# Do I have any other choice? (matting)



## Versace (Jan 21, 2008)

Hello! I'm new here. I've lurked for awhile and gained a lot of knowledge from everyone, but haven't had a reason to post...until now! Sache is almost a year old and all of a sudden it is mat city  He is so patient with me and lets me work them out, but they are coming faster and harder and every time I turn around there are twice what I just worked out. I *really* *really* don't want to shave him down, but are there any other options?! I was hoping my groomer could just cut down some of his length so I had less to work with trying to get to the mats, but all she was willing to do was shave him to the skin. :Cry:

Thanks for any advice!

Jenni & Sache


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

My Beamer had crazy matts at 1 year old, so we shaved him down to 1inch.. I think it looks great! Will try to grow him out again once I'm certain his blowing coat stage is OVER!

Ryan


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Jenni, where do you live? 

It sounds like Sache is blowing his coat. Yes, shaving is probably the only thing a groomer really can do. You, however, can remove the mats. It just depends on how much time you're willing to spend and how much patience you have.


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## Versace (Jan 21, 2008)

We're in the Heartland 

Yes, I would gladly do it, have been trying to do it, but I just can't get a handle on it. His coat is probably 3.5" long (possibly closer to 4") right now and there is just so dang much of it to sift thru (which is why I thought maybe they could trim him down for me and give me a little less to work with). Sache will sit for about 2 hours letting me work through it, but I'm not sure between work and kids that I have 2 hours to spend each day if that doesn't even keep me ahead of the game, lol! If I could get them out, I'd give in to a short puppy coat at this point, for his sake, but the thought of them shaving him down to the skin make me want to hurl. Any suggestions? My husband says to buy trimmers and just do it myself, lol! I guess he forgot what the kids looked like when he had his last brilliant idea ound:


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

I would beware of the idea of "shaving to the skin". They can trim him to 1/2 or 1", but it is not easy to do with alot of mats, so the groomer may tell you it can't be done. Usually you can get away with really close trim in the "armpits" where the matting is the worst, and a little length elsewhere. You will see alot of suggestions in other threads about conditioners, combs, and the reactions of some havs to shaving too close. They can get razor burn form the shaving.


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## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

Have a groomer do it if you are going to trim him down... you don't want to accidently hurt him or any of that plus its a hard process and easier to have a pro do it. I did Carmen's hair and it took 3 hours, but I scissored. =(


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

If you have a lot of time and patience you can do it. My girls' breeder taught me (and many others) her method of mat removal. It is very time consuming but it works, using one tine of greyhound comb. The trick would be to do a bit at a time and give the dog breaks. Maybe do a quarter of the dog each night. 
That being said, I didn't know the technique when my girls blew coat so we struggled. I ended up having them both cut very short and started all over again to grow their coats out. It was worth it to me not to have to torture them or myself.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

I asked where you live in case you happened to be close, but alas, that isn't really an option.

I think Susan makes a really good point. With all you have going on, for the sanity of both of you, you probably should consider the shaving and starting over. It isn't easy when they are blowing coat and the mats have already set. You could probably do a lot better things with your time. However, if you are determined, it definitely can be done.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Milo and I went through a terrible coat blowing stage but I was determined not to have him cut down or shaved. I love his coat. The matting was so overwhelming and the groomer thought I wasn't keeping on top of it, but we did get through it. At the very end, she "thinned out" his coat without telling me ahead of time. I hated it, and do to this day because the glorious shiny top hair hasn't grown back yet, but I can still watch him RLH and his coat flows.

It's a matter of personal preference and I can't say what I would do with Bailey. Thank goodness it's too early to worry about it yet. Do whatever you think is best for you and your Sache.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Jenni~ I just "threw in the towel" this past Tuesday and had Tori cut down into a 1" puppy cut. Even though she doesn't look much like a Hav now, she is so much more comfortable and happy. She's also so darned cute everyone who sees her goes "gaga" over her ound:

I did it because I felt like I had to put an end to the agony she and I were experiencing w/daily 2 hr. grooming sessions. Neither one of us were having any fun and I found myself hating her coat cause it was causing so much distress to both of us  Honestly, I think it was a great decision for us. We are still grooming daily but, now it takes about 5 min! I do plan to keep her short until she's through blowing coat, then I'll let it grow back. It is hair and it _will_ grow back. In the meantime, we'll be spending all of our "extra" time doing fun things like going for walks and playing w/doggy friends! eace:


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Awww! That is such a change from how I just saw her, Leslie. She looks so cute both ways that it doesn't really matter though! I love the cocked head. Cute!


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

I can't see a picture of your pup so I don't know it's coloring but if it has color on the tips and not the roots, it's likely that you'll lose that color if you cut it. One thought would be to use thinning shears under the top coat so that you thin the coat but don't completely "ruin" the look. If you look for a thread entitled "Sierra tutorial" you should be able to find some wonderful longer look grooming instructions for your groomer.


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## Versace (Jan 21, 2008)

Leslie, That is kind of what I'm hoping to do, just a short puppy cut without making him practically bald. (My neighbor has an older shih-tzu that my groomer recently said was too matted and needed to be shaved--she looks *horrid* and it's been 4 weeks now!) I figure maybe if I can get the mats out, I can get him in quickly for the cut and she won't feel the need to butcher him. As it is now, though, I keep thinking I've gotten them and under the next layer of hair there are a million more. 

He has faded to mostly gold and cream, but still has some greying black on his ears, so I'm not too worried about the color loss now. I do miss his beautiful bitty puppy coloring *sniff sniff* I'll have to work on getting a picture posted.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas!


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Jenni~ Is there another groomer who'd be willing to work w/you?


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

Tori looks so cute in the "new do". I am getting Rom trimmed next month-his fur is just too hard to keep up with-tiny matts. I tried something new for me this last weekend-I floated Miss Paige's coat-and it really seemed to help with the matts-there are still a few on the feet & arm pits that I have had to work with but for the most part the matts came out really easy after the session-I combed her all the way through before even starting the blow dry and did not dry complelety-let it stay a little damp just so she would be cool.

Pat


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Pat, what is "floating" the coat?


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

Jenni,
My solution for Lulu when she was blowing was expensive but, for me, worth it. I tried and tried to comb the "walking mat" out but Lulu and I argued for hours. I was able to find a groomer that if I brought her in every Sat early AM she would bathe and comb her out. She has amazing patience and now Lulu just lays there and lets her comb away. At a year old I think we are pretty much thru the blowing but not quite so I m still taking her in. 
Lulu is SO SMALL that I just can't bring myself to cut her way down. I'm afraid she would look like a rat, lol. I love her longish coat. Having said that, I also LOVE the puppy cuts so many have been getting. I think I may do that for Vinny giving him a cooler summer.
Good luck whatever you do, and WELCOME!
Carole


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

You draw a sink or tub of water (warm not hot) add lots of conditioner so it's half way up the side of the dog and put the washed dog in it-then you just keep pouring the water over the dog-I put Paige in my kitchen sink with the mixture of conditioner & water then took a large bowl with more water/conditioner and poured it over her then took a large mug and just kept pouring the water over her-and of course she was standing in water so the feet & belly area got really soaked. I worked for about 10 mins doing the pouring then drained the water and ran clear water over the coat a couple of times. 

Pat


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

Tori looks adorable. Gryff looked awful! But after three weeks, it's not so bad anymore. Check out the threads showing Gryff's grow back progression. He was shaved down to nothing! The groomer couldn't do anything else, he was so badly matted.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Floating is a fabulous way to saturate the coat and condition every hair (vs. conditioning the top layer and hoping it seeps through the coat). I don't have much luck with dematting during floating, _but_ it is a heck of a lot easier than _bathing_ with mats!

If you have a whole lot of mats, floating is still going to take a very long time to get the coat unmatted. If they are down to the skin, it may be near impossible to do while floating still.

Jenni, another thought may be to call another Havanese person near you, especially if you can find someone who shows their dogs. They may be able to give you a quick assessment of Sache's coat and show you how to remove the mats in an easier way or aid you in your decision to shave him to make it easier.

Good luck!


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

I'll add that the blowing coat phase doesn't last forever! Just when I was ready to give up and get Dusty a haircut, she suddenly stopped matting. 
you might want to check with other groomers to see if someone can just give her a trim. Also, brush her out thoroughly the night before so she is mat-free, then take her in to the groomer in the morning so they won't feel the need to shave her. That's if you can get her free of mats to begin with of course! Good luck-you'll get through it, and if she does need a shave in the end, it will grow back, and by then the blowing coat phase should be over.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Jenni, I haven't got to the 'blowing coat' stage yet, so I'm not much help -- and I am so dreading it. I also 'float his coat' in a large plastic container about the size of a laundry basket that I place in my bathtub. I use lots of conditioner and then can sit him out and use a hand held sprayer to rinse. My one suggestion is to take Sache for a long walk before the brushing. After I walk Cicero and get him really tired he will then go to sleep while I trim his pads with small clippers and cut his nails and brush him. He is great now, but he may be 'naked' when he starts to mat really bad. I have used a tiny embroidery hook on the rare small mats to work them loose. Good luck and I'm sure Sache will look great no matter which way you choose to go.


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## Tooetpulik (May 15, 2008)

Jenni I feel your pain. I finally also threw in the towel. I had hoped to start showing her once I got back to work but it had already become a impossible mission to get her de-matted. So.....


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Oh, isn't this blowing coat thing the WORST!?? I'm losing my mind over it. I was doing pretty good with Oliver keeping up with it, but I've been so busy, I missed two days and now he is a matted MESS. I bought a dematting comb at Petco yesterday. Trying it tonight. Maybe it will help. If not, I may have a black and white shaved puppy soon.


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

Hillary:

And don't you just love the way the coat feels once you have floated it-I brushed Paige the night before I gave her the bath and the float-I swear this is the only way I am going to do her from now on-used a lot of conditioner but it was so worth it the way the coat felt. And I swear she has not matted as bad as before the new way.

Now Rommy is another story-I swear his coat matted while I was working with him-LOL

Pat


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## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

I did the shave down. lol. After sitting for hours working out matts and having to do it all over again the next night I got fed up, grabbed a pair of clippers from petsmart and went at it one night. 3 hours later he had a 1 inch coat all around and I haven't looked back! He's so much happier and he plays better. 

I suppose in time I'll want his long coat back but he's still only a lil over a year old so if it gets to 2 inches it starts to mat. When it stops I'll think on it. Hopefully before christmas.


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## Tooetpulik (May 15, 2008)

I purchased a rack/comb that did a very good job at getting through the mats and I will take a picture of it and post it tonight.


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## Tooetpulik (May 15, 2008)

That should have said RAKE (not rack)


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## Tooetpulik (May 15, 2008)

It does grow back. Aretha had a great show career and then after her first litter of puppies I didnt keep after her ( oh, poor momma dog dont want to aggravate her with grooming....) Well, by the time the pups were in their new homes she was a disaster. I tried to cord her. Remember I have had pulik for nearly 30 years. And I KNOW a corded coat is actually EASIER to care for then the grooming intensive brushing of a specials havanese coat. Gave up on that after 2 months and shaved her. She was back in specials coat in about 18 months. But she had been shave almost to the skin. This time the groomer left me something to work with.
Abbe


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

CapotesMom said:


> I did the shave down. lol. After sitting for hours working out matts and having to do it all over again the next night I got fed up, grabbed a pair of clippers from petsmart and went at it one night. 3 hours later he had a 1 inch coat all around and I haven't looked back! *He's so much happier and he plays better. *
> 
> I suppose in time I'll want his long coat back but he's still only a lil over a year old so if it gets to 2 inches it starts to mat. When it stops I'll think on it. Hopefully before christmas.


Mindy~ I've noticed this w/Tori, too. She seems to want to play so much more and acts like she's got more energy.


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