Preventing Matting

What is matting?

Matting happens in areas of the dog’s body that receive high amounts of friction, like their inner hips, behind their ears, under their collar, and along their bellies. The friction smushes hair together, twisting and pressing it into arduous tangles that can quickly become painful for your dog and a huge hassle to remove.

Why can’t matting be brushed out?

Short answer - because it is very painful for the dog. Matting pulls on the skin and grows tighter over time, especially when the coat gets wet. Although mats that occur in a single section may allow for humane removal, most matting occurs in a pelt. Pelt matting covers large areas of the body and must be removed with a short clipper blade. As always, the bar for humanity is set high here at The Dog Salon which means often times matting will be removed by shaving.

How often do i need to have my pet groomed?

We recommend keeping your dog on a regular schedule of every 6 - 8 weeks. This can be a shorter window if you like a longer coat. The longer the coat, the more frequently it will require maintenance. 

Example of a matting shave-down

Look how little dog is hiding under all that fur!