What is Matting?“
Matting” refers to densely tangled clumps of fur in a pet’s coat. If a coat is not properly and/or frequently brushed, loose and live hair become embedded in large masses. Sometimes mats can be combed out, but if left too long, it is impossible without seriously harming the animal.
Matts can form in both the outer coat as well as the deeper undercoat. Sometimes sever mats form in the undercoat and are unnoticeable because of a heavy outer coat. If left completely unattended, a pet’s fur can become entirely matted to such an extent that the only recourse is to shave the entire coat. Matting is especially prevalent in long-hair dogs during seasonal shedding if the excessive hairs are not removed. Regular and frequent grooming is absolutely necessary to not only prevent matts, but to keep your pet’s coat and skin healthy. Severe matting can be extremely painful to your dog during brushing. Brushing only causes live hairs to be pulled out of the skin with excruciating pain. Even mild matting can cause your pet a great deal of pain. Matting can cut off blood supply to extremities and deny regular air circulation. Skin denied fresh air and stimulation from brushing becomes unhealthy. It can turn dark pink or red, and causing open sores which emit foul odors. Matts are known to contain stool of your pet and even fly larvae that further irritate the skin. Remember, sometimes these dangers may be completely hidden from view and may require a veterinarian visit. After shaving, a pet may develop an itchy skin response. Owners should watch to ensure that constant scratching does not cause the skin to become irritated. |
Dogs that get haircuts are hypoallergenic dogs.
|
Dogs that do NOT get shaved have Undercoats.
Such as the following:
Corgi
Golden Retriever Jack Russell Terrier Pekingese Australian Shepherd Blue Heeler Border Collies Cattle Dogs Chihuahua |
These dogs get undercoat blown out |
German Shepherds
Great Pyrenees Labrador Retriever Papillon Pomeranians Saint Bernard's Sheba Inu Sheltie Wired hair Terrier |
Sanitary Cuts can be done if needed
Undercoat Information
A dog’s undercoat is exactly as it sounds, it’s a second coat beneath the outer coat that keeps your dog warm in winter and cool in summer. Breeds that are native to colder areas generally tend to have undercoats and these include the German Shepherd, Pomeranian, Chow, Husky, Malamute and Samoyed.
Double coated breeds have long and course outer coats that protects the undercoat that is usually fluffy and soft. While dogs shed their outer coat all year round, the undercoat is usually shed seasonally.
Breeds with an undercoat require a lot of maintenance all year round, but need a full de-shed and blow out at each change of the season. You need to brush the undercoat all year round to prevent any matting and during shedding time to remove all of the loose fur. This can be done by setting your pet on a grooming schedule for a de-shed every 4-6 weeks.
Shaving a double coated dog is rarely done for the below reasons:
The purpose of the undercoat is to keep them cooler in summer and warm in winter. The top coat with the tougher guard hairs protect your dog from the sun’s rays and insect bites.
Brushing alone does not get all the undercoat. Brushing in conjunction with regular bathing promotes shedding and then drying with a high velocity drier to push out a lot of the undercoat.
The best thing to reduce/prevent shedding is to have regular grooming every 4-6 weeks.
Double coated breeds have long and course outer coats that protects the undercoat that is usually fluffy and soft. While dogs shed their outer coat all year round, the undercoat is usually shed seasonally.
Breeds with an undercoat require a lot of maintenance all year round, but need a full de-shed and blow out at each change of the season. You need to brush the undercoat all year round to prevent any matting and during shedding time to remove all of the loose fur. This can be done by setting your pet on a grooming schedule for a de-shed every 4-6 weeks.
Shaving a double coated dog is rarely done for the below reasons:
The purpose of the undercoat is to keep them cooler in summer and warm in winter. The top coat with the tougher guard hairs protect your dog from the sun’s rays and insect bites.
- In summer, your dog will shed the soft undercoat, just leaving behind the guard hairs. Without the undercoat, the air cannot circulate beneath the outer hair and cannot keep the skin cool.
- Single coated breeds have hair that just keeps growing, double coated breeds only grow their fur to a certain length. If you shave a single coated breed, the coat will grow back without any change. Shaving a double-coated breed can really ruin the coat.
- If you do shave your double coated dog, the new hair will grow back but the undercoat will grow first. The guard hairs are slower to grow. The texture of the new coat coming through tends to be sticky and all manner of grass seeds, twigs and plants will stick to the dog’s coat. The texture of the soft undercoat will absorb the sun’s rays, making your dog hotter in summer.
- Shaving a double coated dog does not reduce shedding
Brushing alone does not get all the undercoat. Brushing in conjunction with regular bathing promotes shedding and then drying with a high velocity drier to push out a lot of the undercoat.
The best thing to reduce/prevent shedding is to have regular grooming every 4-6 weeks.