Matted Dogs + Texas Heat = Dangerous Combo

Texas heat is no joke, and a matted coat can turn a normal summer day into a real health risk for your dog. We sit down with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy, to get blunt about what matting does to the body, why it makes overheating more likely, and how to prevent it before the worst weeks of humidity hit North Texas. Our motto stays the same: humanity over vanity. 

We break down the difference between everyday tangles and true mats that tighten close to the skin and spread fast, especially behind the ears, under collars and harnesses, in armpits, and around sanitary areas. You’ll hear why dogs regulate temperature through their skin, not their hair, plus the hidden problems mats create: trapped moisture, hot spots, skin infections, fungal growth, and even parasites you can’t spot until it’s bad. We also talk through the tough grooming calls, including when a full shave is the safest, most humane option and how we balance coat type, comfort on the table, and what a family can realistically maintain. 

Finally, we get specific about high-risk dogs, from flat-faced breeds like bulldogs and pugs to double-coated breeds with dense underfur like Chows, Collies, Aussies, and Great Pyrenees. We share practical summer rules, safer exercise timing, and a groomer tip we love, a hidden sanitary “tunnel” to add airflow without changing the look. If you care about dog grooming, pet grooming, summer dog safety, and preventing matting, hit play, then subscribe, share with a fellow dog owner, and leave a review so more pets stay safe this season.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Transcript

Welcome And Summer Safety Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started.

Why Matting Traps Heat

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Texas heat is a no joke, and when you combine extreme temperatures with a matted coat, the danger skyrockets. Today we are breaking down why matting becomes a very serious health risk and how homeowners can prevent it before summer hits full force. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies, so lovely to be back with you today. Now, this next topic is one you see every summer. Matted dogs plus Texas Heat equals dangerous combo. Can you walk us through what that means and some practical tips to help your dog stay safe?

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Absolutely. Um let's start with the the truth is always that a healthy coat that's maintained properly is going to help your dog. So keep that in mind. Um, that the temperature uh of your dog is regulated through their skin, not their hair. So a lot of people think that the fur means more protection from the heat, and that's not necessarily true. Um it the the a well-maintained coat will definitely help them to regulate their body temperature much better. So know that. Um matted dogs can overheat much faster than than unmatted dogs.

Skin Problems Hidden Under Mats

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Um, let's start with what exactly is matting, right? It's it's the difference between tangles and true mats. Tangles are not dangerous to your dogs, they're annoying, but they're not gonna help your dog to overheat.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Um matting is more close to the skin. Um, and we've said it in multiple podcasts before. It it can grow. Um, it it doesn't just stay in one spot. It usually starts, say, behind the ear, and then it'll grow. And it'll keep going down the neck, and then before you know it, the whole collar area and it just it keeps going. I had one today and this dog has literally never really been mad at his whole life. And we had to shave him down. Excuse me, pom-poms and everything. Yes, it broke my heart. Excuse me.

SPEAKER_02 2:55

I'm fighting allergies. Um, so yeah, that's a tangle is something that dangles away from the skin. A mat is something that gets closer and closer to the skin. So, um, and the most common areas behind the ears, uh, under the collar and the harness, armpits, sanitary areas, uh, and the tails and hindquarters. All of the areas that have working mobile parts or um sweaters, harnesses, uh, or collars that are wrapped around bandanas. This is a big year for bandanas, all of those, anything that provides uh friction is going to be those areas that are gonna be your your number one telltale trouble spots. Um health problems that you can have due to matting. So if you're if you notice those mats and you're not there, moisture gets trapped underneath that skin, which causes a hot spot. I think we've talked about this before, which then causes a skin infection and could possibly cause fungal growth, uh, fleas and parasites hiding unnoticed because you won't be able to see them. I think we had a couple the other day.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

Uh we had one today, actually, too. Um brood like the matting can cause brooding. And with the overheating, like these mats are just like a you wearing a fur coat when it's 100 degrees outside.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

And it can't, it can't breed. It literally will trap the heat in. Uh and white Texas makes it worse. You know, we we've got we've got the World Soccer Cup coming here now. We talked about this. Uh everyone is is oh yeah, I forgot it started. So I uh you know, everyone's like, oh, oh, you know, the Americans and you know, we're lazy and we have to have all of these extra, you know, the the it's hot here and humid. We need a feet.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

The humidity almost makes it a hundred times worse.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

So it's it and it just it's different conditions. These dogs are they cannot regulate through this heat and the moisture. So you add that moisture that's in the air on top of the heat. It's not a dry heat. We don't have uh, I mean, I I lived in California for years with no air conditioning, one window unit. Never had a problem inside my house. Here the doors are closed, I don't open the windows, the AC's crank down. You know, it's it's it is a very different kind of a temperature here in Texas. Um, I'm not saying there are other places that aren't just as hot, but here is what I know. And this is where we see dogs. Um, so dogs that are struggling to cool themselves already, they become even more vulnerable for those. So if they're if they're overweight, um, if you know they they have if they live outside, uh, you know, we need to make sure that Texas summer safety is maintaining those coats. And if you have to shave a coat on a dog that you wouldn't typically do, uh that's not always the best outcome, but it might be the best, safest way. Know that we've talked about this before. If you shave down a double coated breed, it can cause some other issues. The hair might grow back a little differently. Um, it it could possibly get sunburned. So you might need to put like a light t-shirt, which sounds dumb. Why would I put a shirt on my dog? I just had it shaved so it could stay cool. Well, that skin's not used to being exposed to And your dog can still sunburn. So, you know, those are just some, it's it it's it's like backward reverse psychology. You're like, why would I do this if I have to do that? But if we had to demat and blow that out, if I can't get through it, I can't get through it. We have just as much risk of hurting or cutting your dog to get underneath those mats. So again, it's how close to the skin is it? Um, based on the severity.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

And it's and it's how much can the dog handle as well.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

Yeah.

Humane Grooming When Mats Are Severe

SPEAKER_03 6:36

So when a dog arrives heavily matted, what does a safe and humane grooming plan look like besides shaving the dog all the way down?

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Sometimes the safest way is to shave the dog all the way down.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

So for us, um if if I cannot get through it, in other words, I have had some, I've shaved a dog that I the entire dog came off in one fell. It was like a carpet. The legs, the back, the ears from the place that I started in a very low blade in the entire dog, the type you could lay it out and you could see the dog, you can lay it back on the dog.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

It was like um, it was like a bearskin rug, but on our grooming floor.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

So in those cases, there is no other choice. We do everything that we can. And I like to think that most groomers do. I know there's a lot that don't because it's so much easier to just shave them. Um, allow for some more time, work on some of those mats at home if you if you can, possibly. Um, make sure that your dog can tolerate it. It, you know, it's it's a long time on a table here. So it's they've they've got to be able to stand for long hours. If they can't, we may want to talk about what we can do about finding a happy medium. Um, we can't do anything if we can't get our clippers through it, if we can't get our mats and right rakes through it, if you know, we've got there, we've got to find a starting point uh that we can do safely that's humane. Sometimes it's just easier to start over. Sometimes it's the best thing to do, to just start over. So there's where you have to decide. Is it, are we doing this because it's the easiest, or are we doing this because it's what's the most humane? For us, it's usually what's most humane, but sometimes it's because it's easier. And I know that this dog, you know, their owner may not have the the funds to come in in another eight weeks. They may not be able to maintain it. So we're gonna go ahead and advise and say, look, let's give you a length that your dog comes in once a year. This is his one-time shave. He's not going to any shows, he's not showing off his looks to anyone, but we need him to be comfortable and confident that we, when that dog goes home, that he's gonna be able to uh regulate his body temperature and he be comfortable and live in the surviving area that he lives in currently. He's gotta live in the environment that he's in. I I'm not placing these dogs in that environment. So that is something that we take into consideration because not all dogs get to live inside. Um, I mean, most, I would say 90% of our dogs live inside. But we do a lot of once-a-year dogs, and they don't. They prefer to be outside. They're big, they're heavy-coated, matted, it's summer, and you know, what do you do? So it really depends on what we're able to do for the owner, cost effective, and for the dog for short amount of periods of time. Sometimes we'll split that grooming up into one or two. I have sent a client home and said, brush, brush on your dog, come back next week, and he did. And he got through a lot more of them, didn't have to pay as much for me to do it. I wouldn't have had the time to spend a week brushing out his dog. And we were able to meet with a halfway happy medium. So, you know, you can work together with your groomer as well, too. But sometimes it's about you putting in the work and doing it little steps at a time, small areas, so that the dog doesn't get overwhelmed.

High-Risk Breeds And Simple Rules

SPEAKER_03 9:59

I love that. Now, final question before we close out today are certain coat types or breeds more vulnerable to heat-related complications when matted?

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Uh absolutely I'm gonna go with breeds and coat types because any dog that has a flat nose, uh uh bulldogs.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Your bulldogs, your Frenchies, your pugs.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Any any flat-faced dog uh is gonna have a problem. They have a hard time regulating their heat. They and they will, I have seen many, many, many English bulldogs go outside for, you know, to pee. The door got shut. 20 minutes later, their dogs were passed uh because it was so hot. They just overheated and their body shoved up. So any any kind of a flat-faced dog, do not leave that dog outside. Make sure you let them out, go out with them. If you see that it's overweight, you know, or you see that they're getting hot or that it's hot. If you're hot, you both come inside. Cool down. He'll go again later. You can try multiple times. Uh, coat types are going to be double-coated breeds, uh, I would say for the most part. Uh the the dogs that labs, you know, dogs that have a lot of smooth terriers, um, those dogs are pretty good at regulating. They don't have actual um problems getting a spot to a point where they're not able to, you know, kind of regulate that themselves. Um, it's the dogs that have that really cotton underfur that that doesn't come out. That's what's gonna hold that heat in. Imagine um, you know, you putting the cotton fluff of your coat, just hovering it over your head and wearing like a hat over that. That's gonna, it's not gonna let the heat escape. So that's kind of uh, and as it doesn't escape, it's just gonna build up. So uh those would be the two, I would say, the most dangerous. That your double-coated breeds, Chow's, caulies, um Ozzies, Pyrenees. All of those dogs need to be brushed. They need to have some some airway that's able to, you need to be able to get to the skin on those dogs with your combs. If you can't, you need to bring them in so that somebody can do that for you before they, you know, you get to that shaved restart position. And any flat-nosed dog, any, any dog with a, I don't, if it's a mix, uh, a mutt, if they do not have a good airway, they are not to be outside um for long periods of time. Uh, and and I would say probably rule of thumb is no more than 20 minutes, especially in direct heat, uh, in in in mid July and August.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Play and exercise in the mornings or the afternoons when it's cooler. Uh, I did want to say with the double-coated breeds too, you could ask, we do it for sure. You could ask your groover that you use. For those double-coated breeds, you can take their sanitary areas a little higher so they can get down on cool and kind of cool down a lot easier.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

We call it a tunnel because we literally shave a tunnel up to their chest. You can't see it if they're walking around, but it does provide, we do it with cats too.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

Um, it it just provides uh uh, you know, some some some airflow in in areas that they don't normally get it. And then those areas that normally we'll shave behind the ears, we shave the mats, we shape the all those areas that we mentioned earlier. Uh we we just take the hair out from those areas and uh it prevents a lot of that matting from even happening.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Wow. Well, thank you both for breaking down this important summer topic for us today. We'll see everyone next time.

Wrap-Up And How To Book

SPEAKER_00 13:29

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails whacked.