[bluesbarby]

I buy an oatmeal based shampoo and conditioner(off the internet) to use on Riley. I do most of his grooming myself but about ever 4 months I like to take him to be professionally done. I did this 3 weeks ago and since then his matting has been a nightmare to keep up with. So I called the groomer and asked if they used a conditioner and they said no. Is this normal with groomers?

[007Dogs]

It is not normal. Most groomers condition dogs after bathing and then sometimes will use a spray in leave on conditioner as well. The only breed I do not condition is a hard coated terrier for obvious reasons.

[Dieselsmama]

Actually, I NEVER condition a dog I want to scissor as it softens and flattens the coat thus making it much more difficult to scissor. Just out of curiosity, how old is Riley? For some reason I'm thinking he's under a year, if this is so, he may be switching over his puppy/adult coat which can certainely be a nightmare to keep up with. I've never had a problem with matting without conditioner unless you're talking a full coat on something like a shih-tzu or lhasa. Come to think of it, these are the only dogs I do use conditioner on. If I do get a dog in who's matted sometimes I'll use a spray on silicone based coat treatment to help dematt.