Removing existing knots and mats without shaving

Before you touch anything you need to know what you are dealing with, because the strategy changes entirely. A knot is a small surface tangle that gives way with patience; a mat is hair compacted into a dense mass that no comb can pass through. Run your fingers through the coat and judge the density and depth: it is this assessment, not the look of it, that tells you whether you can proceed.

The most common mistake is to start pulling dry hair on an already anxious animal. The mat has to be softened and the animal set up so discomfort is minimal, otherwise every tug teaches it that grooming hurts, and next time will be worse. Preparation matters as much as technique.

• Do not wet or wash a mat before working it out: water tightens it like a sponge and makes it almost impossible to open.
• Apply a detangler made for animals to the area, leaving it on for the stated minutes to soften the mass.
• Work on a calm, well fed animal at a quiet time of day, not right after play or an unsettled arrival home.
• Choose a stable surface at the right height for you, so your hands stay steady and precise.
• Keep a treat within reach and plan for frequent breaks: ten minutes a day over several days beats an hour of struggle.

A mat is opened from the tip toward the root, a little at a time, never grabbed whole and yanked. The aim is to split the mass into ever thinner sections until the comb passes. It is slow work that rewards patience: every attempt to rush ends in a tug and an animal that no longer wants to be touched.

1. 1

   Isolate the mat from the rest of the coat

   Separate the mass from the surrounding coat with your fingers, so you work only on it and leave the healthy hair alone. Hold the base steady with one hand throughout.

2. 2

   Soften it and split it with your fingers

   After the detangler has done its work, open the mat from outside by teasing the hairs apart with your fingertips, like fraying a rope. Reduce the mass to smaller sections before using any tool.

3. 3

   Use a mat splitter or thinning tool on the sections

   Run the tool over the already thinned sections, always starting at the tips and moving down a little at a time toward the root. Never force it against resistance.

4. 4

   Comb with the wide teeth, then the fine teeth

   As a section starts to give, run the wide toothed comb through to check it has opened, then finish with the fine toothed comb only where it passes without effort.

5. 5

   Take breaks and check the skin

   Stop the moment the animal shows discomfort and look at the skin under the mat: redness, scabs or a bad smell change the plan and may call for the vet.

6. 6

   Finish with a full brush through

   Once the area is open, brush the whole coat to remove the freed dead hair and to make sure no small hidden mats remain at the base.

Removing today's mats is pointless if they reform tomorrow. Mats are not a random event, they are the result of absent or shallow brushing on a coat type that produces them. Changing the routine is the only way to avoid reaching for the scissors every few months.

1. Brush regularly according to coat type: daily for long or curly coats, less often for others.
2. Work down to the skin, not just the surface: mats form at the root, where the comb often fails to reach.
3. Check the high risk areas, meaning the armpits, behind the ears, inner thighs and under the collar, which tangle first.
4. Never wet a coat while knots are still present: water turns them into full mats.
5. Schedule professional grooming at regular intervals for continuously growing coats, without waiting for the problem to blow up.