Your dog’s coat, ideally, is silky smooth. But we all know that life gets the best of us, and our pets can sometimes end up with unwanted matting.

Below are a few tips to help you prevent these from forming:

Groom Your Dog Regularly

You should attempt to brush your dog’s coat at least once a week. If you have a long-haired dog, you should brush more often. After walks, look for burrs, leaves, and seeds that might have lodged in your dog’s coat. Catching these early can help you prevent them from forming into mats.

Remove Small Knots

If the knot is small enough, you might be able to tease it apart by gently pulling it. Make sure that you are working in a parallel direction with the skin- never pull away from it. If this doesn’t prove successful, try inserting the teeth of a comb near the top end of the knot and combing it out.

Cut Out Stubborn Knots

If you can’t tease apart the knot, you might need to very carefully cut out the knot. Be extremely careful not to cut the skin. A good way to go about this is to slide a comb in between the skin and the knot as a barrier, then cut the knot above the comb.

Clip or Trim

Depending on your dog’s hair, you might want to give him an all-over haircut or just trim areas that are prone to getting dirty or tangled. Bathe your dog and when he is almost dry use clippers to trim in the direction of the hair. Try not to get a clipper that is too loud so your dog doesn’t become frightened, and make sure that as you’re working the clippers don’t heat up too much.

Healthy Diet

Your dog’s skin and fur are reflections of overall health. Feed your dog a nutritious diet that encourages healthy skin and hair. Read the labels on dog food to make sure that they follow the diet protocols established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

Fish Oil Supplements

Lack of fatty acids are a major contributor to skin problems in dogs, like eczema and dull, flaky skin. Fish oil that contains Omega-3 fatty acids can help with your pet’s skin problems.