All dog parents that have long hair-breed dogs have seen matting in their dog’s fur. Matting occurs when the dog’s hair is not combed regularly and it starts to form knots. 

(PC: Preventive Vet)

Mats can be a pain in the ass really. And they can occur frequently in various dog breeds with double coats, curly, or fine hair. In some extreme cases, the dog's coat can become what is called by groomers "pelted". Pelted is when matting is very tight to the skin, and it starts to prevent proper airflow.

Matting and pelting can cause health issues as they can prevent proper temperature regulation, cause skin irritation, hide parasites like fleas or other ones, and cause extreme discomfort and pain for the dog.

The formation of mats can occur when the dog’s fur becomes tangled and it wraps around itself, forming tightly wound clumps of the loose dead fur and live fur. If you don’t brush them out, they may continue to trap more fur and become closer and closer to the dog's skin.

Ways to prevent matting

So how can you prevent the dog fur from getting matted? Here’s how-

Regularly comb/brush your dog’s coat

(PC: Animal Wised)

The most important thing to do to prevent matting in your dog's coat is to regularly and thoroughly comb and brush their fur. Depending on the breed and the coat type of the doggo, you can decide how often you should brush your dog. Some breeds that have curly coats, long coats, or fine fur should be brushed more often, they might need to be brushed daily. While other coat types might only need brushing once a week.

For combing, you have to choose the right comb or brush according to the coat of your dog. You can also use a detangling leave-in conditioner to make brushing a little easier. All you have to do is spray the leave-in conditioner on your dog’s damp hair and brush it through. You can buy one from the Petstreet store.

Remove the collar or harness when not in use

This is something that can be done very easily. Just remove the collar or harness when it’s not in use, that will give the coat some time to breathe. And also would prevent the fur from tangling.

Keep the fur cut short

This is a short-cut way to prevent matting. If the fur is trimmed short, the chances of it getting tangled are really less. And it also makes brushing easier. At Petstreet Grooming Salons we provide haircuts and other grooming services for dogs. And many times we hear our clients tell us that their dog’s fur keeps getting tangled and they want it to be trimmed short. It also gives you a chance to try out different hairstyles for your doggo.

Regular grooming for your pooch

(PC: Insider)

Another very effective way to prevent matting in your dog’s coat is to make regular appointments with your grooming salon. Regular bathing and detangling most definitely prevent matting in fur. We would suggest going to a grooming salon every 6-8 weeks if you have a dog with a long or curly coat.

To sum it up-

Matting is a normal issue in dogs with long or curly hair, with the above-mentioned ways you can definitely solve the issue of matting in your dogs' coat. Just choose a way that works best for you, or make use of all ways simultaneously to kiss the problem a big goodbye.