MATTED NIGHTMARE!!!
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| I would approach it little by little several 15-20 periods a day - maybe one leg, etc. at a time. No more than you or the dog can stand. It may take a week, but you should be able to salvage more of the winter coat that way and save money; then take her to the groomer for a bath. You might try "No More Tangles" by Johnson & Johnson to ease the raking a bit and also improve the odor. |
| My suggestion is also do a little bit each day, get the big ones out, and then take her to the groomer. Or, call around, even if you have to drive a bit, and find a groomer willing and able for the job.
Twiggy was not badly matted at all back in June, just a bit around her feet. We were new sheepie owners and didn't do as good of a job back then as we did now. We took her to Petsmart and immediately said she had to be shaved. I was heartbroken. I have since then found a local groomer. I told her about my experiences with Petsmart and she said there was no reason for a shave if it was just her feet. She is willing to work through the mats. I also have a Persian cat who just loves to sleep in wet tubs and sinks so you can imagine what her fur on her tummy looks like. I've taken her to a groomer several times when she has just been a mess and in my mind I knew she'd have to be given a lion cut but no, she worked through all the mats and Baby Kitty was beautiful 
Don't give up! |
| If you really want to keep her coat, I agree. Just work on her a little at a time in short, frequent sessions. That way it isn't too much for either one of you. It may take a week or even two, but if you can salvage the coat, it'll be worth the effort. |
| As someone who loves keeping my OES in a nice, long coat and cried when I clipped him down, you really do have to weigh your options and think about what is going to be best for the dog. Even if you are doing small sections at a time, that, unfortunately gives other areas time to mat back up again. It might wind up being a losing battle. But, it's hard to say without seeing the dog, too. What is horrible matting to one person isn't always to another! I think you get to know your dog's coat and how much matting and to what degree is easy enough to get out before it's all over with.
If you're not showing, just try to do some camouflage work. Work the ones that you know you can get out and creatively trim the others. In this picture, Clyde has NO neck hair. He's totally pelted but the groomer kind of zig zagged the hair in and you can't really even tell. In fact, I think it looked better. 
Good luck! |
| I am not sure if this product is available in the US, but there is a product called Cowboy Magic. I purchase it at my local horse supply/feed mill. You apply a quarter size amount of the liquid on the mat and it combs right out. |
| You can get Cowboy Magic at any Family Dollar store, I've never seen it anywhere else. |
| Cowboy Magic , you can get here in the US, I use it all the time, Great stuff, worth trying out, you can get it at the feed store but I believe Petsmart sells it too good luck and if it is going to be torture , better shave now before the cold air rolls in good luck |
| Unfortunatly your right about us groomers. We have the same problems you do. It's a big job those sheepies even when there in good shape. I usually double book them to give myself plenty of time to work on them.
Where exactly are the matts? Neck, armpits, cheeks and ears? The good thing about most of those places is that you can shave those areas and no one will be the wiser. Expecially behind the ears, and armpits. As for the cheeks and neck just do the best you can little at a time. If you absolutly have to, hold the hair around the matt back so when you shave out the matt, you will have plenty of hair to cover that spot. My b/f SWEARS by cowboy majic. We use it to get cockaburs out of the horses hair. I am sure it would do the same for our doggies. |
| Soak the matts in No More Tears (detangler) before you start. Yes, it will take a bunch of bottles, but it really works.
Whether it is worth it to you is something only you can decide. |
| Thank you everyone for your ideas and comments. I've been working at it an hour or so a day for the past 3 days and we're making progress. Poor Onyx is definitely not enjoying it, but she actually laid perfectly still on her side for about 20 minutes and let me work at her....it was quite amazing actually! Maybe she's getting used to it since we've groomed more in the last week than ever before! Anyway, I've got about 25% of the mats out, and now that i'm working on them, most are not as bad as I thought. She has a few REALLY bad ones on her hind legs where she lays on her side and also on her side just in front of the hind legs. I really am struggling with those. The rest are mostly on her legs and underbelly. I already keep her armpits shaved out for convenience Neck, ears, and cheeks are completely mat free! I've tried using the Johnson's detangler, and maybe I didn't use enough because it didn't seem to help too much. I'm going to look for the cowboy magic Monday after work! I think we'll get her brushed out once and for all in a couple of days. Of course, now we have to wait for the bath for 10 days because she had to get stitches on her foot on Friday (secondary to me leaving out the de-matting blade and her stepping on it! That was a $200 mistake!) Anyway, thanks again and i'll keep you informed. My lesson has been learned and I will never let my dog go unbrushed again! |
| Hi,
I am a groomer. Cut through the mats with your rake or scissors first (I use scissors). Do not pull the mat up and cut it, you will leave a bald spot and possible cut you dog. You have to slide the scissors UNDER the mat and the cut... that way you do not cut the dog and do not leave a bald spot. After you have cut through the mats (work in sections), push a section of hair up, towards the front of the dog, and brush the hair out of your hand. this way you get to the roots, and it go pretty fast, plus it does not hurt like a rake or comb. This is how I do it, and I have dematted some really matted dogs in about 1-2 hours. I does tear the coat a little, but it is better than having him shaved, and you will not be able to tell. I hope this helps Tammi |
| I'll say a prayer and wish both of you good luck.
I understand what you mean about the "naked shave" or fluffy flowing hair. It's a shame to see the fluff go away so quickly after all of your hard work you put into grooming. Best of luck! |
| We try and keep up daily with the Furminator. It really helps. |
| crazyjeep , how are you coping with Onix, the mats gone yet, send us a pic |
| Thanks everyone for your advice and support....we spent several hours brushing out the majority of the mats. I decided to chance it and take her to the groomers to see if they thought they could tackle it. Being new to my town, I don't have a groomer here yet, but my vet said that several people have been very satisfied with the PetSmart groomer here. I usually hesitate to go to name brand groomers, but I thought i'd give it a try. I actually took her up there one day to see if the girl thought she could tackle it and she said it would be alot of work, but it could be done. I took her today and i am SOO HAPPY! The girl did an AMAZING job! Best i've ever had done actually. It cost an arm and a leg ($115) and she said she brushed for almost 2 hours, but she is mat free and she didn't have to shave anything but a little on her belly! She is fluffy and clean and I'm so happy! I will definitely be going back to this groomer again. I'm so glad I get to keep my fluffy sheepdog for the winter! |
| $115 is pretty reasonable. I pay more than that for almost no mats if I go to the groomer! |
| That's great that they were able to tackle her matts!
Now we need pictures.  |
ButtersStotch wrote: $115 is pretty reasonable. I pay more than that for almost no mats if I go to the groomer!
Oh My God! I am soooo happy that I can groom my OES myself. I didn't know it was so expensive. |
Nabobox wrote: ButtersStotch wrote: $115 is pretty reasonable. I pay more than that for almost no mats if I go to the groomer! Oh My God! I am soooo happy that I can groom my OES myself. I didn't know it was so expensive. $115 is a STEAL! I am suprised at PetSmart--- I paid almost that much- no mats and a poor job at our local PetSmart. Can't wait to see pictures! |
Nabobox wrote: ButtersStotch wrote: $115 is pretty reasonable. I pay more than that for almost no mats if I go to the groomer! Oh My God! I am soooo happy that I can groom my OES myself. I didn't know it was so expensive. I only go once or twice a year for baths, though. It's a small price to pay to save my back. I bought a dryer and I've been doing the whites myself since those are all that gets dirty on a regular basis. It's hard to get a giant full coated OES wet in the bathtub at home! |
| On my previous dogs, beagles, we use to fill the tub and wash them that way( same water from start to finish). I had major issues washing Chewy the first time (full coat) and normally have it done by a pro. He has a shorter (2 in cut) right now so I thought I would give it a shot.
It took awhile but we got'er done. I used a detachable shower head to wet down, turned the water off and soaped then rinsed again. I found this much easy then working with a full tub, all the gunk goes down the drain as aposed it sitting in the bath water. The pressure from the shower head seems to get deep in the coat and he seems to enjoy it. Even if you refill the tub and rinse with fresh water I don't think it gets them as clean. Plus you have to have your dog wait while refilling the tub. Chewy tends to get ALOT of dirt in the water.... 
The bath did minimal good....3 days later and back to square one. lol I think that if the pup is in full coat or has any major mats it is still well worth having a pro do it. |
| My OES puppy has a 5inch coat.
It takes me 1hour to brush him then I put him in the shower. It takes me about 1hour to wash and rinse him. Then the drying takes me about 2 to 3 hours. He stays on the table sleeping until he his dry. I have a Metro 4hp dryer and a very good brush. I brush every other day and I wash and dry every two weeks. I do it myself because I love it and I don't trust the groomers of my town. I am the only one with a Fullcoat OES in my region so I don't wan't my dog to come back like a poodle. |
Quote: I am the only one with a Fullcoat OES in my region so I don't wan't my dog to come back like a poodle.
I totally hear that! |
| I'm having a hard time posting pics on the forum...how do you post one right into the message?? 3 weeks later and she's still looking good! We've been brushing every other day to keep the mats out....except for a run-in with some burrs that took about an hour to brush out, she's kept pretty clean!
I'm always nervous to go to the groomer because the first time I ever took her in she had about a 5 inch coat and I told them to keep the length but to just trim the ends and shape the face....for about $70 she came home with a SHAVED body, long hair on the legs, shaved face, a mustache if you will, and long ears! She looked like some sort of a terrier/poodle combo...I was in tears! I brought in a picture of an OES and showed it to the lady and said "this is what a sheepdog is supposed to look like!" I was FURIOUS. I made her take her all down even and I just started over growing out the coat. It was quite traumatic and it took me a year to go to a groomer again. I shaved her down that next summer on my own, and then I went to a Petco just for a bath and pedicure and they did a decent job for $50, and got out all the mats (although she only had a few at that time). Our trip to petsmart was only our 3rd grooming experience and even though $115 seemed alot for me compared to my other visits, it was truly a good experience. For grooming at home in the summer I just break out the hose and do the bath in the driveway. In the winter I pop her in the tub and turn on the hand-held shower. I put on my bathing suit and just jump in with her - its so much easier and I prepare to get wet. I have a pretty powerful hand held, so it really gets the grime out of the hair and rinses the soap out really well. We towel dry, she runs around like a crazy dog for about 15 minutes and shakes all over the house, and then we blow dry on the living room floor with a standard hair dryer. It takes a LONG time to dry, but I do it in intervals. I brush as I dry. it works okay for us, but I would LOVE a forced hair dryer. In my old town, we had a self- service dog groomer with all professional equipement....it was great to have a hydraulic table with a hook on top and the forced hair dryer. It cut my drying and brushing time in half! |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/21183629@N07/2057958265/ |
| What a sweetie with a red bandana!
Here's everything you need to know about posting pics on the forum: http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=1119 Scroll down to see the topics in big red letters. |
| You need a long pin comb, work the matts out slowly and try not to pull the fur, you should have them all out in and hour or so. It does work. |
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