A dog with long or curly hair needs a collar that is measured against the skin, fitted snug enough that it doesn't slide around, and taken off once a week so you can brush out the fur underneath. Most collar matting comes from movement and neglect, not from the collar itself.
Doodles, poodles, shih tzus, Yorkies, cockers and long-haired mixes all share the same problem. The coat wraps round the strap, the strap rubs the coat, and a felted ring forms where nobody looks. Here's how to stop it before it starts.
Why does a collar cause matting in long or curly hair?
Mats form when loose hairs twist round each other and lock together. Friction speeds that up, and a collar is a steady source of friction right where the coat is thickest.
A few things make it worse:
- A loose collar. It slides and spins with every step, rolling the hair underneath like a rope.
- Tags. A bunch of tags swings and twists the strap, and the ring catches curls as it moves.
- Moisture. Rain, swims and baths leave the fur under the strap damp for hours. Damp curly hair tangles fast.
- Never taking it off. If the collar is on all day, every day, the fur under it never sees a brush.
Curly and wool-type coats, like a poodle's or a doodle's, mat the fastest because the curls grab each other. Silky long coats, like a Yorkie's, tangle more slowly but still knot at the collar line.
How do you measure a fluffy or curly dog for a collar?
Measure the neck, not the coat. On a fluffy dog the difference can be an inch or more, which is a whole size on a small dog.
- Part the fur where the collar will sit, high on the neck just behind the ears.
- Lay a soft tape against the skin, working it down through the coat rather than over the top.
- Read the number snug, then add two fingers of room.
- Match it to a size. Our collars run Small 8 to 11 inches, Medium 11 to 14, Large 14 to 18, XL 18 to 22 and XXL 22 to 28.
If your dog is freshly clipped, measure again once the coat grows back. A collar set for a short summer trim can be tight against a full coat a couple of months later. The size guide has the full chart.
How should the collar fit on a long or curly coat?
Snug and still. The collar should move with your dog, not around your dog.
- Slide two fingers flat under the strap, through the coat to the skin. Two fingers with a little resistance is right.
- Check that it won't slip over the head when you tug it gently towards the ears.
- Look at the D-ring. If it ends up under the chin after a walk, the collar is loose enough to be spinning, and spinning is what rolls the coat into knots.
When you put the collar on, smooth the fur flat in the direction it grows and lay the strap on top of it. Don't buckle it over a bunched-up tuft. That tuft is tomorrow's mat.
Does collar width matter for long hair?
It can. A strap that's too narrow for the dog tends to dig in and saw through the coat. A strap that's too wide covers more fur and holds more moisture.
As a starting point, our standard widths are 1/2 inch for Small, 5/8 inch for Medium, 1 inch for Large and XL, and 1 1/2 inches for XXL. Those suit most coats. If you'd like a different width for your dog, you can ask for one through a custom order.
For very matting-prone dogs that wear a harness on walks anyway, there's another option. Our collars come with a harness Style option, so the collar can stay a light everyday collar for ID while the harness does the walking work.
How do you keep the fur under a collar from matting?
A short routine does most of the work.
- Brush out the collar line once a week. Take the collar off, then brush and comb the neck all the way down to the skin. Use a comb as a check: if it glides through, you're done.
- Work small knots out early. Hold the hair at the root so you don't pull the skin, and tease the knot apart from the outside in.
- Dry the neck after it gets wet. Take the collar off after a swim or bath, towel the neck and let both dry fully before it goes back on.
- Keep tags to a minimum. Embroidering your dog's name and phone number onto the collar removes the swinging metal that catches curls. Embroidery is $2 a letter.
- Wash the collar now and then. Shed hair and grime work into the strap. Hand wash it in cool water and let it air dry flat.
If a mat has already formed tight against the skin, don't try to cut it out with scissors. Skin tents up into a mat and is easy to nick. Ask your groomer to clip it out.
Ready to find a collar that fits the coat?
Measure against the skin, fit it snug, and brush underneath once a week. Browse our handmade dog collars, in sizes Small to XXL, and pick a print that suits your dog's coat.
FAQ
Should my long-haired dog wear their collar all the time?
ID matters whenever a door could open, so most dogs should wear one when they're awake and could get out. Take it off in the crate, at bedtime if they sleep crated, and for the weekly brush-out so the fur underneath gets a break.
My doodle's collar has left a flattened ring in the coat. Is that matting?
Not necessarily. A flat ring that brushes out easily is just pressed fur. If the comb catches and the hair feels felted or lumpy, it's starting to mat. Brush it out now and check the fit is snug enough to stop the collar spinning.
What if the collar is still too tight after grooming season changes?
That's what the adjustment range is for. Move the slider a notch as the coat grows or after a clip. If you've run out of adjustment, re-measure, and if you're unsure which size to switch to, get in touch.
Fluffy dog, fresh collar? Find a matching look in our collar and leash sets.