Can I bathe the dog to make the knots easier to remove?

No, and it is the most expensive mistake of all. Water makes hair swell and then shrink, and a knot that is wetted and dried becomes a compact plate that is far harder to open. The correct order never changes: detangle completely, then bathe, then dry all the way down to the skin.

My cat grooms itself: do I still need to brush?

Self grooming removes surface hair, not knots in the inner layer, and it declines with age, excess weight and joint pain. In long haired cats daily brushing also reduces the amount of hair swallowed. If a cat that used to groom itself stops doing so, that change deserves a check up.

Does clipping a long coated dog in summer help with the heat?

In double coated breeds a full clip is not an automatic solution: that coat also insulates against heat and, once clipped, in some breeds it regrows unevenly. Against heat you get more from thorough brushing that removes dead undercoat, plus shade, water and choosing when to go out. Clipping remains indicated when there is matting, a skin problem or a veterinary reason.

How long should a session last?

Less than you think. For most animals ten minutes a day beats an hour a week, because it stays inside their tolerance and never turns the brush into a negative signal. A long coat neglected for a week needs much longer sessions at exactly the moment the animal will tolerate them least.

How do I get a puppy used to the brush?

Start before you need to. Rest the brush motionless on the body, give a treat, take the brush away: repeated over a few days, this builds the positive association. Then add a single stroke, then two, increasing very slowly. Skip this stage and you end up detangling an adult that treats the brush as a threat.

Grooming and hygiene30 minLevel: IntermediateUpdated on July 25, 2026

Brushing a long coat before it turns into mats

Line brushing for long haired dogs and cats, with the areas to check daily, how to open a knot safely and when to stop and call a groomer.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Valid everywhere

What you need before you start

Una spazzola a denti fini adatta alla taglia, con punte arrotondate e non appuntite
Un pettine di metallo con due densità di denti, una larga e una stretta, per la verifica finale
Uno spray districante senza risciacquo, per ammorbidire il pelo prima di lavorare sui nodi
Un tappetino antiscivolo e una scorta di premi molto piccoli da dare durante la seduta

Matting does not appear overnight: it grows out of weeks of brushing that only touches the surface of the coat. A long coat has two layers, a coarser outer one and a finer inner one, and knots almost always form in the inner layer, where a brush never reaches if it glides over the top. A coat can therefore look glossy and tidy while hiding a compact plate underneath that tugs on the skin with every movement. This guide describes line brushing, the method that lets you verify you really reached the skin, the correct way to open a knot, and the point beyond which persisting causes damage and a groomer should take over.

Where knots start and why always in the same places

Knots form where hair is subject to repeated friction or moisture and where the brush arrives last. Those areas are predictable, so prevention is simple: check them before the rest, not at the end when the animal has already run out of patience.

Risk area, cause and checking frequency
Area	Why it knots	How often to check
Behind the ears	Fine hair and constant head movement	Daily in long coats
Armpits and groin	Constant friction between limb and body	Daily
Rear of the thighs	Long hair moving with every step	Every two days
Under the collar or harness	Prolonged compression of the coat	Every time the collar comes off
Tail and leg feathering	They collect dirt, leaves and moisture	After every walk in the countryside
Between the paw pads	Moisture, soil and de icing salt	Weekly, more often in winter

The tools and what each one actually does

Tool, function and limit
Tool	What it is for	What it cannot do
Fine pinned slicker brush	Removing dead hair from the inner layer	It will not open an established mat
Wide toothed metal comb	First pass and locating large knots	It does not reach the skin in very dense coats
Fine toothed metal comb	The final check: if it passes, the job is done	It should never be used to force a knot
Undercoat tool	Thinning out the seasonal moult	Overused, it thins and damages the coat
Detangling spray	Reducing friction so the comb slides	It does not replace hand work on the knot
Scissors	No role at all on knots	They cut skin extremely easily

A tool with pins that are not rounded scores the skin without you noticing, and the result is brush burn that makes the next session impossible. Run the back of your hand over the pins before buying: if it scratches you, it scratches your animal.

Line brushing in seven steps

Choose the moment and the surface
Work when the animal is already calm, usually after a walk or on waking from a rest. Put a non slip mat on a stable surface for small animals, or work on the floor with large dogs: an animal that slides never relaxes.
Run your hands over the whole body first
Before the brush, explore with your fingers and locate the knots. This does two things: it tells you where the sore areas are before a tool touches them, and it turns the start of the session into pleasant contact rather than a surprise.
Mist detangler onto the difficult areas
Spray where you found knots and let it work for the time the product states. Dry frizzy hair snaps; softened hair slides. Do not use plain water: wetting without detangling tightens the knot.
Lift a line of coat with your free hand
With one hand lift the coat upwards and hold it, leaving only a horizontal strip near the skin exposed. That is line brushing: you work one line at a time, from the bottom up, the way you turn pages in a book.
Brush the exposed strip starting at the roots
Set the brush down close to the skin without pressing and draw it out in the direction of hair growth to the tips. Repeat until the brush glides with no resistance, then drop your hand a centimetre and expose the next line.
Verify with the fine toothed comb
At the end of each area, run the comb from the skin outwards. If the comb stops, the work there is not finished, however perfect the surface looks. The comb is the test, not a tool for forcing.
End the session before the animal ends it for you
Stop while the animal is still cooperating, even if you only completed half the body, and finish the rest later or the next day. Always close with a treat and a few seconds of pleasant contact, so the next session starts better.

Opening a knot without cutting it

A recent knot is a tangle of hair that can still be separated. A mat is a compact plate, often stuck to the skin, that cannot. You tell them apart with a finger: if you can slide one between the mass and the skin, you are still in the first case.

Isolate the knot with your fingers and hold it firmly at the base, close to the skin, so you never pull on skin while working.
Apply detangler and wait the stated time without rubbing.
Open the knot from the outside inwards, splitting it into smaller sections with your fingers, never starting at the root.
Work each section with the tip of the wide toothed comb in short repeated strokes, keeping the base held still.
Take breaks: if the animal stiffens or turns towards your hand, leave that knot and come back to it later.
Once a section is open, verify it with the fine toothed comb and move on to the next knot.

When to stop and call a professional

The mat is stuck to the skin and you cannot slide a finger underneath.
The skin under the mat is red, damp, smelly or scabbed.
The animal cries out, turns towards your hand or shows pain when you approach the area.
There are more than two or three mats and they cover wide areas such as the back or flanks.
The coat is full of sand, resin, tar or sticky substances that a comb cannot remove.
You are dealing with a cat that will not tolerate handling: persisting costs more than it gains, and clipping under sedation should be discussed with your vet.

A heavily matted coat is not only a cosmetic problem. The plate stops air reaching the skin, traps moisture and urine, encourages dermatitis and hides parasites and wounds. In severe cases it also restricts movement, because the mat ties together body parts that should slide over each other. In those situations the answer is a full clip by someone with the right clippers, not a rescue attempt with a brush.

How often to brush, by coat type

Coat type, minimum frequency and seasonal note
Coat type	Minimum frequency	Note
Long coat with dense undercoat	Daily	Twice a day during the moult
Long coat without undercoat	Every two days	Watch the feathering and the tail
Curly or woolly coat	Daily	Curls knot even without dead hair
Medium coat	Two or three times a week	More often when the seasons change
Long haired cat	Daily, in short sessions	Many three minute sessions beat one long one
Older animal or one with arthritis	Daily, in a comfortable position	Avoid lifting limbs or long periods standing

If the coat changes texture, turns dull, knots far more than usual or falls out in patches, brushing is not the answer. Coat changes accompany endocrine, parasitic and nutritional problems, and a clear change over a few weeks belongs in front of your vet, together with the dates when you noticed it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bathe the dog to make the knots easier to remove?: No, and it is the most expensive mistake of all. Water makes hair swell and then shrink, and a knot that is wetted and dried becomes a compact plate that is far harder to open. The correct order never changes: detangle completely, then bathe, then dry all the way down to the skin.
My cat grooms itself: do I still need to brush?: Self grooming removes surface hair, not knots in the inner layer, and it declines with age, excess weight and joint pain. In long haired cats daily brushing also reduces the amount of hair swallowed. If a cat that used to groom itself stops doing so, that change deserves a check up.
Does clipping a long coated dog in summer help with the heat?: In double coated breeds a full clip is not an automatic solution: that coat also insulates against heat and, once clipped, in some breeds it regrows unevenly. Against heat you get more from thorough brushing that removes dead undercoat, plus shade, water and choosing when to go out. Clipping remains indicated when there is matting, a skin problem or a veterinary reason.
How long should a session last?: Less than you think. For most animals ten minutes a day beats an hour a week, because it stays inside their tolerance and never turns the brush into a negative signal. A long coat neglected for a week needs much longer sessions at exactly the moment the animal will tolerate them least.
How do I get a puppy used to the brush?: Start before you need to. Rest the brush motionless on the body, give a treat, take the brush away: repeated over a few days, this builds the positive association. Then add a single stroke, then two, increasing very slowly. Skip this stage and you end up detangling an adult that treats the brush as a threat.

What to do next

Work one line at a time from the skin outwards rather than over the surface, and test every area with the fine toothed comb before declaring it done. Check behind the ears, armpits, groin and rear thighs daily, always soften a knot before opening it, and never reach for scissors. If a mat is stuck to the skin or the skin underneath is red, stop and call a groomer or your vet.