I have a mostly Australian Shepard with a very curly coat. Is there a product like cowboy magic that will help when I comb her to prevent matting?
Why not just use Cowboy Magic- or I’ve found a cheaper alternative, Silk Drops. I’ve always wondered if Show Sheen would work- I never seem to have any when I’m giving a dog a bath.
There are quite a few products that attempt to prevent or remove matts. I have a dog with frizzy leg hair. My process for him is to brush with a pin brush, then comb. If gets a bath, I have a dryer and dry him completely. That is the most important step. I never understood that for a long time, but a wet coat matts. I used to brush, bathe, brush and then let the dogs air dry and I couldn’t understand how they matted so quickly when I had just combed them. It was leaving the coat wet. After all of that, I apply a product called The Stuff, but I think Cowboy Magic might work.
I don’t think anything with silicone like cowboy magic or show sheen is safe for dogs. You don’t want them licking that stuff off their coat.
I have Papillons and they have such fine coats, that if I let them get dirty they mat. So they get baths once a week, and as Casey09 stated, they get dried throughly then brushed out again. I don’t use anything else on their coats.
Bathing brushing and especially combing (to the skin) are the only things that will prevent matting. Using a leave in conditioners may be a mild aid, but it likely will not allow you to neglect the first 3 things for any longer than you would without it.
Yeah, the number one thing is to get ALL the matts and tangles out to start. Which means combing down to the skin, not running a pinbrush over the top. Teach the dog to lay down and make parts and comb out section by parted section. Many years ago when I maintained some showdogs, we would use conditioners and oils on dogs not actively showing. Easiest is to put some Suave conditioner in at the bath and not rinse out completely. (Used different products on white dogs)Poodles not being shown for a while were “put down in oil” which made them look bedraggled, but saved the hair! For grooming we used ProGroom spray a lot.
The Stuff is similar to Show Sheen. Some say never brush a dry coat: always use a conditioning or detangling spray before brushing.
Brush once a week and keep the coat clean. That’s the best way to prevent matting.
My daughter had a perm gone wrong and used Infusion 22 leave in conditioner and the hair combed out beautifully, no tugging. Would that work?
This product is absolutely brilliant for the most matted hair you can imagine
http://aleshaneeaustralianshepherds.com/HypKNOTic.html
Spray it on, let it soak in and then the matts fall out of the tangle with light finger combing. Absolutely terrific product! 
