What is the easiest way to get mats out of my dog's long hair?

He has really tight mats around the neck where his collar is, and the groomers want to shave him almost completely bald because of it. They said I can comb it out, but it will be really painful for him in that area. I figure I'll try to be as gentle as possible and give it a shot.What is the easiest way to get mats out of my dog's long hair?
Use a soft, natural bristle brush for long-haired cats and one with rounded steel bristles, set into a flexible rubber base for most dogs. The general rule is to buy longer bristles if your animal has long fur.


Hold your pet's skin above the direction you are brushing to keep loose skin from pulling with the brush and causing bruising. The bristles should slide along the surface of her skin smoothly. When you come to matted fur, gently brush the surface as the hairs untangle.





Dry your pet off before brushing. Trying to brush a wet animal is a disaster. Loose hair can come out and tangle around the bristles, clogging the brush and pulling instead of gliding. Allow a pet to dry and then brush his matted fur. You may comb conditioner through a wet dog's fur but do not pull on any mats. Be very gentle.





Cut out mats that are too close to the skin and too large to brush out. Sometimes a burr can work its way next to the skin and become hopelessly entangled before you find it. In longhaired cats, mats can form quickly. Using scissors, pull the mat away from the skin and carefully clip it in half. Keep the scissors at least 1/2 inch away from the surface of the skin.





Shave out mats that are too close to the skin to cut without risking injury to your pet.





Maintain your pet's fur by brushing every week, keeping mats from forming. Grooming is a pleasurable event when it is not painful.What is the easiest way to get mats out of my dog's long hair?
Let the groomer shave the mats out. The hair will grow back.
I have a yorkie that gets matted really badly because of her collars too. This is what I do. I bathe her with baby shampoo, and then with a conditioner or I spray hair detangler on her. While she is still in the tub, I got this special brush that totally pulls out het tangles. She never cries or fusses so it must not hurt her. The brush I got is called zoom groom. I got it at pet smart. The groomers there told me about it. Good luck
Massage the area with human hair conditioner and comb first with a wide toothed comb then a finer one. You will then have to wash off the conditioner but by this point there won't be much left. The other option is to buy mane detangler for horses, there is a lot of silicone in it and works a treat on dogs too. I would advise not leaving it to get this bad again as it is not an easy job.
Thats really cruel why don't you just try to shave him down it will do you and him a favor!!!
If the matting is down to the skin, they need to be shaved out. If you try to cut them out yourself, you risk cutting the dog.


You may be able to get the matts out using thinning shears, a slicker brush, and a comb.


A long coat requires a lot of work. Even if the mats have to be shaved off around the neck, remember that it's hair and it will grow back. To prevent this from happening again, you need to brush and comb the dog on a regular basis, paying extra attention to areas that are more prone to matting.


Combing out mats is painful for the dog. He may not let you do this.


You may also want to try a rolled leather collar as suggested, or if he is inside most of the time, only put the collar on for walks.
Having standard poodles, and having combed out my share of knots- I strongly advise you to PLEASE not put your dog through that, and let the groomer shave the dog down. Then, work harder to keep the dog from matting in the future. You can't do it ';gently';- it's not possible.





Please let the groomer shave your dog down, and then have him/her show you how to care for your dog's hair. One thing I would recommend is to use a rolled leather collar instead of a buckle collar- this will help keep the dog from matting around the neck- also make sure the dog isn't wearing the collar day in and day out- the less the dog wears the collar, the better-





Make sure the dog is not scratching due to fleas or allergies- scratching is another contributing factor to mats.
hi, my cockerspainel/sheepdog had really tight mates also(few years ago), i tried like crazy to brush her out, it was to painful for her. i took her to the groomers and to my surprise she actually did not get shaved almost bald. trust the groomer, it's just hair.
Honestly I think I would have to agree with the groomer on this. While his hair is growing back I would try to brush him at least once a week to keep it from happening again. Just think you'll be able to start fresh and the result will be much better.
Try using thinning shears. Snip the mat a couple of times with the thinning shears then brush with a slicker brush. Keep repeating the process until the mat falls out into the brush. DO NOT USE SCISSORS. You'll run the risk of cutting your dog.





Also the best collar to use for a dog with a lot of hair you should use a Rolled leather collar. That kind of collar will make it so the hair won't get matted around the neck.
ive always brushed mine right after a warm bath because then if you pull any hair out the pores are already stretched out so it wont pull at the skin as much causing less pain.