Matting

Question
How serious is bad matting on a schnauzer?
What problems can it cause?
Is it uncofortable to the dog?

Answer
The amount of matting on a schnauzer will vary depending on the type of coat it has, with those thick, cottony coats being the worst. If a dog has very little undercoat and not much in the way of leg hair, it won't be as bad. Many dogs need to be brushed daily, while a handful can get away with being done once a week. This is a *VERY* high maintenance breed, requiring professional grooming every 6-8 weeks (although many owners have learned to groom their own dogs).

Matting can cause actual sores on the dog's skin, and in some instances, groomers have found maggots eating away at the sores under the mats of severely neglected dogs. Lots of nasty things can hide beneath those mats.

I don't know if you ever wore a ponytail (like as a child), but if you did, can you remember when it was fastened too tightly? Mats are constantly pulling on the dog... like someone continuously trying to pull their hair out, and, YES, they do hurt.

Dematting a dog can be extremely painful for it and time-consuming, also. Most groomers will simply completely shave a matted dog down, and it takes six months for leg hair and one year for beards to grow back sufficiently.