# Coat starting to mat



## JCChaplin (Oct 2, 2007)

Hi,
My Hav, Charlie, is 11 months old. I recently spoke to some other Hav owners who had their dogs in a puppy cut. They said that at about 1 year the coat started to change and mat terribly and they had to shave it. I love Charlie's hair slightly long but I am also noticing big mats appearing. I brush him everyday and use conditioner, but I am wondering if anyone else has any suggestions. Also, my generally sweet Hav turns into a growling snapping monster when I have to brush him. Does anyone else experience this?
Help!
JCChaplin


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## ECudmore (Jun 5, 2007)

Racquet also gets alot of mats. I put him on a table and have trained him to do paws up to get the treat and that is how I begin the brushing session. I use a scissor to demat 
and then brush and comb him. It is tedious when they have a thick full coat and Racquet coat is very wavy/curly. I also give him a treat about every ten minutes to keep him on the table. Hope this helps

Elayne and Racquet


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## nancyf (Nov 6, 2007)

Bella is 9 1/2 months old and she just started matting. I have her hair cut about 1 to 1 1/2 inches all over so she still looks "fluffy" but she's easier to brush. I can brush her in the morning and a matt will be there by the evening. It's all worth it when you realize that her new coat coming in will be silky instead of cotton-like. Is your dog chancing colors, too?

Bella hates to be brushed but she doesn't snap or bite. Maybe you could brush a couple of seconds and then give a small treat and praise. Our trainer told us that behavior changes have to start very small and work up. I keep telling Bella that she'd better get used to this because she'll have to be brushed the rest of her life.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

If you have the time and patience, you can keep them in a long coat during the blowing coat stage. I had to shave Kodi, because he went through BC at the same time he was neutered and he wouldn't let me brush him. Shelby has finally finished matting and I never had to shave her. Her only groomer has been me.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi JC! Coat blowing is a very hard stage. You will need to also comb through the coat (after brushing) to make sure you are getting all the way down to the skin. Otherwise, you can end up with matting at the skin level even though the rest of the coat looks okay.

Once the adult coat has come in (after 2 years), it is not as prone to matting. So, you might consider a puppy cut until then. It is never too late to grow out their coat :biggrin1:


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

The best advice is just to brush frequently and thoroughly. All the way down to the skin, as Jane says. Give Charlie lots of treats and praise to encourage him. This phase is not fun, but at least with Dusty, it only lasted a couple of months before things began to get better.


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## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

How long does blowing coat last?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

EstrellaVila said:


> How long does blowing coat last?


About 2 months around a year and about another 1-2 months at 1.5-2 years, though the second time is not supposed to be as bad as the first.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

You guys, I'm SOOO scared of it. Pablo's 8 months now and slooowly is starting to matt


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Get out that wide tooth comb Maryam and lots of treats for dear Pablo. And every day is a must. And sometimes twice in the really bad spots like under the arms and behind the ears or wherever the bad ones seem to appear most.


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## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

Maryam I am scared too!! We need a blowing coat support group.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Lisa, thanks, reminds me to remind DH it's time to buy the darn expensive long tooth buttercomb that will save my sanity and Pablo's coat. I cut his belly/chest area pretty short as well as his arm pits, but one can't see anything unless he's belly up. 

Estrella, LOL, we really do!


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## JCChaplin (Oct 2, 2007)

*Blowing Coat?*

Thanks to everyone, but I had never heard of blowing coat before. I am assuming from your replies that it is due to the changing from the puppy coat to the adult coat. It is temporary, I hope? I will definitely start giving treats and praise along with shorter grooming sessions. I may invest in a grooming table too so that Charlie can be better positioned to reach the difficult areas.
Thanks,
JCChaplin


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Lina said:


> About 2 months around a year and about another 1-2 months at 1.5-2 years, though the second time is not supposed to be as bad as the first.


I have 3 havs and only one is blowing coat the second time.....and oh boy it isn't fun! I get her all brushed out and she has fist sized mats by the end of the day. She's the one who had the first coat change from heck. :frusty:
I had one that flew through coat change, another that had a 'normal' coat change, and this one. She is used to getting a lot of love and laying in my lap a lot. Now all of our time together seems to be putting her in pain getting these mats out. :frusty:


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

> Now all of our time together seems to be putting her in pain getting these mats out.


I went through that with Sedona a couple of years ago. One evening, after a particularly grueling session, I put her on the floor and she threw up. I sat on the floor with her in my arms and apologized to her, with tears rolling down my face. That was when I asked myself why I was putting her and myself through this. She isn't a show dog and she's darned cute in a puppy cut. Since then, she has been in an almost full coat but recently she was put in a puppy cut again.


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

JC - If you have trouble getting your pup to hold still or lie down for grooming...I put a long,wide,thin smear of cream cheese on the table. It takes Lola about 5-8 minutes to work through it, then we put one on the other end of the table for me to groom her other side. She is pretty happy to get brushed, combed, dematted now. She jumps for the table when the brushes come out! When she is a good girl after the cheese is gone and she waits patiently while I finish up, she gets piece of jerky. What more could a dog want???


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Anne, what a creative idea! That reminds me of what they do at the vet's office - when your dog gets a shot, they bring out some baby food smeared on a paper plate for them to lick (as a distraction).


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

JC....I use my ironing board to groom Cicero. Just spread a towel on it and I can adjust it for me to stand or sit down. You might want to try that until you get a grooming table. It's long and plenty of room for brushes, combs, whatever. 

Also.....my ironing broad should get used for something!!!!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

LOL Dale!


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

EstrellaVila said:


> Maryam I am scared too!! We need a blowing coat support group.


I was just thinking today that a support group for blowing coat would be nice...I'm in blowing coat hell and it blows.
:frusty::frusty::frusty:


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

mckennasedona said:


> I went through that with Sedona a couple of years ago. One evening, after a particularly grueling session, I put her on the floor and she threw up. I sat on the floor with her in my arms and apologized to her, with tears rolling down my face. That was when I asked myself why I was putting her and myself through this. She isn't a show dog and she's darned cute in a puppy cut. Since then, she has been in an almost full coat but recently she was put in a puppy cut again.


I feel for you. I've told mine over and over how sorry I am and like you have wound up in tears a couple of times. I really want to show this girl but more than that, I want her to enjoy running into my lap when I sit down. Now she looks at me and checks to see if there's a comb or brush hiding in my hand. 
She shares my pillow with me at night and that's the time she knows she's safe from grooming. Ugh I don't like this!


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## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

Jane said:


> Hi JC! Coat blowing is a very hard stage. You will need to also comb through the coat (after brushing) to make sure you are getting all the way down to the skin. Otherwise, you can end up with matting at the skin level even though the rest of the coat looks okay.
> 
> Once the adult coat has come in (after 2 years), it is not as prone to matting. So, you might consider a puppy cut until then. It is never too late to grow out their coat :biggrin1:


This is what I am doing. Lilly and I were going crazy with the 1 1/2 hour grooming sessions each day she hated them and so did I. So we are in the process of going down to 1 1/2". I am doing it myself this time. Lilly is 17 months so by the time it grows out she will be close to 2 and maybe I will just keep it at about 3-4 inches we'll see.


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