Hello everyone,

I have a 3 yo Irish setter, whom I have problems grooming.
I brush him every day with a slicker brush and comb, but he still gets mats in his hair, especially around his ears, and on his legs.

If anyone could offer advice on this I would be grateful

:)

Theresa

Hi Theresa,
A couple of ways to stop the matting behind the ears..First, buy yourself a good pair of thinning scissors..They have a toothed blade on one side , the other is straight like ordinary scissors...Lift the ear with one hand then cut against the fall of the hair under the ear with the scissors...the idea is to end up with very short hair under the ear a little longer over the fold and long fringes to the front edge. The thinning scissors will make sure that your Irish doesn't look as if his ears have been chewed by rats!..lol After every couple of cuts..comb the hair and check the lay of the hair. I also trim down the neck as far as the protruding bone on the front chest...leaving the long silky hair below.
Feet also need trimming ,first run your finger up between the toes, the hair will stand up so that you can, with a sharp pair of straight edge scissors, or the thinning scissors cut against the hair from the nail edge towards the leg. Check again between the toes for matting ...remove any hairy lumps!
A good way to avoid matting on leg fringes and tail is to use a good quality conditioner after a bath...Errr...the dog , not you! A grooming spray in between baths is good to keep the coat silky...Dry, out of condition hair mats easily. The best way to learn how to trim is to find someone close to you who owns the breed who can show you...Where do you live, perhaps I can suggest someone to visit?

Hi Spellbinder

Wot grooming spray would you recommend?

The Mr Groom spray is great..I agree..Any spray that mentions use on long haired dogs would be fine. Most are oil based. During the summer when coats get a bit sunburned, ('cos I can't keep the beasts outta the water!) I massage olive oil into the feathering..It stops it splitting and tangles are much easier to remove..Don't use too much tho'...Deep fried Setter is no fun! lol

Hi Theresa

I use a spray called Coat and Skin Conditioner by Mr Groom, you spray it on and 15 minutes later brush it out and the knots come out with it. I have cockers, and one of them knots under the armpits and in the corner of the ears, and it works wonders. Its about £6.95 per can..You can get them at the show's or your local pet shop should be able to order it for you..

HTH

Natasha

Thanks everyone,

He has only been bathed once in 18 months, should I bathe him regularly?

Reggie is not a show dog or anything but I would like him to have a nice coat, he came from a rescue and since he was neutered just before I got him, his coat has gone to pot.
Any more suggestions would be great!

Thanks again

Theresa :)

Hi again..
Basic rule...what you get out depends on what you put in!
Have a look at Reggie's diet..is it high enough in oil?...A really good quality extruded food..i.e Eukanuba, Beta Activity, Hillsor Pedigree's high performance has relatively high values of oil and easily used protein...Generally, the cheaper the food the less accessable the protein for the dogs system. The alternative is a totally natural diet...this takes time and effort on your part to make sure it's balanced..That's why most folk opt for an easy 'outta the bag' diet. If , for economy's sake you feed a cheaper brand, then try adding a teaspoon of sunflower oil to his food once a day...Although a nutered dog will have a drier , more flyaway coat than his entire brothers you can still help to encourage good hair growth. Bathing Reggie more than once a month just isn't a good idea, even tho' most canine shampoo's are ph balanced and gentle they will still strip natural oils away with the dirt...I bath my Irish about once every six months unless they've found Fox dirt!!!
Groming will help the natural oils rise to the surface and coat the hair...try using a natural bristle brush rather than a comb...finish with a piece of velvet scrunched up in your hand to polish the hair..
Hope this helps
Spell