How to Clip a Matted Dog

Mats are dense tangles of fur that become knots through lack of care and grooming. While long-furred dogs are more prone to this problem than short-furred dogs, any dog can develop mats. The longer a mat is left in the dog's fur, the worse it gets and the harder it it is clean out. In the case of a very matted dog, a professional groomer can more easily remove the problem, but if your matted dog only has a few mats, it is possible to cut them out yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Wire brush
  • Mat rake
  • Fine-toothed comb
  • Scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush your dog lightly with a wire brush. This shows you where the mats are and how bad the matting might be. This also gets any loose hair out of your way.

    • 2

      Separate a mat away from the free hair with your fingers.

    • 3

      Brush the mat gently with a mat rake if it is small or the matting is new. This can untangle the fur without a need to cut it.

    • 4

      Slide the teeth of a fine-toothed comb between the mat and the dog's skin, pulling the mat away from the skin gently.

    • 5

      Snip the mat away from the dog's fur with a pair of scissors, making your cut with the comb between the scissor blades and your dog's skin.

    • 6

      Repeat these steps until your dog's mats are gone.