Matted hair on bichon-poo

afcgirl · 09-22-2008, 01:44 PM

Hi, I have a bichon-poo (9 months old) that I have been getting groomed about every 8 weeks. He recently was neutered and wore the cone for over a week. He now has huge mats around his head (also I think his hair is just growing in thicker now that he is older). I have tried to brush them out but it doesn't work.

He is not due to go the groomer for a few weeks. Should I take him early? Will she have to cut out of the mats or is there a way to brush them out?

Thanks in advance!

title5 · 09-22-2008, 01:48 PM

you can try to give him a bath yourself and use conditioner to comb it out. but best, please go to the groomer as i think they would have to cut it out and since they are professional, you don't have to worry about them cutting your dog's skin.

i comb my peke's hair everyday and she still have matted hair at the ears. I guess that's the common problem with dogs with long and/or curly hair.

GroovyGroomer777 · 09-22-2008, 01:58 PM

It depends on how bad the matts are and how close they are to his skin. Also depends on what your groomer is willing to do. I, personally, would not dematt a 9 month old puppy, just for the sake of his comfort and to not condition him to think grooming is painfull.

If the matts aren't close to his skin the groomer can cut them out and still keep some hair on him. If they are attached to his skin she will probably need to shave them out.

I would see if you can bring him in to be groomed ASAP and have your groomer determine how bad the matting is. If she will dematt him, be prepared to pay extra. If she thinks it would be better to shave him, I'd say go for it. It will be a huge relief for him when the matts are off him. The hair will grow back, and it will be easy to maintain once he is a clean slate.

Again, I can't tell you for sure unless I actually felt the matting. Best of luck. Remember, if this is a good groomer that you trust, I would allow her to do whatever neccessary to make your pup comfy.

afcgirl · 09-22-2008, 02:16 PM

Thank you for the responses! I will make an appointment with the groomer asap! I hope he won't have to go bald, he looks like a little teddy bear right now. But yes comfort for him is most important.

flipgirl · 09-22-2008, 03:22 PM

I have a shih-tzu x bichon - at around 10 months old, her adult coat started growing in. Her coat is more bichon so it also has an undercoat. The adult coat would tangle with the old coat and when I thought I got all the mats out, more would appear. This lasted about a month and then when her adult coat was fully grown, the matting diminished immensely.

You can take her to the groomers to get him cut really short. That is what I should have done instead of putting my dog through all that pain and aggravation. Or, if you are patient, you can take some blunt end scissors and try to cut through the mats and comb them out.

afcgirl · 09-22-2008, 04:23 PM

^^^ Thank you flipgirl! I appreciate the input, I have noticed that his hair is growing differently now, I am glad to read that this phase doesn't last long. I may try to clip him short for a while.

Your dog is so cute btw! He looks like he is smiling in your pic, just like mine looks!

Canadian Dog · 09-22-2008, 05:33 PM

Early on with Molly I stopped using a pin brush and started using a rake. When she went through blowing her puppy coat I groomed her every day and sometimes twice. Thankfully, she's at the end of it now and there is very little hair coming out - looks like down, just little fluffs. I didn't want to have her clipped short as I love the shaggy look. Her coat is so easy to look after now, easily raked wet or dry, and never any mats. For her, the rake has been the best tool.

flipgirl · 09-22-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afcgirl

^^^ Thank you flipgirl! I appreciate the input, I have noticed that his hair is growing differently now, I am glad to read that this phase doesn't last long. I may try to clip him short for a while.

Your dog is so cute btw! He looks like he is smiling in your pic, just like mine looks!

Thanks, afcgirl! You should put a picture up of your baby! Good luck with the mats!

There is an undercoat rake made by Mat King which was somewhat helpful. It removes the dead hair as well but I found that using the scissors to cut out the mats was more helpful. The rake just pulled and it hurt Kiri. I'm so glad it only lasted a month too!

Canadian Dog · 09-22-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipgirl

The rake just pulled and it hurt Kiri.

Sorry, I didn't mean to use the rake on the mats the OP's dog has now - I meant using the rake regularly will prevent mats from developing in the first place and I believe it is more effective than a brush.

flipgirl · 09-22-2008, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canadian Dog

Sorry, I didn't mean to use the rake on the mats the OP's dog has now - I meant using the rake regularly will prevent mats from developing in the first place and I believe it is more effective than a brush.

Ooops, okay sorry Canadian Dog....you're right, the rake is good for regular use.

poodleholic · 09-23-2008, 12:44 AM

Your puppy will be going through coat change soon, if not already, so mats will really become a problem. 8 weeks is a long time between grooming appointments, so be sure that you have the appropriate brushes, a steel comb, and conditioning spray for use whenever you brush. Otherwise, you'll damage the coat, and that means even more matting. Have your groomer look at the tools you are using to brush. The pin brushes you buy in retail pet stores have those little balls on the ends, which damage coat, and cause matting.