The long haired dog sheds its hair into the coat causing small mats to form.
Dogs matting hair.
This shedding process is not like those breeds that leave hair all over your house.
Dog fur often becomes tangled and knotted around itself without frequent brushing which is called matting.
Dogs with hair that is soft curly or wavy like poodles golden doodles and bichons are vulnerable to matting.
Grooming and maintaining your dog s coat in top condition is therefore essential to the dog s health and well being.
A dog s hair shafts are barbed much like a briar bush with some more barbed than others.
Small matted dog hair can occur daily because your long haired dog is continually shedding dead hairs.
The extra fur needs to be adequately extracted via a brush or else matting will occur.
As new hairs grown in mats can occur very close to the skin.
Mats are more prevalent in long haired dogs and cats especially during shedding season.
Mats occur frequently in many dog breeds with curly fine or double coats.
Dangers of matted hair in dogs and cats.
Matting is dense or tangled clumps of hair in a pet s coat.
The more barbs in the hair shaft the more likely to mat says verplank.
While the effect of mild hair mats is usually minimal matting can lead to pain and skin infections similar to hot spots.
Why matted hair is unhealthy for your dog.
In extreme cases the dog s coat will become what groomers call pelted when matting is very tight to the skin preventing proper air flow.
You might think matted hair is no big deal.
Severe matting can cause discomfort or even damage to the underlying skin or joints depending on the location.
Mats can also result from dogs scratching themselves and getting their fur wet in rain or snow.
Dogs with long silky hair like yorkies and shih tzu s can develop mats and tangles.