Matts
 

I have been letting Jewels hair grow out. I love the long hair on a yorkie. Anyway I have been trying to keep up on it but now she has matts that I cant get out. Should I get her shaved down or just ty to cut the matts and have her hair uneven? I am so bummed and will brush her hair more often from now on.

I'm not a groomer, but my trainer showed me a mat removing tool once. I don't remember exactly how it worked, but it only removes the matted hair. Someone on here should probably know more...Good luck, growing them out is a lot of work!

Most matt removal tools are little blades that cut through some hairs which breaks up the matts and loosens them so you can brush them out. I would only do this as a last resort since you will be leaving behind shorter cut hairs that will cause the hair to matt even more easily in the future. If you are not getting anywhere brushing her dry I would try to wash an area (say a leg) and saturate it with good conditioner and work on it wet. The conditioner will make the hair slippery and you may be able to brush out the matts that way. Make sure you have a good brush and comb. Cheap brushes have steel pins that are cut on the ends and are sharp and can really irritate the dogs skin. Try to find pin brush with polished ends like a Chris Christensen brush. They really go thru the hair nicely and are not as likely to scratch the skin. Get some little clips to hold the already brushed hair out of your way so you can get to the matts without having to brush thru the other fur. Use a metal comb to check after brushing that you have no hidden matts that you missed.

Of course, you know better than me just how bad the matts are. If they are really bad and it's going to take hours and hours of dematting to get them it out it would be better for Jewels to just shave her short. Dematting is not fun for the dog and can be painful if you are not really careful. Cutting out chunks here and there will look horrible and matt more easily later. If you have matts in her armpits, inside of thighs or on her belly I would just shave those out since you really can't see those areas anyway and they would be too tender to brush.

Cali got real matted after her surgey because I kept a onesie on her and didn't brush her, what was I thinking, well i took her to the groomer I had used once before and told her I woudl pay what ever to try and get as many matts out as she could. She charged me 50.00 but combed her all out. She use to show and own yorkies and said I did her like she was my own. So you may want to seek professional help from someone who knows you want him kept long

Johnson's no more tangles works great at getting mats out and another product is Cowboy Magic Detangler works good too. www.cowboymagic.com :dogsm3: :dogsm5: :dogsm5:

When mine get a matted area, I spray with a detangler and use a fine tooth metal comb. You will have to take one small section at a time. It is time consuming and you have to be careful not to hurt them, I always keep my fingers between the skin and the matt. If she is matted all over you may come out better taking her in to have her done or cut.

I learned the hard way to brush them everyday. I had to cut Tonee once and I hated it.

Depending on how bad the mat is ALWAYS start at the bottom of the mat furthest way from the skin and work your way to the top of the mat. Detanglers are helpful and let them sit for a minute. Be sure to hold onto the mat between your fingers not to hurt your baby. Daily brushing helps alot. I have all mine in full coat except for one. As long as we do our grooming routine everyday I can get this done in no time at all. :) :)