Dematting Coats
Removing mats (or knots) from a dog’s coat can be difficult for both a groomer and for the pet. It can be physically tiring and time consuming for the groomer, and it can be painful and hard to stand still for the pet. You should never bathe a pet that is matted. You must get the mats out first. If you bathe a matted pet, shampoo and moisture will become trapped between mats and skin. This can cause inflamed or infected skin issues due to the lack of air flow reaching the skin.
How to go about the dematting process is often a judgement call on the part of the groomer. There are many tools and products that can be used to help. First, we will discuss helpful tools for the dematting process. Following that, we will discuss different coat types of pets and some tips for removing mats from each of these coat types.
Useful Tools:
- Quadruped Dematting and Rapid Drying Aid – this is a product that can be mixed to different dilutions to be used in different ways. It helps remove mats, add moisture to the skin and coat (conditioner), and helps make the drying process faster.
Mixture ratios for Quadruped
- Heavy dematting – 1 part Quadruped to 1 part water. In this case, the product is mixed 1-part product to 1-part water and is then sprayed into the coat while it is still dry. The groomer then can use some of the techniques discussed below to remove the mats. When Quadruped is diluted to this ratio, it must be rinsed out during the bath.
- Removing undercoat – 1 part Quadruped to 4 parts water. Some examples of pets that tend to get loose undercoat are German Shepherds and Huskies. This type of undercoat can be picked out with the fingers. Before spraying the Quadruped, you should use the high velocity dryer to remove most of the loose undercoat. You may then spray the Quadruped and brush the pet thoroughly. Afterwards, this dilution of Quadruped must be rinsed out during the bath.
- Finishing Spray and Conditioner – 1 part Quadruped to 8 parts water. This dilution can be used as a finishing spray to make sure the dog smells great and the fur is soft and silky. It also adds moisture to coat and skin. This dilution may be left in the coat and does not need to be rinsed.
- Slicker Brushes or Pin Brushes – there are many different brands, styles, and sizes of brushes. In general pin brushes, have longer, more flexible teeth than slicker brushes and are often covered by plastic tips. Brushes can also have hard, medium, or soft pins and the pins can be various lengths. Longer length pins are for long coated dogs. The brush should be chosen according to coat type, the sensitivity of the pet, and the brushing power of the groomer. Newer Groom Techs or Stylists should use a soft style pin brush which will help prevent injury (scratches) to the skin. This is commonly referred to as “brush burn.”
One technique that can be used when brushing a dog with a long coat is called “line brushing.” The slicker brush is held in one hand and the other hand is used to pull up a horizontally parted line, starting near the bottom (tummy) of the dog. Gently brush starting at the ends of the coat and work inward toward the skin. Once the area is well brushed, finish by starting at the base of the hair and pulling the brush along the length of the hair. This ensures that the knots are removed from the base of the hair as well as from the ends. When the length of the horizontal part has been completed, drop another thin layer of coat from the top into original line and repeat the brushing procedure until all undercoat is untangled from the area that you are working in. Once you have completed one area of the pet, you can move onto another area, such as the thigh area. Repeat this process of line brushing until the brush free flows throughout entire coat.
- Undercoat Rake – this is a T-shaped tool with a handle centered between a single or double line of teeth. There are short and long tooth styles as well as styles with different spacing between the teeth. This is a good tool to have for longer coated dogs, but care should be used when brushing. If too much pressure is used, this tool can irritate skin.
- V Rake – this tool has a V shaped double row of pins at the head of the brush and a handle centered at the base of the V. It is a good tool to brush out loose knots from longer coated dogs. We recommend teeth of one inch in length or longer.
- Combs – a wide tooth comb can be useful for thick coated pets. One type is the Resco #80 wide tooth comb. There is also a wooden handled comb with wide teeth often referred to as Poodle comb. Groomers should also have a coarse/fine comb. This is sometimes called a Greyhound comb. It can be used to comb just before using the scissors on a pet’s fur. The fine end can also be used on all coat types as the final brush through for a well done Shed-X Pro Treatment (proprietary shedding process from our friends at Kennelwood Pet Resorts).