Matted at the root?
 

I can run a comb through my yorkies hair but when I look closely, the new silver roots appear to be matted. It seems like a thick silver clump then the nice black hair after it. I tried de-matting it there and it almost seems like fuzz(and I got the heck scratched out of my arm). Any advice? Will it grow out smoother?

sound matted alright...lexi was like that and i never knew it until the vet told me.. i though she had no matts...i had to shave her... sorry, maybe it will
be different your case hope

matted at the root
 

Thanks, at least I know I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to get it unmatted first. I'll pick up some No More Tangles and give that a try while holding her in the bath maybe. She's pretty mad at me right now after the first attempt.

Is there a special type of brush I should be using to brush her hair? One that gets down to the roots but doesn't hurt her skin?

I had the same problem. All I could figure was that the new texture of the hair coming in just didn't "mix" well with the old texture. ???

Clearly I'm no expert. :p But trimming off some of the old ends helped me, and, I know I keep recommending this, but....COWBOY MAGIC. Those products made all the difference.

Good luck! OH, and, I find myself using a comb way more than a brush. That really seems to get to the "root" (no pun intended!) of the problem, whereas a brush just smoothed the "outside layer", and left those deceptive tangles underneath.

try a flea comb it usually works. or a dematting comb...
try not to get it all in one day.. take your time..i didnt.. i wish i have never shaved her... i should of did little by little each day.. you can cut the hair short, it is summer and yur baby will feel better too... it might be easier for you
good luck

its gonna hurt the baby pulling at it...take your time

If it's really bad I'd say shave him. It's the easiest and least painful way to go. He might look a little silly for a few months, but it'll grow out...

I got a new Yorkie a couple weeks ago and he was all matted... I tried working out one of the small ones but it was just too frustrating for the both of us. In the end it was easier to just take the clippers to him, I don't think any amount of conditioning/tangle sprays would've helped.

What kind of brush are you using? Sounds like it wasn't getting all the way down to the skin. A good pin brush or comb will help to get all the way down there... I hear the Chris Christensen brushes and combs are pretty nice, but you can get something from the pet store too. Make sure there's no little balls on the tips (they'll break the hair) and it doesn't scratch your skin.

When Jewels matts she always matts at the roots. One time she had so many we figured the groomer would shave her down but she took a slicker brush and got them all out

Yeah, definitely grease her up good with SOMETHING, and take your time. Talk quietly, and take plenty of breaks to pet and massage her, and let her know that you're trying to "help" her.

I've never seen it mentioned here, so I assume it's not a good option for some reason...but what about baby oil??? The "no more tangles" just didn't cut it for me on those really tough mats.

matted
 

I think I caught it in time, her hair is only 2 inches long. The matts are only at the roots about 1/4 inch long. I think I'll comb her from now on. I'm going to have my husband help me and take my time.

I've only had her for a month so I'm learning ;)

forgot
 

Forgot to add, I also bought some missing link to help with her coat(this little dog sure has a lot of 'necessities')

Yes, get a pin brush they work well

My pup's problem was just the opposite. His first (black) baby hair was a mess. I couldn't have gotten a comb through it if I had too. It was as though he had been dipped in oil or something (even after several baths)...

So - I cut off the baby hair as soon as possible. Then the new more silver hair was a joy. It is wavy, but also very easy to comb and never matts or tangles.

Since your dog is just a little pup -- I would do whatever I need to do to make combing his hair easier - and less hurtful for him. His being hurt and hating to be combed at this young age may make grooming difficult for a long time.

I would suggest trimming his baby hair off (with one or two trimmings) as soon as possible and then working with the newer shorter hair. I think that if this newer hair is isolated and very short, it will be easier to comb out - and hopefully, you'll end up with a much easier coat to take care of.

**** I think keeping a little puppy's hair very short for a while is much easier and more pleasant to work with for both of you. With easy-to-comb shorter hair, he'll enjoy being combed -- and this is what you want.

Good luck! Carol Jean

I thought Kizzy never had matts too but then I found a few like you, right at the skin. I got some cowboy magic detangler, shampoo and conditioner. To me her hair looks better and not as fuzzy looking which I think is baby hair. as soon as she got her bath I put lots of the detangler on her,Then I would feel a mat. I would get the brush behind and pull just a little bit. Then I take my fingers and hold behind the mat so my fingers hold the hair between the mat and her skin. that way I took the brush while holding the mat and brushed it on out. Then it doesnt pull on her skin like it would if you just pull it from her skin out. anyway, worked for me and I do like the cowboy magic better than anything I've used so far. Her hair looks shinier but I did put a lot on her the first time to make sure the 4 or 5 mats came out easier. I just gave her a bath today and there were no mats. she only had a couple on the back legs close to what I call her hip, long about where the leg connects to her body. she did really good and then i mixed the detangler with water since you dont have to rinse it out and used it as a spray on her between the two baths before brushing her. I think this helped keep her from getting the mats as she had none this time.