De-Matting Your Puppy's Hair

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     Its astounding how quickly a dog抯 hair can become knotted and matted. It sometimes appears like there are tiny weavers hiding in your puppy抯 coat. When you turn your back, it's as though they begin functioning and continue at a high rate of speed until your dog has clumps of matted hair that manage to refrain from your every attempt at getting rid of them.

Stop. Catch your breath. Tug no further till you've got the proper tools to get the job done with a least amount of distress to the dog. De-matting could be a job that requires time and it is a talent that is honed with practice.

Mats, which are actually clumps of entangled hair, are most commonly seen on the legs, abdomen and tail, however this doesn抰 mean that others areas won抰 get tangled. They do. Mats can form around clumps of dirt or burrs. Dead hair easily tangles, however repeated brushing and conditioning of the coat will help reduce the damage.

It's important to realize that mats can form on the coats of dogs of all ages. This implies that puppies require the same frequent grooming measures that grownup dogs do. Thus, you should get your puppy accustomed to being brushed and groomed.

Dog coats that are changing from a puppy coat to and adult coat are probably the most prone to matting. Long hair can mat more easily than short hair. Dogs that spend plenty of time within the water are a lot more vulnerable to having matted hair. The wrong grooming tools will do more harm than good.

Nutrition will additionally impact the coat. If you observe a puppy抯 hair under the microscope, you'll see that it's scales on the cuticle. Mats develop because the damaged hair scales snag other hairs and dirt, making everything to mat together. Healthy hair is smooth, thus it's not as probable to knot with its neighbors.

Groomers differ on the techniques they use to de-mat a dog抯 hair. Few believe it is best to first bathe the dog because a clean and conditioned coat is more easily de-matted. Others say it is best to deal with the mats before getting the coat wet as water tightens a mat. Much is dependent on how badly the dog抯 hair is matted and some of it is simply personal preference.
When attempting to detangle a mat, you would possibly try splitting the clumped fur into smaller pieces using a pair of shears. Another valuable tool for this job may be a plastic letter opener that resembles a business card with one-toothed blade in the corner. Slice the matted area lengthwise into smaller pieces, that are typically a lot easier to disentangle.

Always use caution when cutting anything close to your dog抯 skin. It is all too easy to nip a fold of skin or the tip of a tail. Make use of your tools in a way that enables you to chop off from the dog抯 skin.

Once you manage to rid your dog of its tangled hair, be vigilant and employ a daily grooming program. It takes simply a few minutes to brush or comb a puppy抯 hair. It can take hours to deal with removing tangled clumps from your dog抯 coat. Remember, clean and healthy hair is a lot less apt to mat in the initial place.