Possible causes:
he wasn't brushed out prior to the bath
Is your dog in the midst of blowing coat?
Good idea to get all loose hair out prior to bathing. and keep rinsing
until the water runs clear of hair debris and soap suds...
Did you rinse ALL the soap out?
Did you use a HIGH QUALITY shampoo and dilute it appropriately and/or use
conditioner?
MOST Human shampoos are not meant for dogs... (DAWN dish soap strips the
hair of all natural oils- that's why they use it on animals caught in oil
slicks)
Many grocery store shampoos (hartz products for example) are essentially
useless... works for a beagle not for a Berner
Did he roll on carpeting or grass and dirt post bath?
A good pin brush ought to help you remove the mats...
SOLUTION: don't brush the coat dry- mist with water not saturate... use a
pin brush, or rake if he is shedding , or large ['greyhound']comb to gently
comb through the coat. work one section at time. comb in long strokes; use a
good leave in conditioner (actually, Paul Mitchell leave in conditioner
works pretty well- only a small drop is really necessary)
CAUTION: 7 hours to dry?? IF it is humid out; this is the perfect
environment for hot spots to form...also leaving soap in the coat can dry
and irritate the skin...
hope this helps...
~Rebecca (owned by Bernese since 1989)
Canine-Corner "from hair to heel"
Grooming; Training & *free* Breeder-Referral Service
Owner/groomer/Trainer/BMD Breeder
CGC evaluator
The Home of: CC-Bernese
Red Hook, NY
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<www.canine-cornerbmd.com>
(currently under construction)
"A DOG IS THE ONLY RELATIVE YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE SO CHOOSE
WISELY!"
-----Original Message-----
From: Natalie Waters Seum [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: August 2, 2003 9:33 PM
To: Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List
Subject: grooming question
Greetings -
I'm hoping someone can help me out with this. We gave George a bath today
at
a grooming facility and decided to let him dry naturally... the room was a
bit warm. Seven hours later he is close to dry, but I've just discovered
terrible mats across his back and on both shoulders. Could this be because
we didn't blow dry him? He's never had mats in that area - only a bit
behind
his ears. I worked on him with a comb for about a half hour - until he was
obviously uncomfortable. I'll resume trying to get them out tomorrow - any
advice?
Many thanks,
Natalie and George
(Mom, I've had enough already... a brushing, bath and combing all in the
same day... ph-lease.)
