It is feels so good to show off your dog’s furry coats. When they are soft, free-flowing and flawless, they are a marvel to behold. But then comes the issue of matted hair. It becomes a nightmare for both you and your dog.
What Causes Matted Hair?
Matted hair is caused by a variety of reasons. They include lack of proper brushing, shedding, flea bites and the dog lying down on a particular side of the body. Either way, it is important that you deal with the tangled hair in due time since leaving them unattended can cause further complications in the future.
You should be really careful while untangling matted hair on your dog. You should use the right tools in the right way, lest you further complicate a messed up situation. A hair detangle solution always does the trick. High quality dog clippers also go much faster, making it easy for you to deal with matted hair.
First Things First
Before your dog’s matted hair situation gets nasty, you should try your best to minimize the tangles on the fur. The most common or appropriate way of doing this is by regular brushing.
If your dog is long haired, you should make a point of brushing it at least three to five times a week. If it is short haired, brushing two to three times a week would get the job done. The tangles still come about, then you should be prepared with the correct set of tools.
Lets us briefly go through them.
The Tools
Slicker Brush
This brush has thin wires which would give you an easy time in working out the mats. This tool is quite handy for you to be performing regular brushing on your dog.
Mat/Undercoat Rake
This tool is appropriate if your dog breed is one with a mix of short and long fur. It is comes with extremely sharp teeth which will help you in cutting through the mat.
Comb
This tool will be useful when you encounter the stubborn mats. It is equipped with sharp, long and heavy teeth which are suited for breaking up these stubborn mats.
Mat Splitter
This is a one-sided blade which you will use in cutting apart the mats. You will start by dividing the mat into horizontal or vertical strips and then dealing with each strip individually using a mat rake or comb.
This item is really sharp so you should be extra careful not to cut your fingers or your dog’s skin.
Electric Clippers
Note that you should only have these as a last resort. This includes the extremely heavy mats and we strongly advise you to seek the help of a professional if you ever get to this point.
This would not only help you get the job properly done but also helps you avoid injuries to yourself and your dog. For more information about all kind of clippers, trimmers and it’s gear .
Important Note
Never use scissors in cutting out the mats. This is because they can easily poke the skin and hurt the dog. If you lack the electric clippers, just find a professional who would probably do the job at a small fee.
Untangling the Matted Hair
Start by brushing away the fur from the tangled area so that you can get a clear picture of exactly what you will be dealing with. Then, use the mat rake to cut off the mat which is furthest from the skin. This may help in loosening the tangle and making brushing out the rest of the mat to be relatively easy.
Use the mat splitter to divide the matted hair into smaller sections. You will now have an easier task of handling the smaller individual strips as compared to a whole mat. It will also reduce the level of tugging that you would have done on the dog.
At this point, apply a small amount of the detangler detergent on the mat. You can either do this by spraying or by rubbing it with your forefinger. Just be careful not to create another tangle.
Finally
Once the fur becomes soft, it is now time to completely remove the tangle. Hold the matted fur in one hand and the grooming comb in another. Gently slide the comb through the tangle, starting from the furthest point of the tangle.
You may add more detangler detergent to maintain the hair as slippery. Carry on sliding the comb as the hair loosens and splits until that particular part is completely sorted out.
Repeat this process in the next split of tangled hair until all the matted hair is no longer there.
In Conclusion
As you can see, untangling the matted hair is quite an easy process which you can do on your own at home. However, we would like to once again strongly advise you to consult the professionals if the need ever arises to clip off the tangled hair.
