No more mattes and tangles

If you have a dog with short hair then you probably don’t spend much time worrying about mattes and tangles. But, if your dog has long hair you may spend a considerable amount of time not only thinking about mattes and tangles but trying to come up with ways to prevent them or get them out of your dog’s coat. Even with frequent brushing some dogs seem to get mattes overnight.

100 strokes a night

The best way to prevent your dog from getting mattes is, as you might expect, to brush his coat frequently. Your dog may have a single or double coat but your long-haired dog can have either hair type, depending on the breed. The beautiful Maltese, with his long, flowing coat, is single-coated, so you shouldn’t think that having a single coat means that a dog will have less hair. A double-coated dog has an outer layer of guard hair and an inner layer of softer hair that usually acts as insulation. Collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are examples of double-coated dogs. A single-coated dog only has one layer of hair but it may can be of different textures, depending on the breed.

Whether your dog has a single coat or a double coat, if your dog has medium or long hair you can avoid most mattes and tangles by brushing him several times a week. Use a good brush, such as a boar bristle brush or boar bristle with nylon bristles mixed in, to brush through your dog’s coat. (Boar bristles help spread the natural oils in your dog’s coat and don’t break the hair.) Then you can go over his “furnishings” (the long parts of his coat that hang down, such as chest hair, leg hair, hair below the stomach) with a pin brush. Pin brushes have metal pins set into a brush back. They allow you to brush through and gently separate the hair. Finally, you can comb out your dog’s hair after you have carefully brushed it out to leave every hair in place.

Ouch!

When you’re brushing your dog’s coat, if you do find a mat or tangle you can take your comb and gently work it loose a few strands at a time. If you brush your dog frequently then any mat or tangle you find should be fairly easy to work loose.

You can also use Ruff to Smooth on mats and tangles. The emollients in Ruff to Smooth can help loosen mattes and tangles when you’re grooming. Just spray a little on and work through the mat. Then use your comb to work the tangle out.

An ounce of prevention

You can also prevent matting by using shampoos that don’t overly strip the coat of natural oils. Using harsh shampoos can result in the coat matting. Use gentler shampoos that are free of Sodium Laurel Sulfate and which don’t strip the coat. Follow up with a conditioner after shampooing. Fur Butter leaves the coat silky and easy to brush while providing colloidal oatmeal to heal dry, itchy skin.

To prevent tangles from ever occurring you can use Ruff to Smooth on your dog right after his bath. After you bathe your dog you can lightly mist his coat with Ruff to Smooth and it will keep the hair from tangling while you brush him out.

If you’re ever brushing your dog and you find a mat that is too much to tease out, you may, on occasion, have to trim it out. If you do, be very careful when using scissors with any mat. Try to stay away from cutting near your dog’s skin. It can be very easy to cut your dog and that’s the last thing you want to do. Cut just a little snip of hair in the mat and try to work on it with your comb.

Brush your dog frequently and he can be gorgeous and matte-free. He’ll also enjoy grooming a lot more if you don’t have to deal with mats and tangles. Try to prevent mattes and tangles and you’ll both be happy.

4 Steps To DIY Dog Grooming

When money is tight, we all try and cut back on spending where we can. Having your dog professionally groomed on a regular basis can make a big dent in the family budget. Grooming your dog is an important part of his care, because it helps prevent skin and coat problems. Not only that, there will be more hands-on love and affection in his life if he’s clean and smells nice.

With a bit of practice and the right equipment, you can groom your dog yourself and save quite a few dollars. You may not be able to trim him into a perfect "show clip" but you can keep him looking quite respectable.

When you’re starting out, you’ll need to invest in a few grooming products such as shampoos, brushes and nail clippers, but this is money well spent.

Like the Dreadlocks Look?

The first step in grooming your dog is to thoroughly brush his coat. This will get rid of loose hair and any little clumps of dirt that are stuck in his coat. If your dog’s coat is long, unless you do in fact like the dreadlocks look, you need to carefully comb out any knots and mats, or they’ll be almost impossible to get out after his bath.

If there are one or two particularly stubborn tangles that just won’t comb out, give them a spray with Calming Aromatherapy Spritzer . This makes it much easier to comb out the knots, and it also contains lavender essential oil. Lavender is well known to have a calming effect, and it can make your grooming session much more relaxing for your dog.

It’s not a good idea to use a human hairbrush on your dog. Use a specific dog brush that’s suitable for his coat type. A slicker brush is ideal for a longer coat, whereas a short coat often just needs a quick once over with a curry brush.

Shampoo, Blow Dry and Style Cut

Let’s face it - when you bathe your dog, the odds are that you too are going to end up more than a little wet! So, make it more comfortable for both of you, and use lukewarm water. Whether you wash your dog in the bath tub, in the shower or out in the backyard, he’ll feel much more secure with a non slip surface to stand on.

Your choice of shampoo is very important. Choosing a product that doesn’t suit your dog’s coat can leave your dog itchy and scratching. Bubbles ‘n Beads is a two in one shampoo and conditioner that will gently but thoroughly clean his coat. It then delivers conditioning vitamins right down to the hair roots to make his coat stronger, softer and shinier.

Wet your dog all over, apply the shampoo evenly over his body, and lather thoroughly. Make sure you rinse him well and remove all of the shampoo from his coat. Watch out - he will shake when you least expect it, and you’ll end up drenched. There is nothing more affectionate or loving than a wet dog!

If your dog has a long coat which tends to tangle, it’s a good idea to spray his coat lightly with Calming Aromatherapy Spritzer after his rinse, and massage it into his coat. He’ll be much easier to brush him next time.

You can also learn to clip your dog if you wish. You’ll need a good set of clippers, and this is one area where you shouldn’t skimp. It’s worth investing in quality.

There are two ways you can clip him. You can read books, watch videos and learn how to give him the style cut that’s typical of his breed. It’s a lot of work, but if you like that look, you can do it. Alternatively you can clip him short all over, and just let the hair grow out. It doesn’t matter which way you choose; it’ll take practice to get it right, and in the meantime, he may have a few "bad hair days".

The Eyes (And Ears!) Have It

Some breeds of dogs are prone to tear staining . The dark stains extending below the eyes can really stand out, particularly in a light colored dog. Fortunately they’re easy to remove with Eye P ads containing Eyebright, Golden Seal and Colloidal Silver. These ingredients will clean away the tear staining and help prevent it recurring.

If your dog has long hair around the eyes, you can trim it short with round ended scissors. This can be scary stuff - one wrong move and you run the risk of poking him in the eye. You may want to have an extra pair of hands to hold his head steady while you do the trimming.

Have a look inside your dog’s ears. Keep his ear canals free of hair, to allow air to circulate and prevent them from staying moist. You can do this by gently plucking the hair with tweezers or forceps. Make sure you only grab a few hairs at a time, or it will hurt. If he has particularly dirty ears, clean them with an ear cleaning solution. Squeeze some solution into his ear, massage the ear base to move it around, then gently wipe it out with cotton balls. Don’t use Q Tips in his ear - if he moves his head, you could injure his eardrum.

Pedicure Time

The thought of clipping their dog’s toenails is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many dog owners. With good reason - many dogs hate having their toenails cut, they twist and turn, and it ends up being stressful for both of you.

Use good quality clippers and make sure they’re sharp. Cheaper clippers often crush the nail before they cut, and this hurts.

How short can you cut a toenail? It’s easy if your dog has white toenails - you can see the pink blood vessel, and avoid cutting into it. Black toenails are harder. It’s better to err on the side of caution, and nibble away at the nail, a little at a time.

If you do happen to cut the quick, it does sting, and it seems to bleed a lot! It’s handy to have some styptic powder in your grooming kit for just such occasions. Sprinkle a little on the bleeding nail and it will stop very quickly.

Long haired dogs also look tidier if you trim the hair around and between the toes with scissors. And if your dog’s paws are feeling rough and ragged, be sure to heal and protect them. Try bowWOW Butter Balm which is a quick relief soothing treatment for dry, cracked noses and paws. Read more about paw care here

Owning a dog costs money, but there are some areas where you don’t want to skimp. Good food, parasite control and veterinary care are essential, and can’t be avoided. If you learn to groom your dog yourself, you could save hundreds of dollars a year. When your dog gets admiring glances as you walk down the street, you’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself!!

For more tips on grooming your own dog, click here.

Who knew that my dog’s mattes and tangles would finally have a purpose, and a very noble one at that!

The Hair Mats program collects donated hair clippings to create mats of hair that are used to clean up oil spills.

One square foot of hair mat (a half inch thick) can collect one quart of oil in one minute! Any type of hair can be used in the creation of these mats. Ideally shampooed hair is best. It can be your hair or your dog’s hair.

Hair stylist Phil McCrory developed this unique way of cleaning up oil spills to save the lives of marine animals. He then teamed up with Matter of Trust, an ecological public charity to form the Hair Mats Program.

"You shampoo your hair because it gets greasy," says McCrory.  "Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil. Hair is ad sorbant (as in "clings to" unlike ab sorbant which is to "soak up.") There are over 370,000 hair salons in the US and each collects about 1 pound of hair a day. Right now, most of that goes into the waste stream, but it should all be made into hairmats."

To participate click here

If you’re not ready to chop off your dog’s hair just yet, you can always try a detangling spray that will help you work out the mattes and tangle. Just spray it directly on to the matte and work out with a comb.