Zach and a matted coat

[karen]

Julie, such a lovely picture of you and Prem on your website.....Zach's mum. Question is, how on earth do you manage to keep her fur looking so good. I am currently waiting for Zach to come back from the groomers...he is so matted and we are brushing him every day just now!!! She is going to clip him very short, so not sure what he will look like!! Maybe it is his adult coat coming in?? Raffi's coat has always been quite easy to cope with, but we are a little worried about poor old Zach! I'm sure he will come back looking like a little white rat...... he is such a cute boy with a really lovely character!! Very laid back and as far from the personality of his half sister Raffi as you could possibly be!!! Any tips gratefully received, please!!!

[Clare]

Hi karen, I have the same problem with Pebbles, she has just been to the groomers and has come back quite short her coat is so lovely when it is longer but I have real trouble keeping it nice and free from matts. I am determined to try to manage it better this time because I think she is being washed too much. I seem to need to take her every 6/7 weeks. She always comes back looking like a different dog becaue her coat is getting lighter all the time. I will try to post a picture tomorrow of a before and after.

[Clare]

Me again!

I just looked at your picture of raffi on the other thread. What is Zach's coat like compared to that? If Pebbles was cut short I don't think her coat would be so curly it would be much flatter as it gets longer her coat gets a loose spirally sort of curl but it is really fine.

[karen]

Claire,
Raffi has a very curly woolly coat and it falls into lovely spirals...we really don't have much trouble with it all and it is fine when it gets longer, although she is like a walking piece of velcro...everything sticks to her curls and ends up all over the place!! Zach sounds like he has a coat more like Pebbles, although maybe with a little more curl, looking at your piccies. His hair is very fine and matts easily at the moment....in fact I have just picked him up from the groomers (another £45) and he now looks like a very strange but lovely smelling chap!!! She had to clip him very short, I mean VERY short so he is kind of poodle like, but not!!! He is still cute and I love him to bits, but I don't think my husband will feel too comfortable walking with this odd creature!!!!! I can't post a recent piccie as my camera link to the computer is not working, but trust me, he looks like a different dog!! The groomer said that his coat was in a dreadful condition but we were spending a lot of time brushing him daily, and it hardly made a difference...so we have been recommended to bring him to her every 6 weeks to see if we can get his coat under control. I felt soooo embarrassed about it, but try as we might, the matts just seemed to get worse. So, we now have a skinny, hairfree doodle, who is not remotely bothered by the whole thing!!!!

[Elizabeth Axe]

Just a thought Karen, but I've been thinking about this. We use conditioner to keep our hair glossy, smooth and tangle free... have you thought about a really good conditioner for Zach? I'm sure it would work. I'm also sure that I read about a spray on/leave on conditioner for dogs somewhere, could be what's needed.
Bless him. it's not nice for them to get so cottered up like that (matted).

[karen]

Elizabeth, we have tried all ways...we have a cupboard full of conditioners, leave in ones, spray on ones, every imaginable tangle free potion out there!!! Nothing was working....having two daughters, we always have lots of human hair things too and we have tried those as well!! We would brush one side of him and between doing that and brushing the other side, he would be matted again!! It was impossible to manage. The poor chap is skinny looking this morning and very comfortable!!! But he does look funny....maybe it will get better as he gets older????

[Sarah Rogers (Doodledoos)]

Ahhh! Zach will feel much better for a good old trim. Yes, their coats can get quite matted - especially in this terrible weather. We had a similar problem with Pommy especially as she was just coming up to her first full grooming session. We now keep her tangle free with visits to the groomers every 8 weeks and this keeps her pretty short but without looking like a skinhead!! She has a spiral fleece which is stunning in full coat, but a nightmare to maintain, so we keep her short.
The conditioners are good, particularly the Aussie Miracle one.

[Carolyn Williams]

We keep Scooby really short and we love it. The ASD coat is like velvet when it is short and tell your husband it is a fiesty terrier rather than a poodle! Worked on Martin

C

[Dawn P]

We keep Scruffy's coat really short too, it was great in the snow, she didn't get really wet of snow stuck to her. Mind you I can't believe how quickly it grows back it looks like it needs doing again already, how often does Scooby get done Carolyn?

[Carolyn Williams]

Usually every 6-8 weeks, just depends on how long I can poke up with a messy house

C

[karen]

Thanks ladies....the skinhead is lazing beside me as usual and I can't believe the difference it is making when he comes in from the garden (oh, I am talking about Zach, I meant to say!!!) ...Raffi velcro is a carrier for all things leafy, spikey and dirty...Zach just has dirty paws now!!! A lot easier but I will be glad when the hair grows just a bit!! My daughter says that he feels like velour trousers!!! As for the coat we were buying for him, it got stolen from the local sorting office, so we are waiting for a new one to arrive by the end of the week. Carolyn, I saw your all in one raincoat at a local groomers store near Henley...they have all sizes so you can try them on before you buy, if that's any use to you.

[Carolyn Williams]

Ah Karen that would have been so useful. Firstly I ordered a 20" which was far too big, so I then ordered a 16" which is way too small, so now waiting for my 18" which I am hoping will be just right!

I wonder if you will ever go back to long doodle. I said I would and I get to the same point every time and get it whipped off again. I just love it short. This is Scooby after last cut

[Michelle TB]

Wow he looks great Carolyn - so different from your avatar!!! That's a fab photo, Scooby looks very proud.

[karen]

Scooby looks gorgeous, but believe me, his hair is long compared to skinny ribs here who has had a 'surgical cut' I am sure!!!! Zach's face still has whiskers and poofy ears...although his head is flat!!! Actually he looks like a cockapoo with long legs!!!! My OH has taken to calling him 'spider pig' because he now seems to have such long legs....but you are right, I don't think I could manage his coat too long anymore and am growing to enjoy this daft new look!!

[Sarah Rogers (Doodledoos)]

WHAT a handsome boy!

He looks superb.