Clumped Hair

[Avalanche]

I am sure it is probably already on here somewhere but I have not had a chance to get on here in a long time! :0( so sad! Daughters going off to college, one getting married, then having my first grandbaby, keeping my busy! 

Anyway, I brush my babies quite often but this summer they spent a lot of time in the pool, for some reason, Adi with her long hair has gotten clumpy.  I have had to cut out some clumps but I hate to do that.  Is there any other suggestions?  Her long hair on her tail is awful and I am afraid I will have to cut a huge chunk out of her tail to get rid of the clumps, I might as well just cut all of her hair on her tail to start over but I don't want to, she has such a beautiful fluffy tail! or it was anyway.  Avi's hair just brushes out nice but hers wont.  I hope there is some sort of remedy for this.

[Saint Mom]

You can try splitting some of it with kids' scissors.

Something I like too is a dematting comb. Does wonders too
http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming/Grooming-Tools/Combs-Brushes-Rakes/Master-Grooming-Tools-Dematting-Comb-for-Small-Dog/pc/190/c/214/sc/276/46263.uts

[eskilady]

Eskies will get clumpy when they have dead hair that is wanting to come out.  You should have raked her before she went swimming.  Water will make the clumps tighter and they will form mats which will have to be split or cut out.  Good luck!!

[ghaugh]

A couple things that work for me are: 1)Work baby powder are corn starch into the matts with your fingers, and then comb a bit at a time out.  2)A product called OMG spray (can order on the internet) by Plush Puppy works great for combing out matts.  Spray the matt and then comb it out a bit at a time.  One of my Eskies Jazz has a coat like cotton candy, and matts if you look at it, so I have to work out matts pretty regularly.  They just seem to appear like magic even with regular grooming.

[snowballsmom]

You should have raked her before she went swimming.  Water will make the clumps tighter and they will form mats which will have to be split or cut out.  Good luck!!

carol, thats tough when you have a pool and dogs that are in it daily, as i can say from personal experience. with it being 95*+ most of the summer, its been hard to keep them out of the water and the grooming has been even harder to fit in.

if need be, just cut the mat out. winter coats will be coming in before you know it and a few thin spots will barely be noticed.

[Sandy S]

Cut into the mat instead of cutting across it.  Then you can work the dead hair out with a comb.  Makes for a much better looking tail than one with "holes" in it.

[snowballsmom]

Cut into the mat instead of cutting across it.  Then you can work the dead hair out with a comb.  Makes for a much better looking tail than one with "holes" in it.

true.
i guess im less concerned with looks, and more concerned with the quickest solution possible, and least aggravation possible on both me and the dog(s).
plus they're not show dogs so the only one who sees a bald spot is......us. they barely leave the property. and all the mats i have ever cuts out, 5 minutes later i havent been able to figure out where i cut them from. plenty of hair to spare, even snoopy.

[Cozzy]

I usually always cut mats out too.  Cozzy used to get them in his armpits, tail and behind his ears. The ones behind his ears were always small enough that I could work them out. But the ones on his tail and under his arms I cut out often when he was younger.  I felt bad for cutting some of the ones on his tail because it didn't seem like his hair necessarily grew back the same? But he is so sensitive about his tail and I couldn't get them out so I didn't have a lot of choice.  He rarely gets mats now, his coat has thinned out significantly in the past year with all his skin issues.

Leo gets mats under his arms that I will cut out too. They are usually small enough and tucked away that it doesn't matter if I cut it. Luckily he has never had mats on his tail.  Leo does start to look a little clumpy sometimes when he needs a good brushing.  I don't brush them as much as I should, and Leo has a much thicker coat than Cozzy.  Once I use the rake, comb, brush, slicker etc on Leo, the clumps are gone.  It's such a long process with Leo, I was so spoiled by how easy Cozzy is to groom. 

[Evania]

Komite used to mat really bad too.  I started cheating and using human conditioner when I bathed him, and leave in conditioner when I couldn't get some of the worst of the tangles out.  It's helped wonders and now he'll only get a small one behind his ear that is easy to work out with a rake.