How to Prevent Your Furry Friend From Matting!

Like human hair, dogs’ hair can get matted and tangled from time to time if it isn’t brushed or maintained properly, this is called matting! Mats typically occur more frequently in dog breeds with curly, fine, or double-coated hair, or in dogs who like to swim. Mats are preventable, and we’ve got some tips and tricks to make sure they don’t become a pesky issue!

How Do Mats Even Form?

Preventative Vet explains that mats are formed typically in the areas of your dog that receive the most friction. These include places like the neck area where the collar sits, behind the ears, back of the legs, armpits, or other places. Mats are formed when your dog’s fur gets tangled and then begins to wrap around itself. If the mats aren’t noticed and taken care of, they will continue to knot, and gather more fur, which can be difficult to remove. Matting can occur more frequently during the transition of your dog’s coat from winter to summer or the other way around.

How Do I Prevent Matting?

Like we said previously, mats are preventable! Here are some of the best tips to consider to keep your dog looking and feeling its best!

1. Regularly brush your dog: Brushing your dog regularly is the best way to prevent matting. It depends on the breed of your dog and what coat type they have for what “regularly” brushing means, but typically it is recommended to do it daily or once a week. Make sure you don’t solely pay attention to the top of your dog’s coat, this can make matting worse. Instead, ensure you have the right brush for your dog, and try using a detangling leave-in conditioner spray to make brushing easier!
2. Remove your dog’s harness or collar when not in use: Whenever you are not using your dog’s collar or harness, take it off of them! Mats form underneath the fabrics, and the friction from them can cause more tangling.
3. Make regular appointments to get your dog groomed: Even with regular brushing and maintenance at home, dogs need to be groomed professionally! Groomers can brush, trim, and detangle your pooches’ fur and remove any mats. By regularly brushing them, it will ensure that your dog has a better time at the groomer!

Keep your dog looking and feeling its best, and keep those annoying mats out of their fabulous fur by following those helpful tips! Mats aren’t the end of the world for your dog, but they can cause issues in the future if they don’t get taken care of.