The truth behind the naked dog
Most dog owners have heard the term matted/matting. It bring to mind dogs that are shaved extremely short and terms like "skinned", "naked", and "ugly". The truth about it is that no groomer will shave down a dog for no reason and matting can be avoided with proper coat care.
Why does it happen?
Matting (thick tangled clumps of coat which if left long enough become solid masses) occurs when a dog's coat is not properly cared for. This could be due to improper brushing. Coat is continuously growing. If you are not using the correct tools and getting all the way down to the skin tangles and impaction continue to build. Imagine if instead of properly brushing your own hair you just smoothed your hands over the top of it. Chances are you'd have some pretty bad knots within days. It could also be from improper drying. If you are bathing your dog at home or if they are swimmers your dog should be blown dry. As hair dries it shrinks in on itself. Without being blown and brushed this means the coat will compact on itself and any tangles that were there will become that much tighter. It could also be from not getting groomed frequently enough. Maintaining a regular 2-8 week grooming schedule means they are getting professionally brushed out and their coat will be kept at a length the pet parent is able to maintain. Grooming is a team effort and if you are unsure if you are doing proper maintenance at home we are happy to have a discussion with you. We're here to help!
What's the big deal?
As dog groomers we constantly hear things like "can't you just brush it out?" or "okay take them shorter but I don't want them bald!" What a lot of people don't know is matting is a serious often painful issue. If you've ever had a SUPER tight ponytail in and take it out after a few hours you know how your scalp tingles and kind of hurts. If you haven't try grabbing a chunk of hair and pulling it as hard as you can for a few minutes. Now imagine that over weeks or even months. When a dog is matted the hair pulls and pulls at their skin to the point of discomfort and if left long enough injury. Matting can cause bruising, bacterial infections like hot spots, an inability to thermo-regulate, and it can hide parasites like fleas, ticks, and maggots. Shaving is not the "easy way out". Working through a matted coat takes a lot of time, patience, and skill. Even the most qualified groomer can still run into knicks, cuts, irritation, etc because matted coat hides underlying issues and pulls at skin where we can't see it. We want your dogs to look nice too but not at the expense of their comfort or safety. We cannot undo what you have left unmaintained for weeks/months in a matter of hours. Even if we had the unlimited time to painstakingly work through every milimeter of your dog's coat it wouldn't be fair to ask the dog to put up with that. We choose the humane option to start fresh and shave them down because we care!
So what do I do?
Start with a haircut you can maintain. If you're a busy person that's always at work meeting deadlines and taking off for camping trips on the weekends you don't have time to maintain an inch of coat. Opt for something short and easy to fit with your lifestyle. A dog will always be happier in a short maintained cut than being left overgrown to avoid looking "silly".
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Be diligent about at home maintenance. If you bath them, make sure to dry them properly. If you are keeping them in a long trim make sure you are brushing them out and able to get a fine toothed metal comb all the way down to the skin nose to tail, top to bottom. Do not leave brushing up to the kids. While they may want to help sometimes you need to be making sure they are done properly. If you're unsure about your brushing tools or methods ASK! We are on the same fluffy team and happy to help you keep them comfortable.
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Get them groomed regularly. While you can clean your car, a professional detailer is going to be able to do it better. The same thing goes for grooming. Aside from high end tools and products we have made this our life. If you have missed some small tangles we can get them out BEFORE they become a big issue. To keep them looking their best trust a professional to keep them on track. This can look anything from every 2-8 weeks depending on the length you like and the time you have to work on them at home.
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We hope this has shed some light on the situation. As groomers we often take the brunt of client frustration. "You ruined my dog! I'm telling everyone not to come here!" "What a hack job!" "My poor baby what did they do to you?!" We do not have a magic wand to correct these problems. Please be kind to your grooming staff. We are on the same team. We are happy to help. And above all else we love your pet and will ALWAYS do what is in their best interest. ♥
