Setting the Stage for Grooming

• Get your dog into the right mood for grooming by taking it for a short walk, playing together for a few minutes or petting the dog to relax it. Try keeping your first grooming session short at five to 10 minutes, even if you don't get out all the tangles at once, and gradually increasing the time. Speak reassuringly to the dog during the process, and give it a treat after you're finished.
  
  

Brushing

• Brush the dog's coat with an appropriate brush for the breed, such as a pin brush for long-haired breeds or a soft bristle brush for short-haired breeds. Brush downward on the dog's coat and away from the skin. Always brush in the direction in which the coat grows, as brushing against the grain is uncomfortable for the dog. Use this opportunity to identify the locations of the worst tangles and mats in the dog's fur.
  
  

Removing Tangles

• Spray a commercial detangling solution evenly over the dog's coat. Brush the solution into the coat to distribute it throughout the coat. Locate the tangles, and use your fingers to remove individual hairs from them; separate the tangles as much as possible, which makes them easier to brush out. Grasp tangles above the skin so you can work on them without causing discomfort to the dog. Brush through tangles with a comb using short, gentle strokes.
  
  

Cutting Away Mats

• Cut mats carefully into smaller sections using scissors, which makes them easier to remove. Cut away from the dog's skin, never pointing the scissors inward toward the dog. Use a comb to loosen the mats; pick through them by running the comb through the mats at a downward angle, toward the dog's skin. Once you have loosened the mats, comb in the opposite direction, up and away from the dog's skin, to remove them.