Grooming advice needed

[mo & stuart]

WE ARE HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH MAT IN MABELS COAT. ANYONE HAVE A SURE FIRE WAY OF GETTING RID OF MATS?
HELP!!!

[John Thomson]

Hi again,
have a look at his post........my dogs are GSD's.............don't know how it will be with an Old English but I can bring it up to try!
http://www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=28

John

[Deborah Hamilton]

Hi Mo & Stuart,
Whatever you do, don't put the dog near water when she has mats!
I've done it before and so has a friend. BIG MISTAKE!!
I have a Bichon and my friend has an Old English. You can buy a mat rake which cuts through the mats. Both of us have found that useful but take it slowly as you don't want to put the dog off grooming completely.
Another way for really tough mats is to pull them apart, breaking them, between your fingers as though you are opening a bag of crisps.
This breaks the knot down and allows you to get into it easier.
Always work at the knots from the end. Working in to the skin as it breaks up. You have to be really carefull though because the knots can actually pull at the skin the bigger they get and this makes there skin feel tender.
Good luck!

Deborah