How to Remove Matted Dog Hair
Animal Grooming
Dog fur often becomes tangled and knotted when not brushed regularly, resulting in clumps of matted fur. Although they can be found anywhere on your dog’s body, they are mostly found in areas where your dog’s fur rubs together. Mats are most common in dog breeds with fine, curly, or double coats. This means that owners of dogs with hair that is soft to touch, rather than short and coarse, need to groom their dogs regularly and check thoroughly for mats.
Prevent Mats from Forming
A dog can have matted hair anywhere on its coat, but the most common areas are behind the ears, underneath and between the legs, under the collar and around the bottom and stomach.
Brushing your dog often and taking the time to inspect the coat between grooming will help prevent mats from forming. If you notice your dog’s hair is still prone to matting, using a small slicker brush or large slicker brush will help greatly as well as a pin brush. It is always advised to brush your dog before a bath so that you won’t be cleaning tangles or letting mats stay in the coat.
When mats are left untreated and are not removed, they can become painful by pulling at your dog’s skin or causing them to itch. It’s best to remove mats carefully and quickly before they get out of control.
Comb it Out
The best way to prevent matting in your dog’s coat is regular and thorough combing and brushing.
It is important to ensure that your dog is comfortable and calm. Once your dog is relaxed, hydrate the hair by spraying its coat with a coat conditioner, like our detangler spray or no-rinse shampoo. This makes it easier to separate the clumps, eases the pulling of a brush or comb and helps release any debris that might be caught in the hair.
After the coat is saturated, separate as much of the mat as possible with your fingers. If you can partially separate the mat, it can sometimes be removed with a de-matting comb. Hold the base of the mat with your fingers to avoid pulling your dog’s skin and pull the comb through the mat from the base. Use very small strokes with the brush, take frequent breaks, and give your dog some yummy treats!
Clip or Trim it Out
Using scissors instead of clippers to trim out any matting often results in injury to your dog. You never want to pull the mat up from the skin and then cut underneath, as their extended skin can get caught as well.
Instead of scissors, use grooming clippers or electric trimmer to remove the mat gently. When cutting mats out with trimmers, pay special attention to the area to make sure you do not cut too close to your dog’s skin.
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