# 😥 I was doing so well in battling the mats....



## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Then I had to help my folks move to Virginia... Fezzik's hair was unattended for 6 days. My oldest was so upset. He tried so hard to groom the beast but he couldn't keep up.

I am going to have to shave him. Huge! Huge mats!!! Hopefully I will have time before class tomorrow to do it.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Awww, well, hair grows!


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## MMoore (Aug 20, 2020)

When Finley was spayed, she ripped her inside stitches and needed to go back to the vet to have them re-done, so she had to wear her cone longer. On top of that, her incision area made me really nervous, so I didn't comb her - I didn't want to make her more miserable, and I was afraid she'd wriggle too much and mess up the stitches again. Once she was better, I realized she had mats everywhere. I did my best to tackle them, but there were just too many big ones close to her skin, and she needed to be shaved. 

When they handed her to me at the groomer's, I was one hundred percent sure they were giving me the wrong dog! This was last week, and the fur is starting to grow back. It'll be a while before she looks like herself again, but at least we're seeing progress! 

My point is, I feel your pain! Thanks for sharing though - makes me feel a little better! Good luck!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

what is worse.. I have started hacking away. He is going to go to class tomorrow very lopsized. I know I am not going to have enough time before...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

That's OK, Fezzik and Ducky'sire was sent to the groomer with a few mats on his tummy, but the message somehow got garbled. His owner had said it was OK to shave is BELLY if NECESSARY. Somehow, that got translated into "shave the dog". Wh really was NOT matted OTHER than his belly! Poor He.be... His new nick name has become Archi(bald).  And he was SUPPOSED to be going into the show ring a couple of weeks later!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

It grows fast... and isn't too bad is you're already used to a puppy cut. Perry's surgery areas were shaved and within about 2 weeks were close to a very short ( smallest guide length) puppy cut and could be blended together so you hardly noticed.

I can imagine it's traumatic when you don't want it or aren't expecting it though.


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## MMoore (Aug 20, 2020)

At least dogs aren't cursed with the vanity humans are. The tears I've cried over the years on my own bad haircuts!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

When Sundance was first cut short it was because I forgot to take the comb when we went camping as he was beginning to blow coat. I did take a brush, but he got s’more stuck on him and in just a couple of days it grew into an enormous mat. But I did try to working it out a little when we got home, and got the sticky out, so I thought they’d be able to cut it out, since he wasn’t matted all over. He did have a few other small ones from the trip but they were the small, loose kind that come right out. He was cut into quite a dramatic short haircut. It grew really fast though! Sometime I think it would have been easier to cut him short a month or two earlier when I first started to notice he was blowing coat, to avoid the emotional trauma  My own, not his, haha.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

We've been so busy with my Mother, that we got behind on Red too. Pam cut him all the way down, and he thinks it's the greatest thing in the World. He has little puppy energy now, and is as playful.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

MMoore said:


> At least dogs aren't cursed with the vanity humans are. The tears I've cried over the years on my own bad haircuts!


This is exactly why I cut my own hair! I left the salon way too often wanting to put a bag over my head!

As far as dogs, I really don’t think they care, however I think the problem is WE care! I did a couple bull’s eye butt jobs on Mia when I first started grooming her…and I made sure that we were in the very back for neighborhood pack walks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tom King said:


> We've been so busy with my Mother, that we got behind on Red too. Pam cut him all the way down, and he thinks it's the greatest thing in the World. He has little puppy energy now, and is as playful.


It's amazing how many coats Pam can USUALLY keep up with!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> It's amazing how many coats Pam can USUALLY keep up with!


That is definitely amazing to me!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

well... we are halfway there. I scissor-cut him down past the mats. Tomorrow I will wash and blow him out before trying to smooth out the unevenness. It isn't that bad. At least he doesn't cry anymore.


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## potspot (Aug 27, 2021)

When shaving them I put some large thick plastic so I would just fold it and throw! no need for me to vacuum the floor!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

potspot said:


> When shaving them I put some large thick plastic so I would just fold it and throw! no need for me to vacuum the floor!


That might might save vacuuming, but it's a lot of plastic to go into a landfill! Also make sure not to have the dog standing on slippery plastic. The dog should stand on a non-slippery surface!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I wish I could figure out how to get a smooth coat. And LEGS! I can never do legs. Well, he is done. no mats. very uneven where the mats were. I think I will make a grooming appt in a few weeks. By then, he will have grown out enough so that the groomer can smooth everything.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

He looks cute! I've seen MUCH worse jobs done by groomers! 💗

And I agree... Legs are HARD!!!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Pam always does the legs with scissors. But even after shortening the leg hair with scissors, they will still need to be brushed out before final trimming.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

nice things about Havs are that it will grow back and they are cute even if they are scruffy... 😆


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Our first Havanese Sparky was shaved several times due to matting. Within a few weeks he would have that puppy look again.


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

I think he looks adorable!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

morriscsps said:


> well... we are halfway there. I scissor-cut him down past the mats. Tomorrow I will wash and blow him out before trying to smooth out the unevenness. It isn't that bad. At least he doesn't cry anymore.


Was he crying while being groomed? Poor thing. Every once in a while, when I'm combing Shama, I am not careful, and she cries out. I feel so terrible!

I'm sorry you have to have Fezzik shaved. Hopefully it will be easier to keep up with now.

EDIT: I skimmed this thread and missed the photo. He looks GREAT! I was imagining those shaved dogs who have a quarter inch of hair on top of pink skin showing through!

💚💛🧡💜💙


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

morriscsps said:


> I wish I could figure out how to get a smooth coat. And LEGS! I can never do legs. Well, he is done. no mats. very uneven where the mats were. I think I will make a grooming appt in a few weeks. By then, he will have grown out enough so that the groomer can smooth everything.
> View attachment 175584


I think you’ve done a great job😊 Fezzik looks super cute😍


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

krandall said:


> That might might save vacuuming, but it's a lot of plastic to go into a landfill! Also make sure not to have the dog standing on slippery plastic. The dog should stand on a non-slippery surface!


I have one sheet for grooming - so even though the hair still sticks in it after it's been washed, that's all it's for so I don't really care  I put it under his grooming table (the round ones that you can turn) on the table. When we're done I scoop/ brush (his brush works well for picking up most of the hair off of the sheet) then shake it out outside, and fold it up (hair side in) until the next time I use it or until I throw it in the washer.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

morriscsps said:


> I wish I could figure out how to get a smooth coat. And LEGS! I can never do legs. Well, he is done. no mats. very uneven where the mats were. I think I will make a grooming appt in a few weeks. By then, he will have grown out enough so that the groomer can smooth everything.
> View attachment 175584


When I groom Perry myself (mostly when we're outside the US) - I take him to the groomer twice a year to even everything out


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> I have one sheet for grooming - so even though the hair still sticks in it after it's been washed, that's all it's for so I don't really care  I put it under his grooming table (the round ones that you can turn) on the table. When we're done I scoop/ brush (his brush works well for picking up most of the hair off of the sheet) then shake it out outside, and fold it up (hair side in) until the next time I use it or until I throw it in the washer.


And the birds probably love you to pieces!!! LOL! One time I found a BEAUTIFUL nest blown down in the fall made all of horse tail hair from our red roan appaloosa's tail! It was so lovely we kept it!!!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

krandall said:


> And the birds probably love you to pieces!!! LOL! One time I found a BEAUTIFUL nest blown down in the fall made all of horse tail hair from our red roan appaloosa's tail! It was so lovely we kept it!!!


It also has the added advantage of repelling snakes (or so I've read) - so I always put it around the edge of the yard in Kampala.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> It also has the added advantage of repelling snakes (or so I've read) - so I always put it around the edge of the yard in Kampala.


Huh! I wonder why!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Good grief! I found a huge mat in his EAR. Poor little guy. I wonder if I should remove the hair in his ears. I have never done it with any of my other dogs but I have never found a mat inside their ears.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

morriscsps said:


> Good grief! I found a huge mat in his EAR. Poor little guy. I wonder if I should remove the hair in his ears. I have never done it with any of my other dogs but I have never found a mat inside their ears.


Let Diane help you decide...


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

krandall said:


> And the birds probably love you to pieces!!! LOL! One time I found a BEAUTIFUL nest blown down in the fall made all of horse tail hair from our red roan appaloosa's tail! It was so lovely we kept it!!!


We put Shama's hair out in a ladybug shaped bird feeder (for a block of suet, I think), and it's really cute to watch the little birds pecking at it to pull out her hair for their nests.

💚💛🧡💜💙


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

morriscsps said:


> Good grief! I found a huge mat in his EAR. Poor little guy. I wonder if I should remove the hair in his ears. I have never done it with any of my other dogs but I have never found a mat inside their ears.


This happened to me a a while ago. I thought that what I was feeling was ear cartilage but then realized it was a mat! I was horrified (and it was difficult to figure out what was ear and what was mat!)


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Melissa Brill said:


> This happened to me a a while ago. I thought that what I was feeling was ear cartilage but then realized it was a mat! I was horrified (and it was difficult to figure out what was ear and what was mat!)


 I know!! I was so worried that I would knick the squirmy little beast as I snipped it out.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Fezzik survived his first trip to the groomer. He was a complete teenaged boy brat but the groomer was very good with him. Not all of my hacking is smoothed out but he looks so much better. 😁


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh, he looks adorable!!! 💗


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