 Barked: Wed Dec 6, '06 12:18pm PST |
 | |  | | Hi,
Hero Ricardo used to have mats, but not anymore. When I first got him, about 16 weeks old. He had mats from day one. Being a new dog owner, I did not know what a mat was. It was a learning process I might add. I too have tried everything, from different kinds of combs, brushes and wire brushes. No matter how many times a day I brushed him, the mats always came back. I even tried many different kinds of shampoos and conditioners. I even gave him a puppy cut and that seemed to work for awhile.
After he was two years old, he seem to stop getting mats. Possibly, he could of been going through an adolescent stage. The mats became next to nil. Don't get me wrong, you must brush, brush brush and keep brushing!
Today, my regiment is to comb and brush him once in the morning and once at night. I am currently at the point that it only takes about 6 to 10 minutes to give him thorough brushing. I give him a bath every Sunday morning.
On bath day, I recommend using a good blow dryer. I purchased the one that looks like a dog house (Air Force) and blows powerful warm air. It would take me only a good half hour to fully dry him. One tip is to comb your dog as your are drying him. You will get some tangles out, but I think this is the best time to comb them out. The kind of comb I use now has stiff metal teeth, previous ones were too fragile and were easily broken. I have a drawer full of broken comb and brushes. Make sure you brush every nook and cranny you can find. Under the paws, under the belly, under the ears. Fortuanately, my dog stays still lying down during the whole process. In fact, every day when I brush him, he stays still lying down. I think Hero Ricardo likes to be pampered, he thinks he is human.
Every two months, he goes to the groomer. My groomer used to always yell at me because Hero had mats. Now after his grooming, they tell they did NOT find any at all. That is always music to my ears to hear that from my groomer.
Today, Hero has long hair, with zero mats. I will post a more current photograph of him on his Dogster homepage. My only problem with him is slight tear stains, that is another story.
Cheers,
Hero's Daddy! |  |  | |  |
|
| my page | msg me | gift me | become pals | |
The Dog Show: Who's Your Mama?
9
