Shampoodles Grooming Studio

11/15/2025

Proper grooming = healthcare! 🙌🏻

Matting: What You Don’t See Really Does Hurt

Matting isn’t just “tangled fur.” It’s tight, painful knotting that pulls at the skin every time a dog moves. Even small mats can cause discomfort, hide skin issues, trap moisture, and make everyday movement uncomfortable. What looks like a minor grooming issue can actually be a serious welfare concern.

How Matting Happens

Matting can build up fast. Common causes include:
• Skipping or inconsistent brushing
• Curly or long coats growing out between grooms
• Harnesses, collars, and clothing rubbing the coat
• Seasonal shedding getting stuck and compacting
• Moisture from rain or snow drying in the coat
• Undercoat not being removed properly

Some coat types (poodles, doodles, shih tzus, cockers, bichons, etc.) are simply more prone to matting even with decent care.

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Why Matting Is More Serious Than It Looks

Mats can:
• Pull on the skin and cause pain
• Hide redness, sores, or infections
• Trap debris, moisture, and bacteria
• Restrict movement in severe cases
• Make brushing painful or unsafe
• Cause stress or fear around grooming

Once mats tighten, brushing them out isn’t only unrealistic—it risks injury.

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Humane Grooming Decisions

When matting becomes severe, shaving isn’t a “last resort,” it’s the safest and most humane choice. Removing the coat allows the dog to be comfortable again and prevents hours of painful dematting.

After a reset, you can start fresh with a coat maintenance routine that fits your dog’s coat type and lifestyle.

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What Proper Home Coat Maintenance Actually Looks Like

Preventing matting isn’t about brushing “when you remember.” It’s about using the right tools, the right technique, and staying consistent.

Here’s what realistic, effective coat care looks like at home:

1. Brush BEFORE bathing

Water tightens mats. Always brush and comb through the coat before getting a dog wet.

2. Use the right tools

For most long or curly coats, you need:
• A slicker brush (quality, not dollar-store)
• A metal greyhound comb
• Detangling/slick spray to reduce friction

Brush with the slicker, then follow with the comb. If the comb can’t pass through the coat, it’s not mat-free.

3. Brush in layers

Don’t “surface brush.”
Lift the coat in small sections and brush from the skin outward. This prevents hidden mats from forming underneath the top layer.

4. Check friction zones daily

These areas mat the fastest:
• Behind ears
• Under the collar
• Armpits
• Tail base
• Groin area
• Legs where they bend

A quick daily check can prevent big problems later.

5. Keep up with regular trims

If your lifestyle, schedule, or the dog’s temperament makes brushing difficult, shorter, lower-maintenance styles help prevent matting entirely.

6. Stick to a grooming schedule

Most long- or curly-coated dogs need grooming every 4–8 weeks, depending on coat type and length. Even with great brushing, professional upkeep prevents buildup.

7. Use conditioner or detangling spray

Coats tangle when they’re dry and staticky. A proper spray or leave-in conditioner reduces friction and keeps hair smoother between grooms.

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A Fresh Start Is a Good Start

If the coat needs to be shaved due to matting, it’s not a setback. It’s a reset that lets you create a routine that works for both you and your dog.

10/15/2025

Excellent guidance for anyone with “puppy fever” thinking about getting a new dog! 🐾

Some good comments on the post as well.

05/30/2025

Handy tick chart!
Note esp. the TYPE of infection - different treatments for different types! Also beware that a standard tick test does not check for all of these infections, so if you suspect something like RMSF you need to specifically order that test. Apparently it's in the area now. 😝

Ticks are really bad this spring.
Be aware that Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is in Maine and New England.
Previously unheard of in this area ,it is not picked up on a the usual dog tick blood test, and needs to be ordered .

My friend's dog recently had a very serious case, and had they not started antibiotics and done a RNSF blood test, she may have died.
It can be fatal to people. Link to the latest info on RMSP and people, and AN ADDITIONAL TICK , Rabbit Tick to worry about, in the comments.

08/29/2024

Yes! Too many people think fat pets are healthy. 🙁 Please learn to monitor your pet’s weight properly. There are so many health risks to carrying excess weight.
Also remember that weight is relative… 5 lbs may be no big deal to a human, but for a small dog, that’s a very large percentage of their natural weight; the equivalent of me gaining 30-40 lbs! 😲 Can you imagine the impact that would have on my health and physical comfort? How is that any different for your pet? 🐾

Many of you know we are huge proponents of keeping your pets lean and fit. Unfortunately (particularly in the States), many people don't know what a lean dog is supposed to look like. Owners of healthy, lean dogs are always being told their dogs are "too skinny" when in fact they are not. We are just used to seeing overweight dogs and think that's normal.

Here's one of our favorite visual comparisons from malnourished (too thin) to obese. The middle two pics are healthy lean dogs. From the side, you should see a nice tuck behind their ribs and a noticeable hourglass waist when looking down on their back. And for some short coat dogs, yes seeing one or two ribs is OK!

Keeping your dogs at the low end of their healthy weight range will not only help their joints and prevent disease, studies have shown that dogs which are kept at a lean weight, live two years longer than overweight dogs!

📷 Thanks Midwest Canines for this great visual. ♥️

03/21/2024

FYI, the shop phone has been on the fritz AGAIN this week... and so I've made the difficult decision to shut it off. I've had this landline for Shampoodles for 26 years! Change is hard, but the monthly TDS bill (even before adding in long distance charges) isn't worth it anymore.
Most of my remaining clients have my cell phone number anyway, so I will just be using that from here on. (Hey at least now I can write it off as a business expense. haha)

Bye bye shop phone, hello future.

One more step towards the end of an era. 😕 Definite mixed feelings! At minimum, semi-retirement is inevitable sooner or later. For now I remain focused on what I can fit in for current clients. I will also still be available on working days for nail trims/grinding.

If you are an existing client and do not have my "new" number and need to contact me, please email me (address on my website). I'm still deciding on how much I want to publicize my personal phone number.

Thanks again for all the support throughout the years! 💗

08/17/2023

Sharing because I like Poodles & poetry - and more importantly, because it's true. 😉
The dog's welfare comes first. If you want full coat, you have to maintain it properly.
i.e. Brush your dog!

If you don't understand how to correctly brush & comb your dog, your professional groomer can instruct you. 👍
If you are unable to maintain a long coat, then you will have to compromise with a shorter clip.

Also note that maintenance baths are important as well. Show dogs in full coat get a proper bath & fluff dry every 1-2 weeks at minimum. Your dog may be a pet, and even a mixed breed, but if it's in any style of full, long coat, it requires the same upkeep as a show dog! 🐩🛁

07/11/2023

A few good tips on responsible pet ownership! 👍🏻

I spend so much time working with people and their reactive or aggressive dogs, learning how to help them and work with them, but I also try to show people with NON reactive dogs learn how they can help them too. I truly believe if we work together as a collaborative society of dog lovers we can help every dog live their best life. Here are some things I try to teach every human and dog team, and I’ve actually found these are good preventative tools too.

1. Stop letting your dog have on leash greetings with other dogs. Even if they are friendly. Teach your dog when they are on leash you are the best thing they can focus on! This will minimize their conditioned excitement every time they see another dog and help them not pull, lunge or move towards a reactive dog who doesn’t want an interaction. Also, the more you do let your dog meet dogs on leash, the more frustrated and aroused your dog can get when they see them and then reactivity can develop. NO leash greetings all around is a much healthier way to teach your dog(s) that the world out there is great but you’re even better to focus on!

2. Silence your dogs tags. I started doing this a few years ago when we started camping. I realized that the jingling of my dogs tags walking was a huge trigger for many of the dogs in their campsite, and as a result, they would bark and scream profanity at my dogs walking. This made their walk stressful too. By minimizing the noise, I’ve greatly improved my dogs walks and I know I’ve also helped a lot of reactive dogs not get triggered for the umpteenth time that day.

3. Work on a bombproof recall. And then work on it some more. And then some more.

4. Only let your dog off leash in places that are allowed. Even if you think no one is there. Even if it’s just for a second. Just. Don’t. Do it. It’s not fair and it sets so many dogs and humans up to fail. Want a place to let your dog run? Look at Sniffspot.com

5. Respect muzzles, give me space vests, and people saying “no” It is super hard to take a reactive dog out in public and have confidence. The more we give space and respect the better these teams will do! Don’t make judgements or stare or insist on saying hello because you hope to be the exception. Just tell them they are doing a great job and keep going.

6. Don’t let your dog stare. This is a BIG one we work on in all our classes. We teach humans how to position their dogs so they don’t stare at other dogs. I work hard on teaching my dogs to not stare at other dogs on leash and you can too. This is more subtle than not leash greeting but it can be just as helpful. Teach your dog to acknowledge there’s a dog there, but then move on, or turn around and not face them. For many reactive dogs there is nothing more triggering than a goofy adolescent dog staring at them across the road. I swear they scream back “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!”

7. Confine and safely manage your dog in the car. Dogs hanging out of windows, barking and lunging in the backseat, or moving back and forth in the car are problematic because 1. It’s not safe and 2. It’s teaching THEM terrible behavior and 3. It’s very stressful for reactive dogs trying to walk down the road. My dogs are crated in the car; or tethered or use a calming cap to reduce their own stress and the stress of dogs that may walk past.

8. Offer to help. Ask the person what you can do to make it easier or help them? More space? Or moving back and forth? Or just continuing on your way. Some people struggle to find others with NON reactive dogs to practice with, so having help makes a big difference. Speak up if you see someone putting them down. Warn someone with an off leash dog that there’s a dog there that needs space. Help them the same at YOU would like it if it was you and your dog.

Reactive dogs are not broken: and they aren’t abnormal either. Reactivity honestly is now becoming more normal than NON reactive dogs, so we have to all work through this together. And it boils down to respect, understanding, courtesy and lots of reward based training.

We can do it gang.

-Helen St. Pierre

06/09/2023

The shop phone line is currently not functioning properly. 😕 I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Hopefully TDS will get it fixed next week. If you need to contact me meanwhile, feel free to email (address on website.)

04/27/2023

Small town living means word of mouth... Indeed, I built my business primarily on referrals. So I thought I should make an official post to ensure the facts are out there...

What's not happening:
* I'm not closing or retiring - yet.

What is happening:
* After 25+ years, I am simply cutting back on grooming. And I am no longer taking new large dog clients.
* I am now attending college, alongside running Shampoodles, so my schedule fluctuates with each semester.

What this means for you:
* I am currently only booking through August. Once I figure out my fall semester schedule, I will book out the rest of the year.
* Regulars get booked in first, then I will fill in any gaps.
* My schedule tends to be pretty full, but I may have an occasional opening for a new small dog. Feel free to get in touch to see if there is space and if we'd be a good fit. There will very likely be a wait.

I truly appreciate all of my clients' support throughout my career!