Hi, I just joined this forum by doing a search on google. My daughter has a shih-poo. He is a mixed breed, shitzu and poodle. Since one parent was a shihpoo, and one a poodle, I guess you could say he is probably 75% poodle, lol.
To get to the point, his fur is very thick, grows very fast, and is kind of curly and fuzzy at the same time. I have had him groomed about 3 times, he is a year old. The last time he was groomed was in late November. At that time, before I took him, I had cut all of his fur off really short myself because of mats. The way those mats happened were really confusing. Before I cut him, he was a big fluffy mop, and no mats. But then my son gave him a bath, and I don't know what happened, if he didn't rinse him well, or if it was because the fur dryed tangled before being brushed or what. But after that bath he ended up immediately covered with mats down to his skin all over his body. I couldn't do anything with it except cut his fur very short all over. I had gotten most of them out, except for some tiny ones here and there, like in his armpits, and maybe some around the neck.
So I took him to the groomers, so that they could straighten him out the best they could, so that he would at least look neater after I had butchered his fur. Because of the tiny mats that were left, the groomer lectured me, and told me that letting my dog get mats was dog abuse. I felt very hurt, because it was never my intention to abuse our dog. I mean, that's why I cut his fur myself to begin with. I was so upset when he was matted down to the skin, and it had happened so fast because of that one bath.
His fur is so strange, and I just don't know how to deal with it. It is getting harder and harder to deal with. After his last cut, I told my teenage daughter to make sure and brush him every day, because I didn't want it to happen again. I work all the time, and don't have time to do it myself all the time. Well, regardless to say, she didn't do it as often as she should. He now needs another cut, which I will probably take him next week as soon as I get paid.
He is a big fluffy mop again, and he has some mats around his neck on each side, and some on his chest. Nothing that feels real close to the skin, but still there.
I tried cutting him tonight, but he won't let me. He is hyper, and he keeps trying to nip at me. he keeps trying to get away, and I'm afraid to cut around his neck in fear of stabbing him with the scissors. I don't know how to keep him still.
But when he is at the groomers, they said he was so good. He stands up there , with a leash attached to the table, and he lets them cut his fur. I try to do it on the bed, but he keeps rolling around. I don't understand why he won't be still for me.
So I can't get the mats out. I wanted to cut those out before taking him to the groomers. Which, by the way, I'm taking him to a new groomer, because I'm afraid the other woman will either lecture me again. I mean, the mats are not anywhere close to an abused abandoned dog, but any mats at all will anger her.
So I guess, the questions I need answered are:
Do all groomers accuse you of abusing your dog if there are a few mats?
Should I try to somehow get the mats out before taking him to be groomed?
If so, how do I get the mats out when he won't be still?
Should I buy a pair of dog clippers to use in between groomings?
Why does he seem to mat up so easy after a bath?
I know I should be taking him every 4 weeks (because that is how fast his fur grows). But I'm a single mom, and $65.00 every month is sometimes not possible.
His fur is really challenging to me, do full breed poodles grow this fast? His fur grows several inches long, and is long, wavy and fuzzy. It is like very long strands of cotton, very hard to describe. When he is groomed short, he looks like a poodle. When he grows out, he looks like a rag mop, lol.
Please don't lecture me, because I am trying to take care of his fur, it is just very hard to manage.
To get to the point, his fur is very thick, grows very fast, and is kind of curly and fuzzy at the same time. I have had him groomed about 3 times, he is a year old. The last time he was groomed was in late November. At that time, before I took him, I had cut all of his fur off really short myself because of mats. The way those mats happened were really confusing. Before I cut him, he was a big fluffy mop, and no mats. But then my son gave him a bath, and I don't know what happened, if he didn't rinse him well, or if it was because the fur dryed tangled before being brushed or what. But after that bath he ended up immediately covered with mats down to his skin all over his body. I couldn't do anything with it except cut his fur very short all over. I had gotten most of them out, except for some tiny ones here and there, like in his armpits, and maybe some around the neck.
So I took him to the groomers, so that they could straighten him out the best they could, so that he would at least look neater after I had butchered his fur. Because of the tiny mats that were left, the groomer lectured me, and told me that letting my dog get mats was dog abuse. I felt very hurt, because it was never my intention to abuse our dog. I mean, that's why I cut his fur myself to begin with. I was so upset when he was matted down to the skin, and it had happened so fast because of that one bath.
His fur is so strange, and I just don't know how to deal with it. It is getting harder and harder to deal with. After his last cut, I told my teenage daughter to make sure and brush him every day, because I didn't want it to happen again. I work all the time, and don't have time to do it myself all the time. Well, regardless to say, she didn't do it as often as she should. He now needs another cut, which I will probably take him next week as soon as I get paid.
He is a big fluffy mop again, and he has some mats around his neck on each side, and some on his chest. Nothing that feels real close to the skin, but still there.
I tried cutting him tonight, but he won't let me. He is hyper, and he keeps trying to nip at me. he keeps trying to get away, and I'm afraid to cut around his neck in fear of stabbing him with the scissors. I don't know how to keep him still.
But when he is at the groomers, they said he was so good. He stands up there , with a leash attached to the table, and he lets them cut his fur. I try to do it on the bed, but he keeps rolling around. I don't understand why he won't be still for me.
So I can't get the mats out. I wanted to cut those out before taking him to the groomers. Which, by the way, I'm taking him to a new groomer, because I'm afraid the other woman will either lecture me again. I mean, the mats are not anywhere close to an abused abandoned dog, but any mats at all will anger her.
So I guess, the questions I need answered are:
Do all groomers accuse you of abusing your dog if there are a few mats?
Should I try to somehow get the mats out before taking him to be groomed?
If so, how do I get the mats out when he won't be still?
Should I buy a pair of dog clippers to use in between groomings?
Why does he seem to mat up so easy after a bath?
I know I should be taking him every 4 weeks (because that is how fast his fur grows). But I'm a single mom, and $65.00 every month is sometimes not possible.
His fur is really challenging to me, do full breed poodles grow this fast? His fur grows several inches long, and is long, wavy and fuzzy. It is like very long strands of cotton, very hard to describe. When he is groomed short, he looks like a poodle. When he grows out, he looks like a rag mop, lol.
Please don't lecture me, because I am trying to take care of his fur, it is just very hard to manage.