Hi Guys

I wonder if there is someone out there who could give me some advice. I am currently fostering a 5 yr old male gsd, he is absolutely adorable but he is in such a state. When he came to me he looked like he had been taken care of but on closer inspection it looks like his previous owners have taken good care of the front half of his body but the back end is a mess

I'm not making myself very clear am i , he is long haired and his front legs and most of his back are nicely brushed and his tummy is quite easy to brush but when it comes to his back legs and tail he is completely matted to the point that i can't even get a brush in to start teasing out the knots, i don't want to stress him so i am trying to do a little bit at a time but getting nowhere. I wonder is there anything else i can do to help him, like a better shampoo or something to help de-tangle him and make brushing easier?

The brush that i use on my shepherds is not doing any good on him and i must admit that i rarely bath my shepherds as they get loads of brushing so i don't really know what to do for the best .

Any advice would be great

I am not a groomer but have beardies try mane and tail its for horses available at equine stores its brilliant for grooming.

That's great , thanks Starryeyes, to be honest i will try anything, it's such a shame to see such a handsome boy looking so begraggled.

I know for me the worst bit is brushing Tylers back end, as it's right near his man bits it's difficult and also his fur is of a slightly different texture. Luckily it's done on a regular basis and doesn't get too knotted. Good look with your detangling i am sure the dog will feel much better when it's done.

We are taught at college to cut downwards through the knot, in the direction of the fur, that way you can split the knot up without creating a sharp line of scissoring. As I assume he is not a show dog I would have thought cutting the knots out like this would be better than trying to tease them out with a comb. :-)

Have you tried a dematting comb?  It's a set of blades in a line like the teeth of a comb, with a wooden/plastic handle.  It's probably the undercoat that's matted on the rear end and a dematter will cut through and pull it out if you make sure that you put it in behind the matts and pull it forward.  It takes a while to master the technique but it's invaluable once you've got it. :)

Thanks very much Val, i have just looked them up on the internet and ordered a mikki de-matting comb, it looks a bit frightening but i'm sure i will get the hang of it

I take it once i have used it i can go back to using a normal comb? I don't suppose you could recommend a decent shampoo could you Val................please

And my final question, i mentioned in my first post that i rarely bath my shepherds, infact i probably only shampoo them twice a year, if they roll in anything stinky i hose them down and i quite often just wipe their legs with a wipe if they are muddy but apart from that they just get brushed a couple of times a week, is this acceptable? or am i a really bad mummy

I would suggest that you either have him lying down or standing with his lead tied onto the door handle (whichever is better for your back!) if you don't have a grooming table.  Then you'll have 2 hands to work with.  Push the dematter in behind the matted stuff and bring it down and forward in a curved motion.

I would use a slicker brush and medium toothed metal comb on a 'normal' shepherd coat.  I've never used special shampoos for my own dogs or in the parlour.  I've used a base concentrate with no colour or perfume, like Neutralia.  I smile when I read that you have to use special dog shampoo because of the different PH.  Most of the bulk dog shampoo that you see for sale at dog shows comes from a human shampoo manufacturer! ;)

Shampooing a shepherd a couple of times a year is just fine if you are happy with that.  I know of one person who has never bathed his show Rough Collies and they are immaculate - but he does brush them everyday!!  I groom mine every couple of weeks, walk them on the beach everyday and bath them before a show! :D

I can confirm that this tool was brilliant when I used it on a very matted Samoyed belonging to a distant relative.  He had been brushed on top, but was solid felt underneath especially the rear and tail.

I am sure Val woudl agree that with a long coat shepherd with hair that tangles it would be good idea to keep his belly (around the male bits) underarms and groin trimmed short, also just around the anus can be trimmed and blended nicely to help keep this area ventilated and clean.

This way he will look nice with his coat with the difficult areas ketp short for comfort.

Just in case ive misunderstood...... please dont try to bath him before you have got the knots out... its quite possible that getting the matts wet will make them 'felt' up even worse.

Em