help from those with 'fluffy' dogs...

[melsmel]

Baxter is 10 months old & I had thought he was going through his coat change, but I honestly don't know - if it is happening, it seems to be taking forever. We are having a tremendously mild winter & I am wondering if this is wreaking havoc on his coat & this is maybe why he seems to be shedding (a bit when combed, but not tons).

Either way, I need help / advice with preventing mats. We comb
Baxter every day, but I am at a loss - yesterday, we combed out his coat, gave him a bath, & brushed his fur while blow drying him.

Today, he has 3 mats that look like they have been there for a while & I know they were not there yesterday!

Please send all of your tips & tricks - shampoo, conditioner, combs, brushes, etc - anything. We have been keeping Baxter in a puppy cut for ease of grooming (plus he's really cute that way!), but we may have to resort to shorter & I would prefer not to...

thanks!



Melanie

[Moo]

I do not use conditioner on Kirby. I do not use sprays on Kirby, I do not use a creme rinse on Kirby, and I only use a brush after monthly baths. All that stuff makes him greasy, and clumps the coat, and the brush is just redundant. I do all the daily grooming with a comb, a metal poodle comb, and a comb alone.

I always wonder if I have all the mats though. Sometimes, they are easy to miss. I can comb out, and an hour later find a mat in the arm pit. Always check the mat-prone areas thoroughly- ears, feet, arm pits. It's really easy to miss them, then they get bigger when they get wet.

All dogs shed- it's just a matter of whether or not the coat retains the dead hair. It takes me a few days to a week to accumulate a hair ball the size of a ping pong ball.

[Luvmyjob]

Moo pretty much summed up what I would advise except I would follow up matt prone areas with either a double toothed comb or a slicker brush.

[sheplovr]

Mooey, do you use a matter brush that has tons of sharp teeth that combs nicely through the coat and softens it and removes all the tiny nats, balls, etc. I use it more for removing the undercoat on my Shepherds but boy they work, I jag my fingers now and then too. I use a German Rake on mine, but I never shampoo my dogs, only hose the underneath off and legs then dry and start to comb and brush, I spray some smelly and that is it and they shine like a new shoe. I think alot of the spray and oils do ruin the coat and u cannot fluff it nicely and Kirbys is all the time, that is why he photographs so well, he is soft and fluffy and poses so cute. lol

[whimzikal]

I use conditioner. Tail & mane (horse stuff you an usually find even in WalMart by the dog shampoo) works very well. Sometimes I use my Treseme' Conditioner and let it sit a couple minutes before rinsing. None of my dogs are greasy or oily. I use a slicker (?) I try to brush them daily but from time to time someone goes skips a day. I do keep mine all trimmed up. Sharon is shaggy right now but mat free. I just groomed (clipped) Ozzy, Joe and Pandy. Pandy had one small mat in her arm pit. I did use Vet's choice conditioning shampoo for dogs, it was great but I got it at Petco and lately they've been out There are leave in conditioners, but I've never used them. Good luck Furry ones are higher maintainance-and I have 4!! LOL

[Moo]

Sometimes after I have combed Kirby, and loosened up all the dead hair, I will go through with my hands, quickly, and lightly, pulling at the ends. Pulls stuff out that may have otherwise just hung there to accumulate.

I was also unbelievably lucky to find a groomer who had handled the coat of a coton de Tulear before. Eight years ago, when she was grooming in Ontario, she said. I've found that I can't even use dog shampoos on the coton coat and receive optimum results. Even mild shampoos leave too much oil on a naturally dry coat, that should not be the least bit shiny... Johnson and Johnsons does the best for me.

[whimzikal]

Kirby should be in thier commercials!!
I have also used baby shampoo. When they are all clipped short that's what I use or Vet's puppy.

[dawghair]

We use conditioners and detanglers every day. If you are using one of good quality and rinse it out thoroughly you should not be getting greasy residue on the coat. I use a great product on dogs with lots of mats it is called Survivor, it can be applied to wet or dry coats. It works great. We also use slicker brushes and metal combs.

[Dignity]

For Denali - I use a shedding blade:

a shedding comb

and I use a regular brush

Lastly - I will use a slicker brush:


Other then that - Denali gets a bath about once a month - I REFUSE to use a blowdryer on her fur... I see the damage a blow dryer does to my hair and I don't want it to do the same to her fur. I just use an oatmeal based shampoo... but she's also not a Coton - but shes got a ton of fur

[irideazip]

Lance is shedding like crazy ATM, so i try and brush him as often as possible. He wiggles a lot tho! LOL....i say just try and target one spot each time that you know to be a problem area. That should help