 years old and weighs 13 lbs. She is also pretty tall, long and bigger boned. Yes she is a bit of a chunker, but we are trying to get her to lose some weight. Ever since we got her when she was a puppy we brushed her hair either everyday or every other day. She to this day has never had one matt. When this little one Emmie came she had already had all these matts and I would had to brush her and put her through all that pain. I'm so mad because I would have totally kept her coat beautiful if she had come with no matts. I will attach a picture of Lexi. She is such a doll. Very spoiled and a total Daddy's girl. She is our family dog. My boyfriend got Emmie for me as my graduation present from college.
It would be easy to put clothes on her to cover up the shaved hair but so far she hates clothes. Any suggestions? Thanks so much. You all have been a great help.
Also by the color of Emmie's eyes green in the previous pictures do you think she will be a silky coat. She is 18 weeks. Is that too soon to tell?
Never mind about the picture of Lexi it is saying the file is too large.

I would invest in a razor comb. That way, you can save most of her hair and just work on the trouble areas.

If the matts arent all the way to the skin a razor comb would work or cutting into the matt would work. But if it is to the skin it is better to shave it off because you are going to do damage to the hair and cause breakage if you try cutting them out. SOme groomers will cut into them or use the razor comb no matter how far the matt has gone.

Good Luck!

I cut Tuckers hair really short for summer and he was 5 mths old. He was very cute with it short. I left the face kindof long and cut the rest shorter. At six months it has really grown. I will let it go long again for winter. I think if you have to cut it she will still be as cute as a button to you. :)