# How to untangle those mats???



## fifi (Jan 26, 2006)

Hello everyone. Fifi has now longer hair, but I am having a lot of problems with that...She is really cute, but the fact that she is a Maltese mixed with Bichon Frisé is getting us in trouble. Imagine the long silky hair, but all curly...







She gets groomed by me everyday , with a comb, and still is full of mats the next day. Any tricks to get ride of those, and other tricks to avoid them? Am I alone with this problem?Thanks for all your input.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> Hello everyone. Fifi has now longer hair, but I am having a lot of problems with that...She is really cute, but the fact that she is a Maltese mixed with Bichon Frisé is getting us in trouble. Imagine the long silky hair, but all curly...
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1. She needs to be brushed, not combed, and you need to be getting down to the skin. I use a pin brush and brush the hair in small sections and layers. I have the dog lay on their side for this. Once I have brushed an area, I run a comb through it to be sure I did not miss anything. Always spritz with a conditioner spray before brushing. 

2. A clean coat mats less. Bathe once a week. 

3. If you have cut out mats or pulled out a lot of hair dematting her, cut down and start over. When you cut out mats or are not super careful removing them, you have hair of 2 different lengths growing which itself creates mats.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

One really easy way to get matts out is before you bathe douse the matt in conditioner (I use white rain or fructos by garnier), then use your brush and fingers to carefully pick the matt out. The wash and re condition.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Brush, brush, brush, brush, brushhhhh! Always use a spray conditioner that repels dust n dirt as you brush. Bathe as often as needed. If it's every 4 days to keep mats away, then bathe every 4.



OR



puppy cuts are cute!


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## pompomsmom (Jan 8, 2006)

> Brush, brush, brush, brush, brushhhhh! Always use a spray conditioner that repels dust n dirt as you brush. Bathe as often as needed. If it's every 4 days to keep mats away, then bathe every 4.
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That is the cutest siggy ever!!!


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## ConnieVa (May 9, 2005)

I hate to say it but sometimes you just have to give up.







My baby has never had a haircut but on Thurs he is getting a puppy cut.

Both my husband brush and comb him everyday. From one day to the next we find mats.







Last night we found 4 new ones right above his tail. He has never had mats there. 

We wouldn't be able to let him out this summer and run and play if he gets mats this bad inside. We want our little boy to have fun and be a "puppy" instead of our show piece. (that is not how everyone feels but for us we put looks in front of being practical.) He will be 1 year old tomorrow!!!









In time when he is more settled I am sure we will grow his hair out again but for now like children we will let him be a little boy and run and play and get dirty and (save our marriage) LOLOLOL Brushing out can get pretty intense!!!!!


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

That's why I finally deided to put Ty in a puppy cut. It just wasn't worth it!!! I wanted him to be able to play and BE A PUPPY!!! Since he isn't shown and his coat is suboptimal for me it was a no brainer. A harder decision I'm sure when thy have a nice coat.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

I gave up on Massimo having a full coat








. I bathed him once a week and groomed him everyday and he STILL matted like crazy. So...I caved and gave him a puppy cut. While I was doing it, I was in tears...and afterward he looked like a different dog... It took me a while to get used to it.. He was still adorable, but he didn't look like "him". After seeing how happy he was with his short cut, I have given him a puppy cut ever since. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it!


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## Mystify79 (Apr 6, 2004)

I'm another puppy cut fan. Tuffy had a long coat once and it was pure torture on us both keeping it looking okay. He has super cottony hair so it just doesn't translate to long coat very well. So I had him cut down and plan to keep him in a puppy cut from now on. In fact he has an appointment with a new groomer tomorrow to get a hair cut. It's amazing how fast their hair grows!


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## fifi (Jan 26, 2006)

Thank you to everyone, and I am thrilled with your responses. I gave up, and Fifi has a puppy cut, but I do not feel as guilty about it after reading your responses. I tried and brushed everyday, but it just wasn't meant to be. She is adorable with her shorter hair, and I can still put bows and barettes in her hair, which I love. 
One thing: when you bathe your dog every week, doesn't their skin get really dry? And their coat? I am asking because I will need to bathe her more often, since her coat is still a little long , and with the spring and the mud outside she turns brown....Thanks again!!


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## luvmymacy (Mar 18, 2005)

There are several good spray on detanglers on the market, but which one is the best? Any suggestions?


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## dolcevita (Aug 3, 2005)

And yet another question--when you say puppy cut, what length are you talking? 1 inch, 2 inches? At about 2 inches, Dolce is STILL hard to brush, but at 1 inch, her pink skin was showing through, and I didn't think she had enough protection from sun and cold.


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## fifi (Jan 26, 2006)

For us, puppy cut is about 1 1\2 inch long to 2 inches. And it is much easier to keep clean. I like to groom and brush her, but more than 30 minutes a day is excessive for me...I do not spend tat much time on my human babies!!


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Shampoo and conditioner are important to a maltese. It needs to be a quality shampoo that doesn't dry the coat out. Conditioner is just as important as it puts back what washing takes out. If you read thru the posts you will see many brands we use, depending of type of coat.
Here are a few:
Pantene Smooth n SLeek (both shampoo and conditioner, yes it's a human product)
Chris Christensen products
Pure Paws
Laser Lites
Most can be found and purchased online.


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