Hey Woofa’s,

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Winter.  I’m always rugged up and am still cold!!!

I always make sure Billy is warm and rugged up too!

I put jackets on him and snuggle him in under blankets : )

All our Fur Babies deserve to be warm in winter, which is why as a Groomer I’m not happy when I have to shave a dog almost to the skin, when it’s so cold!!.  This is always due to matted hair!!!

As a Groomer I try my utmost to avoid the shave down, especially in Winter.

As the weather becomes cold your dog’s hair is going to thicken up (even the short haired ones) in order to protect your dog.

Having matted hair pulls on your dog’s skin and can cause bruising, but most of all it’s terribly uncomfortable.

6 WAYS TO AVOID MATTING THIS WINTER!

1. Brush Your Dog’s Hair

To me this is a no brainer!  You’d be surprised at how many people with longer haired dogs, don’t brush their dog.

To keep matting away a longer haired dog needs to be brushed at least every 2nd to 3rd day!  Yes I’m serious!

What would your hair look like if you never brushed it or washed it or touched it for at least 3 to 6 months??

To keep your fur baby comfortable and knot free, brush their hair regularly.

2. Take Your Dog to the Groomer

Our lives are busy, I get it!  Time slips away and before you know it our fur babies have gotten scruffy and knotty!!

If you don’t have time to maintain your dog, take them to a trusted groomer.  Ask the groomer to keep you on a schedule that works for both of you.  That way you’ll never have to worry about your fur baby being matted ever again.

3. Remove Their Clothing

I’m by no means against dogs wearing jackets etc!  With your dog’s hair being longer in Winter, when they wear their clothing it rubs up against the hair and this is what can cause matting.

In order to avoid this, it’s best to take the clothing off at least once a day and brush their hair.  If it happens to be a sunny day let the sun hit their skin for a little while.  It also allows their skin to breath.

4. Washing Your Dog

If you can’t afford the groomer and wash your dog yourself, brush them first.  Make sure all the knots and matts are out of their hair before washing them.

You can try a conditioner and brush the conditioner through their hair while wet, this may work.  It will depend on how bad the knots are.

If there are no knots and you’re trying to avoid them.  Definitely, brush your fur kids first, bath them, dry them and brush them again.

5. Detangler

Again, this is going to depend on whether your dog has matting or just a few knots.  Detangler is generally used for a few knots here and there.

If your dog is badly matted you may have to take them to the groomer for a shave down and to start again.

6. Don’t Play With The Brush

Some dogs that come into the Salon play bite the brush because that’s how they play at home.

Instigating play time while trying to brush your dog doesn’t end well regarding actually trying to brush them.

Your fur baby will think it’s a game every time a brush goes near them and nothing will get done.

As Groomers we hear it all the time, ‘my dog won’t let me brush him/her’!!!!

Here are some quick tips on successfully brushing your dog.

TIPS ON SUCCESSFULLY BRUSHING YOUR FUR BABY!

If your dog is a smaller breed – place them on a table or bench!  Obviously, make sure they can’t jump down and hurt themselves.

Place a towel or non-slip mat on the table/bench so they can’t slip around.  The idea here is to let your fur baby know that when they are up high on the table/bench, this means we’re going to get brushed.

It make take a few attempts before your fur baby understands this.  So in order for them to understand, when they are up there give them a reward.

Reward them either by giving them their favourite treats or telling them they are a good boy or girl.  Positive reinforcement for when they are good.  Nothing until they are good.

They will soon get the message that when I sit here nicely, I’ll get a reward.

Then start the brushing process, still giving treats when they are good.  Eventually they won’t need the treats and will learn that when I’m up here I get brushed.

If your dog is a larger breed – place them on a lead (not the lead you use to walk them with) and either secure them to a safe spot or have someone hold the lead.

Then as above, if they are good reward them with treats.

Again let them know that when they have this lead on, this means we’re good and we get brushed.

The idea here is for your fur baby to learn that being brushed is a positive experience.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Heavy knotting and matting can harm your dog.

Regular brushing of your dog’s hair will keep heavy knots and matting away.

If you don’t have time to do it yourself then hire a trusted groomer to do it for you on a regular basis.

Most importantly your Fur Baby will love you even more for it.

What have your grooming experiences been like?  Let us know in the comments below.

Cheers