Matted Dog Hair: How to Remove Mats Without Scissors
Dog's coat matted, what to do? Where mats form, how to remove them without scissors using detangling spray, slicker brush, comb and dematting tool, and when a groomer is the better choice.
In short
- Mats are mostly found behind the ears, in the armpits, under the harness and on the inner thighs.
- Order: spray, fingers, slicker brush, comb – the dematting tool only for firm knots.
- Hold the coat at the base, then it pulls on the knot and not on the skin.
- Never bathe a matted dog first: water tightens the mats.
- Solid mats lying on the skin belong with the groomer, not under household scissors.
Contents
Matted dog hair almost always starts small: a little knot behind the ear, a dense spot under the harness. If you work early and with the right tools, you can almost always get the mats out without scissors. Here you will find out where mats form, in what order to loosen them and when going to the groomer is the better choice.
Why dog fur mats
Mats form when loose hairs twist with living hairs and compact into a firm knot. Three things speed this up:
- Friction. Wherever a collar, harness, jumper or your own leg rubs against the coat, the hair is roughened and snags.
- Moisture. Wet fur that dries by itself tightens up. Rain, snow and puddles are therefore the most common triggers after a walk.
- Loose hairs that do not come out. During moulting, when the puppy coat changes to the adult coat and in breeds with a dense undercoat, shed hairs stay caught in the coat. They are the material mats are made of.
The most common mistake is a different one, though: the coat is only brushed on top. The surface looks smooth, while mats form underneath, right against the skin. With Coton de Tuléar, Maltese, Bichon, Havanese, Poodles and Doodles this is often only noticed at bath time or at the groomer.
Where mats form – the typical spots
Check these spots first, before you brush the whole dog. Nine out of ten knots are found there:
- Behind the ears and at the base of the ear. The hair is especially fine there and gets twisted when the dog scratches.
- Armpits and chest. With every step the front legs rub against the ribcage.
- Under collar and harness. A whole belt of mats often forms here around the neck or chest.
- Inner thighs, groin and belly. Lots of movement, little air, often damp.
- Hindquarters and tail. When the dog sits and lies down, the coat is pressed together.
- Paws and between the pads. Wet and dirt glue the hairs together.
Dematting a dog: step by step without scissors
Always work on one spot and in small portions. Plan several short sessions of ten to fifteen minutes rather than one long one. A dog that associates brushing with pain will make life difficult for you next time.
- Check. Run a comb down to the skin. Where it snags, there are mats. That way you know where you need to work and where you do not.
- Spray. Spray a detangling spray such as the Tauro Pro Line Detangling Leave-in-Conditioner onto the dry knot and massage it in with your fingers. Wait a few minutes. The spray makes the hair smoother, so the hairs slide apart more easily.
- Pull apart with your fingers. Gently pull the knot apart into smaller strands, from the outside in. What you can loosen with your fingers, you do not need to brush.
- Hold the coat at the base. Hold the tuft of hair between knot and skin firmly with thumb and index finger. That way every movement pulls on the knot, not on the skin.
- Work from the tip with the slicker brush. Short, light strokes, first right at the outside of the knot, then bit by bit closer to the skin. Do not brush into the knot with pressure.
- Firm knots with the dematting tool. What does not come apart with the slicker brush you loosen with a dematting tool such as the Les Poochs Mat Zapper. Treat only the matted spot, start at the lower end of the knot and work the mat out in small pieces.
- Check again with the comb. First the coarse, then the fine teeth. If the comb glides through from the skin to the tip, the spot is free.
Important: do not bathe a matted dog
Water tightens mats. A knot that was still loose before the bath is often a solid mat afterwards. So dematt first, then bathe, and afterwards blow-dry thoroughly.
Slicker brush, comb and dematting tool: which tool for what
For matted fur you need three tools, not ten. Each has one job:
- Slicker brush loosens small knots and loose hairs down to the skin. It is the most important tool from medium-length coats upwards.
- Comb shows you whether the coat is really free. A comb with two tooth spacings such as the Tauro Pro Line coat comb covers coarse and fine with one tool. For long coats the anti-static Show Tech Greyhound comb with 32 mm long teeth is also suitable.
- Dematting tool is a specialist tool for firm knots and is only used on specific spots, not for the whole coat.
Which slicker brush suits depends on the coat: for small dogs with fine fur, a compact brush with 20 mm pins is enough. For long, dense fur you need longer pins that reach through the outer coat to the skin. For the face, armpits and paws a small, soft head is worthwhile. The table shows all Tauro Pro Line slicker brushes side by side.
| Brush | Type | Pins | Firmness | Suitable coat | Typical breeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slicker brush, plastic, curved | Slicker with curved head | 11 · 20 · 25 mm | soft or firm (3 of 5) | medium to long coat, all sizes | Poodle, Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Collie, Maine Coon |
| Slicker brush, plastic, compact | Slicker, compact 10.5 × 6.5 cm | 20 mm | soft or firm (3 of 5) | short to medium coat, small dogs | Coton de Tuléar, Maltese, Bichon Frisé, Shih Tzu, Havanese, Yorkshire Terrier, cat |
| Slicker brush, wood, rectangular | Wooden slicker, flat head, S/M/L | 11 mm | soft (1 of 5) | short to medium, fine coat, puppies | Puppy, cat, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Bichon Frisé, long-coated Chihuahua, Papillon |
| Slicker brush, wood, round | Wooden slicker, round head 9 × 19 cm | 11 mm | soft (1 of 5) | face, ears, paws; small dogs and puppies | Cat, puppy, Coton de Tuléar, Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier, Bichon Frisé |
| Slicker brush, wood, curved | Wooden slicker, domed head, S/M/L | 25 mm | soft (2 of 5) | long, dense coat with undercoat | Golden Retriever, Flat Coated Retriever, Collie, Sheltie, Bernese Mountain Dog, Newfoundland, Old English Sheepdog, Tibetan Terrier, Afghan Hound, Maine Coon, Persian |
| Slicker brush, wood, large | Wooden slicker, 27 × 10 cm | 25 mm | soft (2 of 5) | large dogs from 25 kg with a long or dense coat | Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, Leonberger, Golden Retriever, Hovawart, Landseer, Kuvasz |
| Mini slicker brush with wooden handle | Mini slicker, S/M/L from 4.5 × 6 cm | 11 mm | soft (1 of 5) | beard, toes, ears; small dogs and puppies | Cat, puppy, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pomeranian |
The firmness rating compares the Tauro Pro Line brushes with one another: 1 is the gentlest, 5 the strongest. You will find more on choosing on our page Tauro Pro Line slicker brushes.
After slicker brushing, a pin brush smooths the coat and massages the skin. It does not replace the slicker brush but comes after it:
| Brush | Type | Pins | Firmness | Suitable coat | Typical breeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden pin brush | Pin brush with STOP technology, 3 sizes | 17 · 20 · 22 mm | medium (2 of 5) | medium to long coat, after slicker brushing | Golden Retriever, Collie, Cocker Spaniel, Setter, Havanese, Poodle, long-haired cat |
| Prestige pin brush, pear wood, stainless steel | Pear wood pin brush, STOP technology | 20 · 27 · 35 mm | medium (2 of 5) | medium to very long coat | Golden Retriever, Collie, Afghan Hound, Old English Sheepdog, Tibetan Terrier, Havanese, Bergamasco, Newfoundland |
| Prestige pin brush, pear wood, wooden pins | Pin brush with hornbeam pins | 16 mm wood | very soft (1 of 5) | puppies, sensitive skin, all coat types | Puppy, kitten, cat, senior dog, Chihuahua, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
You will find all pin brushes in detail under Tauro Pro Line pin brushes. If you would rather have a brush with a flexible head: the Les Poochs brushes have long, polished stainless steel bristles with rounded tips. The Les Poochs Purple Brush is made for thick, coarse and woolly coats, such as those of Poodles or Doodles.
Line brushing: how to get down to the skin
Line brushing is the technique groomers use to keep long coats free of knots. It takes longer at first, but saves a lot of time in the long run:
- Start at the bottom of the hind leg. Push the coat upwards with your free hand until you see a narrow strip of skin. That is your line.
- Brush the hairs below the line downwards in the direction of growth until the brush goes through without resistance.
- Let a thin layer of coat fall from your hand and brush it in the same way. Line by line, you work your way upwards.
- Check each section with the comb before you move on to the next.
Slightly dampened fur is easier to brush than bone-dry fur. A fine mist of leave-in conditioner is enough; the coat should not get wet.
When to see a groomer – and when clipping is the better choice
Not every mat should be brushed out. Get help if:
- the mat lies as a solid pelt directly on the skin and you can no longer get a comb underneath,
- large areas are affected, such as the whole belly or back,
- your dog clearly shows that it hurts when brushed, or no longer lets you touch it,
- the skin under the mat is red, wet or sore.
Then it is fairer to the dog to clip the coat short and start again. Do not cut mats out with scissors yourself. The skin is pulled up with the knot, and a cut happens faster than you think. A groomer works with clippers underneath the mat. If the skin is red, weeping or smells, have the vet take a look.
Preventing mats: the grooming rhythm
- Regularly down to the skin. With long-coated Coton, Maltese, Bichon and Havanese, brushing daily or every other day is realistic. Five minutes every day is better than an hour at the weekend.
- Problem spots more often. Armpits, ears and the harness area get an extra pass every round.
- Harness off indoors. What does not rub does not mat.
- Do not let wet fur dry by itself. After rain or a bath, blow-dry thoroughly and brush as you go.
- Brush more often during moulting. Especially when the puppy coat changes to the adult coat, long fur mats within a few days.
- Leave-in after the bath. A detangling spray makes the coat smoother and makes daily brushing easier.
What we recommend
- Tauro Pro Line Detangling Leave-in-Conditioner – for every dog with long or curly fur. It is not rinsed out, improves combability and, according to the manufacturer, can be used from the 8th week of life. You will find more sprays and creams for detangling in the Dematting collection.
- Tauro Pro Line slicker brush, plastic, compact – for Coton, Maltese, Bichon and other small dogs. The small head gets well into armpits and behind the ears.
- Tauro Pro Line slicker brush, plastic, curved – for Poodles, Doodles and medium to large dogs with long fur. Three pin lengths to choose from.
- Tauro Pro Line slicker brush, wood, round – the soft detail brush for face, ears and paws.
- Les Poochs Mat Zapper – when a knot will not come out with the slicker brush. Extremely firm, with a flexible head, in 4.5 cm for small dogs and tight spots or 9 cm for large areas.
- Tauro Pro Line coat comb with two tooth spacings – for checking and for the finish. Without a comb you never know for sure whether the coat is free at the skin.
cotonluv is an authorised dealer of all the brands we carry.
Your next step
Not sure whether the mats can still be brushed out or which brush suits your dog? Send us a photo of the coat via WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly what we would do. Or compare all models directly on the page Tauro Pro Line slicker brushes.
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