Anatomy of a Mat

I'm going to start this off by saying matting is NOT normal. I've had WAY to many people this past while telling me that their pelted dog has a normal coat. Yes, some coat types are more prone to matting, this is why they should be groomed or brushed regularly, but it is not normal for a dog to have matting so tight that the skin is bruised when it is removed.

I'm going to go over some information about matting, and even if just one person starts brushing their dog because of it, then I will be happy.

Matting does many things to a dog. It cuts off the airflow in the coat and allows moisture to become trapped. This leads to moist dermatitis usually, (often with the groomer being blamed causing clipper rash) and sores. Matting can also cut off the circulation to the skin, and the skin becomes weak and damaged. When the matting is removed, blood rushes back in, and haematomas can form. If this happens in the ears, surgery is required.

Matting is excellent at hiding things that groomers wrongly get the blame for such as injuries, sore skin, fleas and other parasites.

Brushing out mats is SORE. I'm going to be blunt here. Imagine your pubic hair got so overgrown that it caused your legs to become stuck together with the hair. Would you like me to stand for an hour and brush that out? Or would it be better to quickly remove it with a clipper. Afterwards your skin is red and sore because the hair was pulling so hard on your skin and there was never a chance for the skin to dry out. This is what it is like for dogs. Except all over their body usually, although I did have one whose legs were matted together. Also, imagine if you didn't brush your hair for 9 months, then someone starts pulling a brush through it. I think people just forget that dogs are a living thing. No wonder so many are scared of the groomer when everytime they go, it's just a pain session.

I've been open for around 9 weeks, and I'm sick to the teeth of shaving down pelted puppies and traumatising them because the breeder said don't get the hair cut (Note, you can still brush it) or dogs that only get groomed once a year.

From now on, I won't be accepting dogs that are not on schedules anymore. I will however take it on a case by case basis, for example, Harper the Cockapoo was a rescue and had never been groomed before. I'm hardly going to turn that away. But if its something like a poodle and you want it in a show trim, and send me a dog that hasn't seen a brush for six month. No thank you. I said it before and I'm saying it again. If people won't put in the work at home, why should I put the work in at the salon.

Being newly opened, its hard to turn away business, however I'm losing more with having to send home half done dogs that are reacting as such because they are in pain, than I would by not taking them in the first place, and booking in people who care enough to look after their dogs coat.

I was accused of being lazy the other week for shaving a matted dog. It took almost four hours to do, when it should have been a 2.5 hour groom tops. Very lazy indeed. I would say that not maintaining a dogs coat correctly and expecting someone else to to it is lazy. I was also told by someone else that it was my responsibility to make sure the dog was brushed between grooms (??) (Also this was their first time with me)

Clients like these are not worth it in my eyes. The only person that's really suffering in these instances is the dog, so please, for the love of god, brush your dog (and not with a toothbrush)