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How to handle a mat before it spreads

Small mats

How to handle a mat before it spreads

Every doodle, Bernese, spaniel and long-coated mix on Cape Ann grows a mat somewhere between grooms: behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits where the harness rubs. Caught small, it comes out at home. Left a fortnight, it fuses with its neighbors into a pelt that only clippers can remove.

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Black doodle standing on the grooming table after a trim

Last reviewed September 26, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

What you need

What you need: a steel comb, cornstarch and the patience to go slowly

The tools are modest. A steel greyhound-style comb with wide and fine teeth: the end tooth is the splitter. A slicker brush for the line brushing after. A mat splitter with guarded blades is optional and only for mats bigger than a walnut; most owners do better without one. Cornstarch from the kitchen or a detangling spray lubricates the hair so it slides apart instead of breaking.

You also need to know where to look. Run your hands, not the brush, over the whole dog once a week: behind and under the ears, the collar line, the armpits, the inside of the back legs, the tail base and between the toes. Mats start where friction meets moisture, and your fingers find a pea-sized lump long before the brush does. Treats and good light finish the kit.

A steel comb with a fine end tooth
A slicker brush for the line brushing afterward
Cornstarch or a detangling spray
Hands first: a weekly feel behind the ears, at the collar, in the armpits and groin

The method

The method: hold, lubricate, split, pick, then line brush

Your fingers protect the skin. Slide them between the mat and the body and hold the base firmly; every bit of pulling then lands on your hand, not the dog. Work the cornstarch in with your fingertips until the hair feels dry and slippery. Push the end tooth of the comb through the mat lengthwise, in the direction the hair grows, splitting it into two thinner mats, then four.

Picking is the slow part. Start at the outer edge, where the mat meets loose coat, and tease a few hairs free with the comb, working inward toward the skin. Stop for a treat every minute. When the comb passes through the whole patch from the skin outward, line brush it: lift the coat above with one hand and brush the layer below down to the skin, row by row.

01
Feel the dog over and find the mat; if you cannot get a finger between it and the skin, stop here and book a groomer
02
Hold the base of the mat against the skin with your fingers and work in cornstarch or detangling spray
03
Split the mat lengthwise with the end tooth of a steel comb, once, then again, into thinner strands
04
Pick each strand apart from the outer edge inward, a few hairs at a time, with a treat every minute
05
Line brush the patch to the skin with a slicker, check with the comb, then look for the next one

Where it goes wrong

Where it goes wrong: the bath, the scissors and the brush over the top

The bath is the most common way a small mat becomes a large one. Water swells the hair and the mat shrinks as it dries, pulling tighter and closer to the skin, which is why a groomer takes mats out before the tub, not after. The scissors are the most dangerous mistake. A mat pulls the skin up into itself, and a snip at what looks like hair opens the skin more often than owners believe.

The third mistake is brushing over the top. A slicker dragged across the surface of a doodle coat leaves it fluffy above and felted below, and the mats are found weeks later at the groom, by which time the only kind option is a short clip. Line brushing, in rows down to the skin, is the fix; the doodle brushing page linked below walks through it.

Bathing first: water tightens every mat on the dog
Scissors: the skin is inside the mat, not below it
Surface brushing that leaves the undercoat felted
Waiting for the next groom while the mat joins its neighbors

A fluffy bernedoodle standing on grass in a park with its coat in full growth

The Cape Ann version

The Cape Ann version: sea water, burrs, harnesses and winter coats

The Cape Ann coat has extra enemies. Sea water at Good Harbor or Wingaersheek on the winter dog days leaves salt in the coat that tightens a tangle within a day, and wet sand grinds it. Rinse and dry fully after the beach and feel the armpits and ears before bed. Fall walks on Dogtown Common and at Ravenswood Park bring home burrs that knot a doodle's leg feathering in an afternoon.

Winter adds friction. A coat rubbing at the armpits and chest, a harness worn all day, a wet collar on a long-haired neck: each makes a mat in the same place every week. Check under the gear each evening, and let the coat dry before the harness goes back on. The doodles, Bernese and Aussies our groomers see most often mat first behind the ears and under the harness straps.

When to hand it to us

When to hand it to us: dematting at $15 per 20 minutes, or the kind shave

Our groomers demat at $15 per 20 minutes on top of a bath, which starts at $55 by size, or a full service groom from $75. That rate is for mats that will come out without hurting the dog; a coat that has pelted, where the mats have joined into a sheet against the skin, is shaved short instead, because an hour of pulling is not kindness. The groomer confirms the price at check-in. No evaluation is needed for grooming.

Hand it over when you cannot slide a finger under the mat, when the dog is in pain or growls at the comb, when the skin under the mat is red, damp or smells, or when the mats are in the armpits, groin or ears where the skin is thinnest. Book the next groom at pickup and save $5, and add a mid-cycle bath and brush if the coat is one that felts fast.

You cannot get a finger between the mat and the skin
The dog is sore, growling or hiding from the comb
The skin under the mat is red, damp or smells
More than three mats: it is a coat problem, not a mat problem

At Dogtown

When the comb is not enough

Dematting by the 20 minutes, a bath or full service by size, and a groomer who tells you plainly when a shave is kinder.

Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Can I just cut a small mat out with scissors?

No. A mat draws the skin up into itself, so the base you see is often skin, not hair, and a nick there bleeds heavily and needs the vet. If the mat is too tight to split with a comb, a groomer removes it with clippers, which have a guarded edge and glide along the skin. Dematting is $15 per 20 minutes on top of a bath or full service.

How do I stop mats forming in the first place?

Line brush to the skin two or three times a week on a doodle, once a week on a spaniel or Bernese, and dry the coat fully after every swim or bath. Take harnesses and coats off indoors. Feel behind the ears, at the collar line and in the armpits every evening. Keep grooms on a regular cycle so the groomer sees the coat before it felts.

Does cornstarch really help with mats?

Yes. Worked into a dry mat, it coats the hair so strands slide past each other rather than gripping, and it absorbs the slight dampness that keeps a mat tight. A detangling spray does the same job. What does not help is water, conditioner on a wet mat, or oil, which leaves a greasy patch that traps dirt. Brush the cornstarch out afterward.

Why does my dog mat behind the ears more than anywhere else?

The ear leather rubs the fine hair below it every time the dog shakes, scratches or lies down, and that hair is thinner and softer than the body coat. Add a wet ear after a swim and a collar riding up, and you have friction plus moisture, the recipe for a mat. Check there daily, and ask the groomer for a shorter trim behind the ears.