dealing with matted fur.

Between-grooms know-how from scruffyboy

A mat starts as a small tangle, collects loose hair and dirt, felts itself solid, and then tightens. Left alone it pulls on the skin every time the dog moves, traps damp underneath, and hides whatever is going on beneath it. So this is worth taking seriously, and it is also the guide with the clearest single warning in it, which comes first.

the one rule: no scissors

Do not cut mats out with scissors. A tight mat pulls the skin up into itself, you cannot see where hair ends and skin begins, and vets stitch up well-meaning owners' dogs every week because of exactly this. However careful you think you are being, the skin under a mat is tented upward into the blades. If a mat cannot be brushed out, it gets clipped out by someone with proper clippers and experience, and that is a groomer or a vet.

catching them early

Run your fingers through the usual suspects weekly: behind the ears, under the collar and harness, armpits, chest, the trousers and tail, and anywhere he gets wet often. Mats live where there is friction or damp. Fingers find them before eyes do; a mat you can still wiggle a finger into is a home job, and a solid felted pad close to the skin is not.

working out a small mat

1. Dry coat only. Water tightens mats like knots in wet rope, which is why a matted dog must never go in the bath first. Detangle, then wash, never the other way around.
2. Hold the base. Grip the hair between mat and skin so your work pulls against your fingers, not his skin. This is the difference between grooming and wrestling.
3. Start from the tip, not the root. Tease the outer edge apart with your fingers or the end tooth of a comb, working inward a little at a time. A detangling spray for dogs helps the hair slide.
4. Little sessions. A few minutes, a treat, stop. A dog who learns that mat duty is endless and sore will hide the mats from you next time by not letting you near them.

when it's past home fixing

Tight to the skin, wide as your palm, felted solid, or anywhere sensitive (armpits, groin, behind the ears): groomer's job, and soon, because mats only tighten. If much of the coat has gone, the kind answer is usually a short clip-off and a fresh start, and a good groomer will say so. It grows back. Do not let anyone, including you, put a badly matted dog through hours of forced dematting for the sake of keeping length; that is misery with a hairstyle at the end.

prevention, which is nine tenths of this

Mats are made of loose hair, friction and damp, so remove those. Brush the prone spots a few times a week (the routine covers it), take the harness off between walks rather than leaving it on all day, and dry him properly whenever he is wet, since a damp coat felts fastest. Long-coated and curly breeds simply need this more often; ask your groomer to show you the right comb and the spots your dog specifically mats in. They know his coat better than anyone.

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scruffyboy is building the between-grooms kit that keeps coats clean, dry and brushable, which is most of mat prevention. Join the list for first dibs, or read the other guides.