knots in hair!!

[tula26]

ok ...finally determined to tackle Brunos matted hair...from my reading, im convinced he has a cotton coat..Its fine and see through but wooly texture at roots.....He doesn't let me comb him in bath with the conditioner...yesterday i gave him a bone and he finally was distracted enough that i tried to comb out each tangle..I didn't realize how bad it was ...It knots and matts at root so easily...Im afraid i pulled out a lot of his hair..he is only four months...will his hair change as he get older? am I doing damage by combing all knots outs? big chunks of his hair has come out...he eats royal canin and i use yorkie splash..i feel that he just has really bad hair.. Im afraid that if i continue to comb out his hair he will be bald....any grooming suggestions????

[ironmike86]

You comb dry? Use a spray bottle with conditioner and water and metal comb/brush. And more than once a day. So if you can't get his whole body you can do it the next combing. Just little at a time till he gets use to it. Then he will let you after you get a routine.

[gracielove]

Once you bathe a coat that is already matted you have got a mess on your hands. If possible it is best to spray the mats with a good detangler first and then give a bath on a tangle free coat.
Amazon.com: The Stuff Silicon Dog Conditioner and... This spray has been used for years with pretty good success. I wouldn't use it as a regular thing but it is great for mats.

Once you finally get him mat free make sure you comb him everyday if he needs it or not. Even if you are going to keep his fur short he needs to learn to be groomed.

I'm not sure if your dog food has omega 3's in it but if it does not you might want to consider adding an omega 3 supplement to his diet. Also make sure when you bathe him that you rinse very well to get all shampoo and conditioner out or it can leave flakes.

When Gracie was a young puppy I usually had someone to help me when I had to bathe her or trim her nails (for her own safety) If you can't enlist anyone then just take it a little at a time. Hope you can make some headway on him. Sounds like you are going to need some extra conditioning with his coat and combing on a regular basis.

[YorkieSpirit1]

my Emy is exactly the same age, and her hair is doing exactly the same thing. I brush her gently with a brush that has plastic tips and the mats come out, chunks of hair also, but her hair seems to be turning silky underneath, and the chunks that are coming out are the puppy cotton stuff. Her hair is turning silver at the roots and the mats that are getting brushed out are black, think she's changing color and its becoming fine and silky. Her hair from her head to her shoulders is silky now and turning a silverish and from her shoulders on back its the cottony fluffy stuff, so I brush her every day a couple times a day and I'm gaining on the mats, and her hair is becoming smooth, except on her back legs I need to get that, she doesn't like to be brushed there, but the roots are silverish and the tips are black. ...

[ironmike86]

I like coat handler conditioner. Dunno if there better stuff. But alot of locals use it. It's a 15-1 mix and u can use it 100% as a de tangler. No lanolins,silicone or oil. Can be use for hotspots works real well. Good priced. And use a metal brush with no tips. Tips pull the hair out. Brush ,then brush and then brush, Part of owning a Yorkie. If you give them a short cut. Still need daily brushing. All dogs do.

[gracielove]

Really, a metal grooming comb works best for regular grooming and especially for working on mats. You start at the ends and work your way up toward the skin.
Geib Stainless Steel Greyhound Combs | PetEdge.com

You may be able to find one at your local pet store but the Greyhound combs are excellent quality and last forever.

[Maximo]

At 4 months, you are probably dealing with puppy coat which is prone to matting and has a terrible texture.

I would trim at least the edges off. It could take a year or more to determine the actual quality of his coat.

To combat matting, use a good conditioner. For detangling, use something that gives the hair "slip." There are so many great choices from corn starch (use dry on dry coat) to my favorite, Pet Silk Silk Serum. Some people like Cowboy Magic or brushing sprays.

For severe tangles, I like to use the pic on the Madan rat tail comb and carefully pick apart the mat. I bought mine from Jenny (Mimimomo) at her store toplinepet.com

I also like using a good metal comb, taking a small section of hair and starting at the bottom and working my way up.

[ironmike86]

Originally Posted by gracielove

Really, a metal grooming comb works best for regular grooming and especially for working on mats. You start at the ends and work your way up toward the skin.
Geib Stainless Steel Greyhound Combs | PetEdge.com

You may be able to find one at your local pet store but the Greyhound combs are excellent quality and last forever.

I use brushes and combs.All metals ones. Thats what I like. I use
Chris Christensen combs/brushes. just because if something goes wrong with it. At the Dog shows they will replace them for free.
Sure any style will work. I just like to support Dog show vendors.
Also he's maybe still blowing off his puppy coat. maybe thats why it's tangles. Just brush,brush ,brush....Now brush brush is a term I use...... means the same as comb ,comb ,comb

[tula26]

thank you for all your replies...I do use a quality metal grooming comb...Im now making it my obsession to get as much mats as possible everyday..im afraid that i have let his coat get into a mess because i felt like i was hurting him with the slicker or metal comb... i dont think the yorkie splash conditioner is working...im going to try the silicone one as suggested..he is a baby and i hope that it gets better..i tend not to brush because i feel like it just glides over mats and does nothing...I will ask vet about supplements..Oh and by the way Im embarrassed to say that im a cosmetologist and you would think that I wouldn't let my doggy's hair get so bad...I will comb Bruno's hair everyday and try to keep on top of the mats. He will have to learn to have patience because he is so hyper...

[tula26]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that Im constantly trimming his hair to keep it neat..especially around his bum bum...

[tula26]

Originally Posted by YorkieSpirit1

my Emy is exactly the same age, and her hair is doing exactly the same thing. I brush her gently with a brush that has plastic tips and the mats come out, chunks of hair also, but her hair seems to be turning silky underneath, and the chunks that are coming out are the puppy cotton stuff. Her hair is turning silver at the roots and the mats that are getting brushed out are black, think she's changing color and its becoming fine and silky. Her hair from her head to her shoulders is silky now and turning a silverish and from her shoulders on back its the cottony fluffy stuff, so I brush her every day a couple times a day and I'm gaining on the mats, and her hair is becoming smooth, except on her back legs I need to get that, she doesn't like to be brushed there, but the roots are silverish and the tips are black. ...

Wow your describing Bruno's coat exactly!!His hair looks like when a women gets a cap hilite!! lol

[ironmike86]

Originally Posted by tula26

. He will have to learn to have patience because he is so hyper...

He will just little at a time. I don't like conditioner with silicone because it gets build up ime. In human products it's not so bad because we usually wash our hair everyday. But whatever works for you. No silicone in this coat
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...-pro-small.jpg

[luvlee]

Originally Posted by tula26

thank you for all your replies...I do use a quality metal grooming comb...Im now making it my obsession to get as much mats as possible everyday..im afraid that i have let his coat get into a mess because i felt like i was hurting him with the slicker or metal comb... i dont think the yorkie splash conditioner is working...im going to try the silicone one as suggested..he is a baby and i hope that it gets better..i tend not to brush because i feel like it just glides over mats and does nothing...I will ask vet about supplements..Oh and by the way Im embarrassed to say that im a cosmetologist and you would think that I wouldn't let my doggy's hair get so bad...I will comb Bruno's hair everyday and try to keep on top of the mats. He will have to learn to have patience because he is so hyper...

I have the Yorkie Shine detangler and that works pretty good. I brush & comb every day. When I come across a matt that won't come out, I take my small round tipped scissors and just cut the matt out. I usually wait until Lucy is lying down and I'm petting her. She'll let me pet her forever.

I keep the scissors near by so when I get to the matt and pull it apart as much as possible so that only a little matted ball is left, I snip it.

Best wishes, Tracey

[Lovetodream88]

Puppy hair is different from adult hair when Callie was a pup I had to have her shaved and start all over because I didn't want to hurt her. I would suggest having him shaved and start fresh because combing at mats can hurt them and rip a lot of there hair out and tug at there skin.

[nanahas3]

I started mine out from their very first day at home with us, getting brushed and combed. I always dampen with a good conditioner mixed with water so that I am not working on a dry coat. I am a firm believer that yorkies need brushing a couple times a day to keep the mats out. Grooming is like any part of their training it takes consistency. If you only took them outside once a week they would never get house broken. Same with grooming. Good luck .