Toe matts :O
Inbetween his nails/toes there is a big piece of matting, i have managed to snip them all out with the scissors but how can i prevent matts betwenn the toes in the future, i cannot fit the comb through  Also, bloo lets me brush everywhere on him legs, tummy, back, head, muzzle. BUT he will not let me brush his front legs. I have to use my fingers to brush and dematt his front two legs (fingerbrushing) i am used to this with my cat ziggy, I ONLY try and brush his front legs when he is calm and quiet, but then he will roll over or something so i cannot re him!! Is this common in sheepies, bloo will not let me comb behind his front legs/armpits  THANKS xx sam |
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| Caitlyn will let me do darn near anything but that's because Wanda started her out from very early on by handling her a lot and often. So she's very used to it. Zoey in the other hand, must not have been raised this way. She acts a lot like how you describe Bloo's behavior. She isn't keen on having her feet, (all four), handled and sometimes fidgets when I'm working on her front legs. With Bloo, try just touching, striking and/or massaging his front legs to get him used to and comfortable with you handling them. This way, when you go to brush him there he will be more receptive to it. Vance |
| Best way to keep the feet & in between the toes mat free is to use a soft slicker & brush up, away from the the pattern of hair growth. Inbetween the toes you need to brush with the slicker in an outward direction away from the foot. |
| Thanks for posting this question today! I was just about to ask about the toe mats. Dahlia has the same problem and I can get her mat free everywhere, but, I struggle with between the toes in the webbing area. It gets a little discolored and mats easily. |
| No problem, the more people this thread helps the better Bloo lets me stroke his legs etc...he isnt fearful or aggressive when you stroke or scissir trim them, he just doesnt let me touch his legs with the comb/brush or slicker. I even brought a glove that has little rubber bobbles on, so it feels like they are being stroked but brushed at same time, he just pulled it off and burried it! I haveent anymore ideas, but to just brush him in stages bit by bit. As for toe matts, thats really great advice, i brush bloos feet downwards how the fur lies, i will brush upwards instead, never thought of that. Thnks everyone ive learnt lots today LOL   |
| I think its in their nature not to have the front legs groomed! Out of all of them i groom, not one is happy letting me do the front legs! I think billy is the worst, he knows if he rams his head there i cant do anything, but i am more stubbern than him! Some brushes he tolerates more than others. His quite good with a comb and a dematter, hates brushes. I stand him on the table, wedge my shoulder under his chin so he cant get his head in then i do battle for as long as i can, which is never more than 5 mins. He had to have some lumps removed once, i asked the vet if i could do his front paws while he was sleeping! I think its the only time his front legs have been matt free. lol To get rid of the toe matts use the end of a comb and gentally pick them, pull them apart with your fingers and then try a slicker brush. But if all else fails and your going to cut them out, have a good feel of the foot so you know where the webbing is then angle your scissirs upward so the handle is at the bottom and snip |
| Kenny get these too and he is very tickle-ish on his back feet hahah. It's hard to get out and thanks for the posts! Also, since we're talking about matting.....Kenny constantly seems to start matting right behind his ears and on his chest. Also by the ends of his mouth a bit. We always work them out or focus brushing on that area but no matter how often we brush him, it just appears to be doing it again hahah. Anything other than continue to watch and cut them or work them out that we can do? |
Eggbert wrote: Kenny get these too and he is very tickle-ish on his back feet hahah. It's hard to get out and thanks for the posts! Also, since we're talking about matting.....Kenny constantly seems to start matting right behind his ears and on his chest. Also by the ends of his mouth a bit. We always work them out or focus brushing on that area but no matter how often we brush him, it just appears to be doing it again hahah. Anything other than continue to watch and cut them or work them out that we can do? After you are done brushing, go through those areas with a comb.If the comb won't slide through, you've missed spots. Go through these areas and get it ALL the way mat free. If you leave little cores of mats, they will just twist up and regrow!  They all have bad areas, but not getting them all the way out is the worst waste of your grooming time!  |
| Cool thanks! I also tried a dematting brush but returned it the same day. Kenny gets these tiny little matts and the comb just went through them hahah. |
| For the really fiine hair like that, we use a flea comb. Yeah it strips a little hair away, but I don't think it's noticeable in those areas. Vance |
Eggbert wrote: Cool thanks! I also tried a dematting brush but returned it the same day. Kenny gets these tiny little matts and the comb just went through them hahah. Sometimes you need to go over the area with a soft slicker to get those final teeny-tiney ones out. Just remember to be very careful behind the ears & on the chest as those area have very thin skin compared to the rest of the body. I generally find most dogs that come to me have more mats on the top & back of the head (behind the ears) due to the way their people pet them. Also another area that mats quickly is where the top of the thigh meets the stomach area. The 90 degree area is a friction area & they get mats there just from walking/moving. If there is another dog in the house, you will find them down the center of the neck & back area too from playing. |
Vance wrote: For the really fiine hair like that, we use a flea comb. Yeah it strips a little hair away, but I don't think it's noticeable in those areas. Vance I actually considered that but wasn't sure it would work. The people at the pet store weren't much help hahaha. |
| We learned this flea comb bit with our two Persian cats.. you wanna talk about fine hair!!! That hair is like silk strands and if you look at it cross-eyed it matts. Vance |
Vance wrote: We learned this flea comb bit with our two Persian cats.. you wanna talk about fine hair!!! That hair is like silk strands and if you look at it cross-eyed it matts. Vance My Maine Coon is like that. His hair is like candyfloss.  |
| Like Marilyn said - use the soft slicker to flick/pick out those little tags of mats - works really well. Or just use your fingers and pick them out...but if they have lots (and coat transition BREEDS them), it will get old fast! Even w/ show coat, you still can use the slicker to pick them out. |
| Actually, with the coat transition like Rob and i are probably both going through, it is pretty easy to catch them when they're still small and pull them apart by hand. Usually, halfway through the pulling process, they usually pull right out anyway. Vance |
| If you are unlucky like me, they formed over the entire body....when the coat was letting go. It looked like it snowed on him! I was afraid to pull to much coat so I was going through every layer of the line grooming, picking them out by hand. Luckily someone at a show saw me and said, "don't do that, use the slicker to flick them out!"...and I was so happy! lol |
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