[uniquelovdolce]

i comb dolces hair daily , with maybe one day skip if im way too busy but rarely , well i dont know if its that his newer coat is coming in too cottony but he has matts on his feet, under his pits .. i dont know how to get them out .. he has become very feisty lately n doesnt let me take them out.. ive had to cut some of them cause they seem to be very close to his roots..ughhh .. help!

 

[The A Team]

Well now....welcome to my world!!!! :w00t: Ava went through that stage for several months!! I was pulling my hair out!!!!!

Then I started using Tresemmee' conditioner. (like 1/3 Conditioner to 2/3 water and didn't rinse it all out). I swear I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but her knots ended there. Oh, she still gets them easily, but it's better than it was.

I bet it's the coat changing. Good luck.

 

[poochie2]

When my malt was changing coats she was very matted around her neck, under her arms, her hips, seemed like matts everywhere. Now that she is 18 months she's matt free and I keep her in a short cut all the time. There were NO specific products that helped just taking her to the groomers very often helped quite a bit.

 

[uniquelovdolce]

i will try the tresemme n see cause i like that conditioner, i swear its the coat changing ... its driving me batty..

 

[jmm]

You shouldn't be combing. You need to brush with a pin brush. You can follow through with a comb to ensure you did not miss anything.

 

[uniquelovdolce]

sorry i did mean brushing.i think i need a better brush .

 

[spookiesmom]

So, Spookie is 7 months now, and I have found 3 mats around her neck. She is about 1/2 grown out, but has a groomer appt next week, still haven't decided what to do.

I'm new to the malt coat though. So here comes the dumb questions. Is this puppy fur she has now, and will she loose this, causing more mats? She does shed a little bit each time I brush her, will that increase, along with the possible mats?

I did manage to get the mats out last night, used sewing scissors as a mat splitter. I thought the Tazmanian Devil had taken over my girl. Wasn't pretty!

 

[maltlovereileen]

How old are they typically when their coats start to change?

 

[Ella'sMomma]

I'm having the exact same problem with Ella. She is 7 and a half months now and matting like crazy! She has never had a mat unroll about 2 weeks ago and now she is covered from head to toe it seems. I brush her everyday (on occasion I miss a day here and there). The only thing I can think of is it being a coat change. I've been using ice on ice to help detangle the mats abd it helps some.

 

[almitra]

Pepper went thru this to degree around 8 mos I think...very few issues now, tho. She's 16 1/2 mos.

 

[uniquelovdolce]

i guess it is the coat changing. wow .

 

[Lisa123]

I have to keep Mia's fur short. She mats wayyy too easily.

Ferris' coat is absolutely beautiful. i can go days without brushing him and his coat stays so smooth and soft. So my boy has the long coat and my girl has the short.

 

[Tina]

It does depend on the type of coat your Malt has. Coat changing isn't fun. Janine is doing that right now too. She is 9 months old. Maltese coats change any where from 8 months old to around 15 to 18 months old. It depends on the dog and the lineage they come from. You have to work through the coat at least once per day to make sure the coat doesn't have any matts present.
Finding the right shampoo and conditioner to use on your dogs coat is difficult. What works on one dog might not work on another. Using a mild shampoo diluted is best. Using a "light" conditioner is best. Anything heavy will cause matts.
I like Coat Handler. I use Crown Royale shampoo and conditioner diluted down. I like Tresseme long coat shampoo and conditioner. Treseme Ice works too. I use both the shampoo and the conditioner.
I've also found that leaving anything in the coat can cause matts with the coat changing. I use a conditioner on the coat when brushing out daily, I don't leave anything else in the coat.
As you can see, I am using different products. You have to figure out the coat and go with those products.
A lot of dogs hate grooming. They don't like being pulled on. You have to be the boss. They will try to stick their head between you and your target. Some will try using a little bit of nibbling on your hand. Some will move as far away as they can get from you. Some will get vocal and cry when you are trying to get the matts out, especially under the arms or on the butt. Some will do the "I am ignoring you" routine. Some will get mad and treat you like the enemy. Oh, well, its better to have hurt feelings than a hugh matt.
Janine tried all kinds of things tonight while I was dematting her neck. After about 5 minutes of being a butt head she finally laid down and let me get the hair dematted. She really gave it the ole college try. And of coarse she got lots of liver treats during the process.

 

[uniquelovdolce]

thanks tina i agree. dolce loves to get groomed til we get to the de matting .lol

 

[sweetladejane]

I find that if Sophie sleeps on one of those beds that lools like lambs wool , she gets matted , so I put a satin cover on her bed and it helps.Also if you start the detangling on the end of the hair strand instead of at the body you are not pulling it out.I am a retired cosmetology instructor so it does help me lol