How to brush out mats at home

The short answer: work on small, loose mats only. Hold the hair between the mat and the skin, tease the mat apart with your fingers, then brush from the tip of the hair towards the skin in short strokes. If a mat sits tight against the skin, or your pet flinches, stop. That one goes to a groomer or a vet.

Mats are hair that has knotted around loose undercoat. They start small, behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits, at the back of the legs and under the tail. Caught early, they come out at home. Left for weeks, they pull the skin and need clippers.

Know which mats you can do

Run your fingers through the coat down to the skin. A light tangle moves when you wiggle it, and you can get a finger between it and the skin. That is a home job.

A tight mat feels like a felt pad stuck to the body. You cannot get a finger under it, the skin moves with it, and your pet may pull away when you touch it. Do not brush that one out, and do not cut it with scissors. Skin lifts with the mat, and it is easy to cut skin by accident. A groomer can clip it safely. If the skin underneath looks red, wet, or sore, see a vet.

Set up

Pick a quiet time, after a walk or a meal, when your pet is calm. Use a towel on your lap or a table with a non-slip mat. Have treats nearby. Plan for five or ten minutes, not an hour. You can do one mat today and another tomorrow.

Work on dry or barely damp hair. A soaking wet mat tightens. Do not bathe a matted pet first. Water shrinks the knot and makes it harder.

Step by step

1. Hold the base. Pinch the hair between the mat and the skin with your fingers. Every pull now tugs on your fingers, not on your pet.
2. Split it with your fingers. Pull the mat gently apart into two or three smaller pieces. Most of the work happens here.
3. Brush the tip first. Use short, light strokes on the outer end of the mat. Then move a little closer to the skin, and a little closer again. Never start at the root and drag outwards.
4. Lift, do not press. Let the wires do the work. Pressing hard into the coat scrapes skin.
5. Check with a comb or your fingers. If you can run through to the skin, it is done. Move to the next one.
6. Break and reward. A treat after each mat helps. If your pet starts pulling away, stop for the day.

The tools

For loose hair and light tangles, a slicker is the right tool. The Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is the one we sell. The bristles are fine bent wires, and it works on cats as well as dogs. When you finish, press the button and the wires pull back, so the loose hair lifts off the brush in one go instead of being picked out by hand.

A slicker is not a mat splitter. It does the finishing once your fingers have opened the mat up. Brushing a tight mat over and over with a slicker only makes the skin sore.

Some people like a light mist while they brush, especially on a dry, static coat. The Avocado Steam Brush is a comb that gives a light spray as you go. Treat it as a mist, not a bath, and not a detangler that dissolves knots. Our grooming shelf has a few steam and spray brushes with similar titles. They do the same job. One is enough.

Stop if

• The mat is tight against the skin.
• Your pet cries, snaps, or keeps pulling away.
• You see redness, scabs, sores, or the skin feels hot.
• There are a lot of mats over a large area.

None of these are a reason to try harder. They are a reason to book a groomer, or a vet if the skin looks wrong.

Keep mats from coming back

Most mats grow in the same places. Spend two minutes a few times a week behind the ears, under the collar, the armpits, and the back of the legs. Take the collar or harness off now and then and brush under it. Dry the coat properly after rain or a bath, because damp hair knots faster. Long-haired and double-coated pets usually need brushing more often than short coats, especially when they shed in spring and autumn.

Short, regular brushing beats one big session. Small tangles take a minute. A big mat can take a groomer's appointment. Catch them early and you rarely get to that point.