Baby Dragon Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 No matter what I do, my lab x poodle's coat matts around his face, legs and tail. His back is ok because it seems to be less curly there. I keep his coat as short as I can in Summer, but there obviously needs to be a bit of length around the face and tail. His fur on his head and face seems to be a different sort of fur to on his back and no matter what I do, there are always knots in it. Some of the knots are almost like little dredlocks now. When I can, I scissor them down really short but even then they just grow back knotty. I normally groom him myself and one of the hardest places is his face because I'm always scared he's going to move suddenly when I'm scissoring the fur near his eyes and on his head. I brush him with a slicker brush, which he hates, and it's hard to do it around his face because of all the curves etc. What should I do? If I take him to a proper groomer will they be able to sort it out? Is there a product I can use to make his coat less knotty, that won't interfere with his fortnightly Frontline Plus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 By your descritpion it would appear that your dog has thrown to the poodle coat esp around its face? Suggest you take it to a groomer, have a chat to them about styles etc, it may be that it needs a poodle clip around the face which is best done by using clippers and a fine blade. My Mum has a poodle and she is done every 6 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Don't give the coat a chance to matt, use a comb on his face, a slicker on his legs and tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMum Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) Hi Blossom I agree with Hesapandbear, your dog seems to have some rather poodly patches. TD has only been with us since he was 7 months old, and his coat had been neglected so we had to deal with a lot of matts. Now I use a shampoo and leave-in conditioner (Aloveen), and TD also gets Flaxseed oil and his coat doesn't matt anywhere near as easily. I don't know how it would go with Frontline though, as we use something else. He also gets brushed very regularly, every day when he had a fuller coat, but now he is clipped back for summer I can leave it longer without it matting. A groomer could sort the coat out, but they can get very busy, which is why I do my own clipping. Some groomers around here are booked up until after christmas already. Instead of scissoring around his face, have you thought of using a trimmer? They are a lot easier to use and less likely to hurt your dog. My guy used to hate the slicker brush around his face too, but I don't know if he got used to it or getting his coat in better condition helped, but now he seems to enjoy it (except for his paws). But if he really hates his face being brushed I would consider getting it clipped short. Good luck with it Bec Edited November 11, 2008 by MiniMum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) Blossom, from the sounds of it your dogs is completely matted in those areas - you need to shave if off with a 10 blade and start again. If you are using your slicker brush correctly that will keep him matt free. If you to run a comb through the area once you have slickered you will know if you did the job properly. JMO Edited November 11, 2008 by frufru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Blossom, I agree- either get him trimmed professionally , or comb thru the longer areas every day.Slicker brushes ,I find, tend to slide over matted areas If he doesn't like a slicker brush..try something else maybe he has sensitive skin, and it prickles?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockerlover Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 slicker brushes imo are useless with matted coats, comb daily or clip face ,try using a knot breaker comb on matted body parts.a small battery operated clipper would surfice for the face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 If a slicker brush is used properly in the first place, there would be no matting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 slicker brushes imo are useless with matted coats, comb daily Completely agree. For some reason people always go for varying brushed, when a comb IMO does the best job at keeping knots at bay. You could use Aloveen LEAVE IN conditioner to help disentangle and keep the knots at bay but also comb the affected areas every night (once existing knots have gone). A comb will go right through to the skin, so you shouldnt miss any bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) Yep, a fine/medium metal comb would be the best matt deterrant. Use it daily to prevent the pin knots you are seeing now. And I'd be inclined to shorten any areas that are matting regularly. Us poodle folk know why the old timers trimmed the areas they did.. those shaved muzzles and tail bases prevent areas of coat becoming filthy and matted. Keeping facial hair short keeps it out of the mouth and helps prevent tooth/gum issues also. Blossom I'd suggest a trip to a pro-groomer (good time now its getting warmer) for a discussion about a low maintenance clip and then you can just follow the trim the groomer does. Edited November 11, 2008 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Also just adding that I find coats of cross breeds knot more easily that pure breeds. I'm not being elitist the coat seems to get 'confused' and knots overnight. Especially Schnauzer X Poodles. If the coat is half half, owners usually havent got a hope in Hades of keeping the coat long and knot free. Lab X Poodles I dont find so bad, but where you can see the real mix of the two coats usually gets more icky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Also just adding that I find coats of cross breeds knot more easily that pure breeds. I'm not being elitist the coat seems to get 'confused' and knots overnight. Especially Schnauzer X Poodles. If the coat is half half, owners usually havent got a hope in Hades of keeping the coat long and knot free.Lab X Poodles I dont find so bad, but where you can see the real mix of the two coats usually gets more icky. My friend, who's a pro groomer, finds the same Clyde.. the mix of coat type and the wirier coat of many oodles is a biatch to groom she reckons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june.andnovas Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 that won't interfere with his fortnightly Frontline Plus? I'm wondering why he gets frontline plus fortnightly? Thats a lot of chemicals in his system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 that won't interfere with his fortnightly Frontline Plus? I'm wondering why he gets frontline plus fortnightly? Thats a lot of chemicals in his system. My guess is ticks - they grow 'em nasty where Blossom lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I personally would take the dog to a professional groomer and discuss your options. Get the groomer to give them a clip that you both can live with and then try to do the upkeep on it (daily combing if your dog needs it). It's like starting with a clean slate when you take the dog to the groomers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june.andnovas Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 that won't interfere with his fortnightly Frontline Plus? I'm wondering why he gets frontline plus fortnightly? Thats a lot of chemicals in his system. My guess is ticks - they grow 'em nasty where Blossom lives. Ahhh yes!! Now that would suck big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMum Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 that won't interfere with his fortnightly Frontline Plus? I'm wondering why he gets frontline plus fortnightly? Thats a lot of chemicals in his system. My guess is ticks - they grow 'em nasty where Blossom lives. If this is the case, then a shorter coat would be better so you can see any ticks better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 There are various shampoos and conditioners that may help. I use Groomers Products on my wheaten and kerry blue (hours of grooming fun ...). A good detangling spray prior to dematting will help ease the pain. The Animal House one is good. I don't like the Groomers one. The Plush Puppy products are also very good. Most wheaten people recommend a detangler called The Stuff and I think the Groomers Products website lists it. Around the face, I'd suggest clippers as others have done. Also a good comb and a small pair of scissors to split matts are essential. Stubborn, small matts, I use a flea comb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) Thanks for everyone's replies. Sounds like it's off to the groomers to get it sorted, then a good comb around the face every day. Maybe the groomer can sell me or tell me where to get a good grooming product to help me comb through his head/face hair? I have attached pictures so you can see his mixed coat and problem areas. Edited November 14, 2008 by Blossom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) His back fur is smooth and I keep it short. He doesn't matt around the muzzle but the main problem is around the back of his head/neck. I clip around the base of his tail but his tail does matt but not too badly (easily fixed when brushing/combing) but the back of his neck and top of head are the worst areas. His legs matt too if I let them get any length but easily fixed by clipping short. Edited November 14, 2008 by Blossom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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