schnauzer tangles!!!

merlinsquest

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Hi,

Only posted on the horsey bit so far (I think) but I have a dilemma.

My daughter has shampood the schnauzer.... sadly his coat has gone wild and matted badly on the tummy and legs. Worst on the tummy.

I dont want to clip it off, but he isnt very keen on me brushing or combing it. I went to petsmart and bought a couple of rakey bladey things but they seem to only do the job if you pull hard (not an option IMO).

So, is there anything I can spray on it or bath him in to untangle them (also bought some detangle spray... rubbish) or is he for the chop and to look silly for christmas!!??

All help gratefully received.
 
You could try human conditioner on him, followed by leave in conditioner should make the hair silkier and easier to de-knot, start at the end of his hair eg, NOT at the root and do little bits at a time a small, stiff bristle brush will be much better than a plastic one!! Other wise why not pop him to your local dog groomer? Good Luck and remind your daughter to always condition him when he is washed!!!!!
 
bit late now - but try and get hold of some terrier shampoo next time - specially made to deal with wiry harsh coats like a Schnauzer should have. - Idealy he needs to be stripped out by hand regularly to remove the dead undercoat otherwise this will build up and can be a problem ( as you are finding out )- some salons will do this for you but most just clip the coat out which does nothing to remove the excess 'undergrowth' problem !.

However as he has got in a bit of a mess I would have him clipped really short then try and learn how to hand strip yourself - find a good show breeder of coated terriers such as Norfolk/Norwich/Fox /Irish, Westie etc and ask them to teach you - so that you can solve the problem yourself in the future.
 
Unfortunately the majority of Min Schnauzers no longer have wirey terrier type coat, and those that do generally have it only along neck & back. Most pet breed Schnuazers have cotton coats, making dematting a nightmare. Secret is, brush and comb out all dead hair BEFORE bathing. Use a dematter to remover any big matts, dematters have blades that are placed behind the matts, you then pull the blades threw the matts splitting them. Brush and comb out afterwards.

As Milor suggested, clip it off now, nothing worse than causing a dog pain
 
Yes he is very soft and fluffy.... a bit wiry on the back but not much. I dont want to shave him just before xmas as he may be embarrassed so will try to razor the mats off and brush the rest out!!

Thanks for your help.
 
....if dogs got embarassed they would'nt sniff each other's butts
grin.gif
 
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