Tools for Matted Dog Ears

Mats on a dog's ears are more than a cosmetic problem. Matting is uncomfortable because it pulls at the sensitive skin around the ears and doesn't allow the skin to breath. If you have a dog with floppy, furry ears, lift one up and look inside. Mats that obstruct your dog's ear canal contribute to painful ear infections. Invest in some good grooming tools and learn to groom matted dog ears, along with the rest of your dog, with a little practice.

  1. Small Grooming Scissors

    • Use small, sharp scissors for cutting the worst of the mats away from the ears or for trimming the fine hair at the base of the ear canal. If the inside of your dog's ears are very furry, pay a professional groomer to show you how to trim them. Use scissors with care and only when the fur is matted right down to the skin, and then only to shorten the mat before combing it out. A look through a selection of professional grooming scissors may be overwhelming because there are so many choices. Look for scissors that easily fit your hand and are a suitable size for your dog's ears. Choose smaller, shorter blades if you have a long-haired chihuahua, longer blades for your Newfoundland. Some grooming scissors come with rounded safety tips, providing a handy feature for beginning groomers.

    Mat-Splitters or De-Matting Tools

    • Dematting combs or mat-splitters are available in several sizes and styles. Typically, they feature sharp, serrated blades that when worked carefully through a dense mat of fur, break the mat into thinner, more manageable strands.

    Dog Combs

    • Like scissors, combs come in a dizzying array of sizes, lengths and materials. Choose a comb based on the thickness and length of your dog's fur. A stainless steel comb with plastic-tipped and coarse or medium-spaced teeth will work for most dogs.

    Brush

    • Once the mats are cut away, split and combed out, brush the hair behind and around the base of your dog's ears. Regular brushing prevents future matting. A natural-bristle brush works on all coat types.