# The Matted Maltese



## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

I've been grooming Lola myself since we got her with every intention on taking her into the groomer for a "real cut". Unfortunately, I suffer from Lupus and was hospitalized for a few weeks leaving Lola's care to my family who did not properly groom her. She was used to being cleaned and brushed out each evening and having a bath every 1-2 weeks. I'm not sure they brushed her much at all. I was told they did brush her a few times, but that she wouldn't let them do it for very long. They did give her one bath which I think made the knots/mats that were forming much worse. 

Now, she doesn't even let me brush her for long at all! It's not like she is afraid of the brushes and combs, but all she wants to do is play with them and chew on them; it’s like a big game for her! Anyways, when I saw how knotted she was in certain areas I called the groomer to try to get her in and mentioned on the phone that she had these knots. The groomer told me that she wouldn't take her if she was knotted and to have the vet groom her instead. I had my reservations about the vet grooming her because their process there is to drop her off early in the morning and to pick her up late in the afternoon-evening. i didn't like this and asked if I could just have a designated time and they said no because they can't say at what point in the day they would get to her. I thought this was odd and it made me a little uncomfortable just leaving her there the entire day!

I then decided to try to cut the knots out myself. She is not a show dog and I've been keeping her in a trimmed puppy cut anyways so I wasn't overly concerned with her coat being a little choppy or uneven for a while. However, this process was a nightmare! We bought the clippers which she absolutely HATES! We tried desensitizing her to them first by letting her touch and sniff them while treating her for it, but the second those clippers turn on and start buzzing she goes crazy and wants nothing to do with them. I had to cut the knots out by hand overtime as she would not let me spend much time doing it. 

I was able to get most of them out, but as her hair is growing out Im finding little knots at the tips that have grown out with the coat. It is simple to just snip them of, but now she hates the scissors and plays with her brushes and combs. I'm at my wit's end and don't know what to do. She gets so jumpy and upset that I'm afraid if I take her to the professional groomer she'll get hurt. What should I do? Does anyone have any suggestions to get her to calm down enough to be properly groomed? Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!


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## mrs10 (Feb 21, 2007)

Take her to an upscale reputable groomer. Pay a little more and get good care. It is very different when a professional handles a dog. If they are good they know how to get the job done with the least amount of trouble. Keep regular apointments so she won't have to associate the groomers with drama or trauma. They get accustomed to it and it makes your time together more enjoyable.

Good luck!


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

QUOTE (mrs10 @ Aug 31 2009, 02:56 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824319


> Take her to an upscale reputable groomer. Pay a little more and get good care. It is very different when a professional handles a dog. If they are good they know how to get the job done with the least amount of trouble. Keep regular apointments so she won't have to associate the groomers with drama or trauma. They get accustomed to it and it makes your time together more enjoyable.
> 
> Good luck![/B]


I agree, I've seen some groomers handle dogs and cats with such finesse and ease. I think that would help a great deal.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

The best time to groom a pup is after they are tuckered out from play. Give tiny treats when
they are good while you work at it and take breaks, which help both you and your maltese
get through it all. Give praise when he/she is behaving. It takes time but they learn.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (Cosy @ Aug 31 2009, 03:37 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824332


> The best time to groom a pup is after they are tuckered out from play. Give tiny treats when
> they are good while you work at it and take breaks, which help both you and your maltese
> get through it all. Give praise when he/she is behaving. It takes time but they learn.[/B]


I agree. To this day (Ollie is 3) the absolute best time to groom him is AFTER our long walk in the early evenings. Especially trimming his paw pads/trimming nails. 

I also have to use a mini grooming table with "noose" with Ollie when I'm cutting his hair so he won't take off.

When Ollie was a pup I used tons of tiny treats when grooming/bathing to teach him it was a pleasant experience. It's still not his favorite thing, but he puts up with it (mostly, lol)

YoYo (our rescue) may have his issues, but he is a grooming god-send. I tell him to get up on the table and he jumps up and just lays there the ENTIRE time. Don't need to restrain him in any way. It's great. But I can't take any credit for that since we've only had him for 3 months!


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## LUCY N PETS (Apr 21, 2009)

Mine all love being groomed now. But before was a nightmare. I started giving a play break before hand such as just a walk, or run in the yard for a little bit and playing chase. They are tired after this and will love the attention afterwards. Mine get up on the table and just lay there and sometimes just go to sleep and let me do my thing. You might also add a little peanut butter on a toy or chewy and it will keep them occupied as well.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I can totally relate. Our 3 fluffs got all matted after staying with my sister-in-law when we went on vacation. I don't think they got brushed at all. I spent a whole week brushing them out--an area at a time per day and no more than 30 minutes per dog per day as I didn't want to scare them from grooming. I normally groom my 3 fluffs myself in between professional grooming which we go to every 3 months. I find the best time is when we're lounging around watching TV and I put each one on my lap. I always give them high value treats after grooming. I also tried to be very very gentle and would keep saying in a soothing voice how good they were while being groomed. 

I'd recommend finding a reputable groomer (or your baby can end up looking like a poodle or worse!). I've also seen mobile groomers but never used them personally. It'd be very convenient to use one if it's available in your area. A good groomer is worth her weight in gold. Good luck.


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

I have a mobile groomer and really like her as it is one on one with your dog and not a bunch of other dogs barking and scaring them. Mine have done much better since this as well and they are much calmer. She comes out once a month and we work together with them and i am learning from her as well on how to groom properly. I always bath and blow dry then she trims them up 


QUOTE (cleooscar @ Aug 31 2009, 09:26 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824408


> I can totally relate. Our 3 fluffs got all matted after staying with my sister-in-law when we went on vacation. I don't think they got brushed at all. I spent a whole week brushing them out--an area at a time per day and no more than 30 minutes per dog per day as I didn't want to scare them from grooming. I normally groom my 3 fluffs myself in between professional grooming which we go to every 3 months. I find the best time is when we're lounging around watching TV and I put each one on my lap. I always give them high value treats after grooming. I also tried to be very very gentle and would keep saying in a soothing voice how good they were while being groomed.
> 
> I'd recommend finding a reputable groomer (or your baby can end up looking like a poodle or worse!). I've also seen mobile groomers but never used them personally. It'd be very convenient to use one if it's available in your area. A good groomer is worth her weight in gold. Good luck.[/B]


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## Dixie's Mama (Mar 19, 2008)

I would highly recommend using a mobile groomer if you can find a good one in your area. That's what we do in FL. This summer in MA we had to switch to a non mobile groomer. I called and talked to her first. She gives me the first appt. in the AM before any other dogs get there. She calls when she is done and I pick Dixie up. It has worked out very well. No matter how great you think your dog is while grooming at home trust me, she's better for the groomer.


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

I feel uncomfortabel too with both of the responses you received. I think I would definitely talk to friends and see about a groomer that they are satisfied with. I would also talk to my vet on the next visit about the response you received from his/her groomer. That would leave anyone feeling uneasy.

I can understand not being able to commit to a specific time, but if the groomer new your dog would be next, he/she could determine an approx time for you to come with your baby. The receptionist could call you, and you could be there at the specified time. 

In this economy, businesses need to really be responsive to customer care.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I would also call around and see if you can find another groomer. A groomer shouldn't make you feel like you're an inconvenience because your dog requires a bit of extra work. I would think that like everything else, groomers are also feeling the economic crunch with people having to cut back on the 'extras' like grooming. I would avoid a vet office grooming if at all possible. I'm fairly certain that all they would do it shave your dog to the skin with little regard to the appearance but it can't hurt to discuss that before hand. 

If you don't have a grooming noose, you're making things harder on yourself. Camfan mentioned the table top she uses and I would recommend that also. Jackie (JMM) also gives some great advice of slabbing peanut butter where they can lick it while you are grooming them. 

Good luck and I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with this!


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

OK... I'm going to tell you about something that was taught to me by the master groomer in the shop where I worked 30 or so years back. Since we dealt mostly with clipping poodles, matting was a chronic problem with their curly coats, and the way she dealt with it helped a lot when a dog was not matted badly enough to do a full shave-down. 

When you feel a mat, pull it as far away from the dogs body as you can. Pull all stray hair away from it. Then take a pair of sharp scissors and very carefully SPLIT the mat, being careful to cut in the direction the hair is growing. Cut as little of the good hair as you can, and cut the mat about 9/10ths of the way through. Then use your fingers and a slicker brush to try to tease the down-sized mat loose. Hold the mat itself firmly as you do this, so you cut down on the hair pulling for the dog's sake. If you still have problems, split the mat again. This method is humane for the dog, and saves as much of the coat length as possible in a matting situation.

I agree that areas that won't show can be shelled out, but if you're talking about a visible area, this option helps.

It's time-consuming, but worth the effort for both yourself and the dog. 

Don't try this unless you're certain that you know what I'm describing here. If needed, I'll try to draw up some pictures to explain it better.


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

Lolasmom... I reread your original post, and had to add..

What the heck kind of a groomer won't help a customer with a mat problem???? :shocked: 

You definitely need a new groomer.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

QUOTE (mrs10 @ Aug 31 2009, 01:56 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824319


> Take her to an upscale reputable groomer. Pay a little more and get good care. It is very different when a professional handles a dog. If they are good they know how to get the job done with the least amount of trouble. Keep regular apointments so she won't have to associate the groomers with drama or trauma. They get accustomed to it and it makes your time together more enjoyable.
> 
> Good luck![/B]


 :goodpost:


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## mrs10 (Feb 21, 2007)

A good groomer will assess her upon dropping her for her appointment. De-matting badly matted dogs in my area it is $1.00 a minute. I have to disagree with the comment about the economy. People will for go many things, but they still take their dogs in for a bath or a groom, especially if it is quality. When you can't go on vacation you REALLY want a clean pet to make you feel better.


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## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

First of all, I wanted to say thank you so much to all of you for all of your advice! I'm new and I wasn't expecting so many responses so quicklly! Lola and I both appreciate your help very much. 

The concensus seems to be finding a reputable groomer. This is something I am working on and definately want to do. Like mamapajamas questioned, I too was a little confused when the first groomer I talked to didn't want to take Lola because of the mats. Her reasoning behind it was that she had had problems in the past when shaving and getting the sheers caught (or something of that nature) and said she recommend the vet so that if anything happened their would be a doctore on-hand to help. This of course scared me and was part of the reason I ended up cutting them out myself. Unfortunately, this was the groomer that had come most recommended for working with small dogs. 

Some have suggested a mobile groomer which would be great especially for Lola who can get shaken up when in an unfamiliar place with a lot of other dogs, but I live in the south suburbs of Chicago and the few that I were able to find didn't seem like the cleanest operations and had a friend who has an absolute nightmare with one of them! 

I have compiled a list of 30+ possible groomers just from looking on the internet and I have narrowed a few that I haven't already checked out down. It seems like we will either have to go downtown or travel somewhat of a distance to find what we are looking for, but it will be worth it if we can find someone both Lola and I are comfortable with! One that I was checking out seems wonderful, but it is one of those full service doggy spa places where they REALLY pamper them with robes, candles, beds, and everything. Does anyone have any opinions about those types of places? I'd be willing to pay a little extra if it means Lola will be able to relax and enjoy being groomed.


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## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

QUOTE (Cosy @ Aug 31 2009, 02:37 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824332


> The best time to groom a pup is after they are tuckered out from play. Give tiny treats when
> they are good while you work at it and take breaks, which help both you and your maltese
> get through it all. Give praise when he/she is behaving. It takes time but they learn.[/B]


This is what I have been trying to do, but one of our many nicknames for Lola is the Energizer Bunny! I'll let her play outside then take a long walk, go through her training, play with a toy and after all of that she's still up and ready to go. Sometimes I'll try to brush her when she finally is asleep laying on me or the couch and she wakes up before you can even touch her! She jumps up excited and ready to play! 

She is resting a little more as she grows, but she is still a baby and full of life. Like you said, it takes time and I'll have to be patient, but it just seems like I'm ready to drop long before she gets tuckered out! 

Thank you for the advice!


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## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Aug 31 2009, 03:37 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824539


> I would also call around and see if you can find another groomer. A groomer shouldn't make you feel like you're an inconvenience because your dog requires a bit of extra work. I would think that like everything else, groomers are also feeling the economic crunch with people having to cut back on the 'extras' like grooming. I would avoid a vet office grooming if at all possible. I'm fairly certain that all they would do it shave your dog to the skin with little regard to the appearance but it can't hurt to discuss that before hand.
> 
> If you don't have a grooming noose, you're making things harder on yourself. Camfan mentioned the table top she uses and I would recommend that also. Jackie (JMM) also gives some great advice of slabbing peanut butter where they can lick it while you are grooming them.
> 
> Good luck and I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with this![/B]



To you, Camfan, and anyone else: I was looking at grooming tables on the computer the other day and I was wondering where you found yours. I am still going to get Lola into a professional groomer, but would like to have one anyways especially for after baths. The one I was looking at was a table top one called the EDEMCO Lazy Susan, but I couldn't find many reviews on it. 

Has anyone ever used the EDEMCO Lazy Susan or have any recommendations on what to purchase?


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## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

QUOTE (mamapajamas @ Aug 31 2009, 04:23 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824554


> OK... I'm going to tell you about something that was taught to me by the master groomer in the shop where I worked 30 or so years back. Since we dealt mostly with clipping poodles, matting was a chronic problem with their curly coats, and the way she dealt with it helped a lot when a dog was not matted badly enough to do a full shave-down.
> 
> When you feel a mat, pull it as far away from the dogs body as you can. Pull all stray hair away from it. Then take a pair of sharp scissors and very carefully SPLIT the mat, being careful to cut in the direction the hair is growing. Cut as little of the good hair as you can, and cut the mat about 9/10ths of the way through. Then use your fingers and a slicker brush to try to tease the down-sized mat loose. Hold the mat itself firmly as you do this, so you cut down on the hair pulling for the dog's sake. If you still have problems, split the mat again. This method is humane for the dog, and saves as much of the coat length as possible in a matting situation.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the detailed advice. I'm pretty sure I did pretty much what you were describing. Obviously I did not do it thourough enough though because She has these small balls of matted fur that have been growing out. The ones I have the most problems with are on her legs. They are tighter and close to the skin so I've had to cut into the mats to loosen them up and then trim from there, however, Lola is very squirmish with her legs so I try to just desensitize her as much as possible by handling her legs throughout the day especially when petting her. It's been a long process, but it seems to be working.

She is looking much better now than when this whole ordeal began. I just want to make sure she's comfortable which it's obvious she's not when she is matted and to get it to the point where a professional groomer wouldn't have problems like the one told me she would (without actually seeing her!). 

Do you have any recommendations on the best scissors to use? This is another big problem for me. I have gone through three pairs and none of them seem to cut sharply enough. I have to squeeze them together to the point where my hands cramp just to get them to cut! Is there a better brand out there? The ones I have have been purchased from Petco and Petsmart and neither of them have a wide assortment to choose from!


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## mrs10 (Feb 21, 2007)

Grooming tools are a personal preference. The lazy susan is fine if you think that will work for you. I have a lazy susan, I have several sized groomer's grooming tables and ring side tables with attachable grooming arms. I prefer the aluminum ring side table at home.

Scissors also depend on quality and price. You can buy some from pet edge (double ducks etc.) or another similar site for under a hundred. I like Japanese scissors, but they are a little more pricey. Chis Christensen has his own line and they come with a life time guarantee, even if you drop them. 

Once again like anything, you usually get what you pay for.


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

QUOTE (LolasMom33 @ Sep 1 2009, 12:09 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824720


> QUOTE (mamapajamas @ Aug 31 2009, 04:23 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824554





> OK... I'm going to tell you about something that was taught to me by the master groomer in the shop where I worked 30 or so years back. Since we dealt mostly with clipping poodles, matting was a chronic problem with their curly coats, and the way she dealt with it helped a lot when a dog was not matted badly enough to do a full shave-down.
> 
> When you feel a mat, pull it as far away from the dogs body as you can. Pull all stray hair away from it. Then take a pair of sharp scissors and very carefully SPLIT the mat, being careful to cut in the direction the hair is growing. Cut as little of the good hair as you can, and cut the mat about 9/10ths of the way through. Then use your fingers and a slicker brush to try to tease the down-sized mat loose. Hold the mat itself firmly as you do this, so you cut down on the hair pulling for the dog's sake. If you still have problems, split the mat again. This method is humane for the dog, and saves as much of the coat length as possible in a matting situation.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the detailed advice. I'm pretty sure I did pretty much what you were describing. Obviously I did not do it thourough enough though because She has these small balls of matted fur that have been growing out. The ones I have the most problems with are on her legs. They are tighter and close to the skin so I've had to cut into the mats to loosen them up and then trim from there, however, Lola is very squirmish with her legs so I try to just desensitize her as much as possible by handling her legs throughout the day especially when petting her. It's been a long process, but it seems to be working.

She is looking much better now than when this whole ordeal began. I just want to make sure she's comfortable which it's obvious she's not when she is matted and to get it to the point where a professional groomer wouldn't have problems like the one told me she would (without actually seeing her!). 

Do you have any recommendations on the best scissors to use? This is another big problem for me. I have gone through three pairs and none of them seem to cut sharply enough. I have to squeeze them together to the point where my hands cramp just to get them to cut! Is there a better brand out there? The ones I have have been purchased from Petco and Petsmart and neither of them have a wide assortment to choose from!
[/B][/QUOTE]

Ah-- it's good to hear that you did what was probably the best way to handle the situation.  When I hear people saying that they're going to cut mats out, I get horrible visions of people cutting across the direction of the hair growth just to get it out fast, when there's such a good way to save as much of the coat length as possible and still be humane. 

It's been a long time since I've been a groomer... in the mid-70s we had a plague of fleas that were resistant to everything except some particularly foul farm-animal dip that we had to use (under a vet's directions for judging dog size, etc), and I could not tolerate the presence of the stuff. So I went back to my other career in computers. Then things started getting interesting in computers again.  Anyway, since I've been gone from the field so long, there are a lot of new products on the market that I'm not familiar with. I can tell you, however, that our master groomer would not allow any scissors in her shop except Dubl Ducks. The reason is that they keep cutting and cutting and cutting... sort of like the Energizer Bunny. B) And one of the secrets to a good grooming is a good cutting edge. Eight-ten hours a day, five days a week, we used those scissors, and they only had to be sharpened about once a month with all the usage we were giving them. With at-home useage, I would imagine they would probably never need to be sharpened.


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

Lola'sMom... this is the type of shears we used in the shop. This is the original design, and apparently the original manufacturing process, giving a long-lasting blade edge.

Dubl Duck shears


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## LolasMom33 (Aug 28, 2009)

QUOTE (mamapajamas @ Sep 1 2009, 05:41 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824931


> Lola'sMom... this is the type of shears we used in the shop. This is the original design, and apparently the original manufacturing process, giving a long-lasting blade edge.
> 
> Dubl Duck shears[/B]


Thank you again for the help. Since both you and mrs10 recommended these I think I'll probably order a pair. I don't plan on doing all of Lola's grooming, but when I need to it is just such a pain trying to cut the same area over and over just because of horrible scissors! Like mrs10 said, you get what you pay for!


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

QUOTE (LolasMom33 @ Sep 2 2009, 09:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=825281


> QUOTE (mamapajamas @ Sep 1 2009, 05:41 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=824931





> Lola'sMom... this is the type of shears we used in the shop. This is the original design, and apparently the original manufacturing process, giving a long-lasting blade edge.
> 
> Dubl Duck shears[/B]


Thank you again for the help. Since both you and mrs10 recommended these I think I'll probably order a pair. I don't plan on doing all of Lola's grooming, but when I need to it is just such a pain trying to cut the same area over and over just because of horrible scissors! Like mrs10 said, you get what you pay for!
[/B][/QUOTE]

Excellent . Just make sure you don't use them for anything else, if you're intent upon keeping them as a grooming tool. No cutting paper or fabrics or anything else you'll be tempted to cut with that fine edge!  B) :biggrin:


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## sadiesmom (Sep 14, 2008)

No way can I groom Sadie, she is uncontrollabe with me but the groomer I use says she is a little lady and will let her do anything.....hard to believe but I guess she knows she can manipulate her mom.....Anyway I got tired of fighting the matting and I looked and looked for a new cut. Reluctently I took a picture of short cut, with no top knot, to the groomer and she gave her that cut. I absolutely love it and it fits her personality. I wanted the beautiful long hair but it was such a struggle but since I got this new cut, I think I will leave it like that. No more battles with matts. I have seen some maltese with short cuts that I thought looked terrible but my girl looks beautiful with hers (speaking as a mom)


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