Should I shave my Coton de Tulear if he's matted?

by R.
(Canada)

My Coton de Tulear is 9 months old. He has quite a few mats on his hair right now. The groomer wants to shave him down. Is that a good idea for a Coton? Will the hair grow back just as soft and thick? How long do you think it will take to grow back? Tell me if you think it is a good idea to get him shaved down.

Do you know this Coton?

by Steve and Regina
(Staten Island)

Actually you do if you have read stories here before. Here are some hints. It's our little boy. He turned a year old in July. He likes to ride in his Camaro with his daddy and takes trips to Manhattan. Oh, and even after Barkbusters, he still barks a lot. Give up? Well, it's BB.

Unfortunately he got so matted(even though we brush him constantly) that the only way to fix him was to start over. We even tried Cowboy Magic!

So the plan is to keep brushing him as his coat grows back, use the Cowboy Magic on a regular basis, and never, ever, ever let matts develop again. We know he will be back to our cute little boy again in a couple of months. Until then, we love our "new" little boy just as much as always.

P.S. We now call him CC!

Matting in Coton de Tulear coat

by Susan
(Scotland)

My Coton de Tulear has developed some matting in his coat and I have been advised by groomer to get his fur shaved off completely. Is this correct? Does anyone have any experience of this. Can you help? I really do not want to do this. I don't know if the groomer can't be bothered so the easy option would be to shave him completely.

Puppy Hair & Adult Hair Much Different -Thank Goodness

by vh
(Glendale,Az)

I do not know how to upload photos but Jonah is as cute as they all are. Cotons are wonderful inside & out. As far as grooming, a breeder once told me their hair grows back. I groom my own if u get a bad mat cut vertically into it & comb out or use thinning shears. Now I run a brush through him daily 5 min. & always comb out after a bath for sure by the next day. (He is 3 now)

Combing really gets easier (I promise) the more u practice. I thought what did I get myself into. I thought I was going to go crazy between the age of 7 mo to 13 mo - the fur mats within seconds of brushing. That is when the breeder said "the hair will grow back if u need to cut out mats instead of pulling their hair" they learn to hate grooming when there hair gets pulled.

I also was turned onto cowboy magic detangler which is for horses. Just a dime size rub into the mat to help release the hair & weekly rub it onto your hands apply to coat & always brush it in (silicone base). This also helps there coat if they love water & from our Az. heat.

It gets 100% better around that 14 mo. (approx) so daily please take care of those mats where there nails can get caught. Cotton balls.