Brush your long-haired dog every 1 to 3 days, working a slicker brush in small sections from the skin out, then run a metal comb through to catch what you missed. Mist the coat lightly with detangling spray first – never brush a dry coat. Most matting starts in the legs, armpits and behind the ears, so check those spots first.
There are two kinds of long-haired dog owners – the ones who brush before the bath, and the ones who eventually pay a groomer $90 to shave the felting out. Long coats don’t drift into matting slowly. They lock up in a fortnight if you skip a few sessions and the dog finds a sprinkler. The good news: 10 minutes every couple of days, done in the right order, will keep almost any long-haired dog – cavoodle, golden, maltese, silky – soft and tangle-free.
Why long coats matt faster than owners expect
A long coat is doing work. It insulates, it sun-blocks, it acts as the first layer of the skin barrier. The catch is that long fibres also trap dirt, moisture and dead undercoat against the skin – and once those layers compact, they bind. The matt starts as a soft tangle near the skin, then tightens as the dog moves. By the time you can feel it on the outside, it has already been working its way in for days.
We see this most in cavoodle owners (and other curly-coated cavoodle crosses) who have been told the coat is ‘low-shedding’ and assumed that meant low-maintenance. It doesn’t. A non-shedding coat keeps every shed hair tangled inside the next layer, which is why these breeds need more brushing than a labrador, not less.
The tools that actually matter
Most of the brush wall at Petbarn or PETstock is irrelevant for a long coat. You need four things, and only four.
A slicker brush (a flat pad of fine, bent wire pins). Wahl, Yours Droolly and Pet Circle all sell decent ones for $20 to $35. This is the workhorse.
A wide-toothed metal comb. This is the check tool – run it through after the slicker, and any tangle it catches is the one you missed.
A detangling spray. Aristopet, PAW by Blackmores or Rufus & Coco. About $15 to $25 from Petbarn or Pet Circle.
An undercoat rake (only if the dog is double-coated long – golden retriever, bernese, samoyed). Single-coat curlies like maltese, shih tzu or silky terrier do not need one.
A non-slip mat helps too. Bath mats from Big W work fine on a kitchen bench.
How to brush a long-haired dog, step by step
The order matters more than the technique. Each step takes 2 to 3 minutes.
Set up. Non-slip surface, treats nearby, no rushing. Five minutes of calm before you start beats trying to wrestle a fidgety dog into stillness.
Mist the coat lightly. A dry long coat snaps – the spray gives the fibres slip so the brush glides instead of dragging.
Section the coat. Part the hair in lines from spine outward, like you’re parting your own hair. Work one section at a time – never wave the brush over the whole dog at once.
Slicker the section, root to tip. Short strokes, light pressure. Push the coat up with your free hand and brush down into the section so you’re catching the undercoat, not just the top layer.
Comb-check. Run the metal comb through the same section. If it snags, that’s a tangle you missed – go back with the slicker until the comb glides.
Hit the trouble zones. Behind the ears, under the front legs, the breeches (back of the thighs), base of the tail, the beard if there is one. These are where almost every matt starts.
Stop when the dog stops settling. Two short brush sessions are better than one long one – especially for a dog still learning the routine.
How often is enough
It depends on the coat, not the breed name. Use this as a starting point.
Curly singles (cavoodle, groodle, maltese, shih tzu, silky terrier): every 1 to 2 days. Skip three days and you’ll find a matt.
Long double-coats (golden retriever, bernese mountain dog, samoyed): three times a week, ramping to daily through blow-coat season in spring – more on that below. The AKC’s coat types reference is useful if you’re not sure which group your dog sits in.
Long singles that drop hair (afghan, lhasa, havanese): daily. Their coat sheds slowly and tangles silently. Owners eyeing a maltese shih tzu or similar long-coat companion should plan for daily upkeep too.
Short to medium owners thinking about a longer breed – the low-maintenance breeds list is worth a look first.
The Australian climate factor
Most US grooming blogs miss this entirely. AU coats behave differently because the climate does.
Humidity is the big one. Brisbane through Cairns – and parts of Darwin and northern NSW – sits in a humid belt where summer days often clear 32°C with 70% humidity. A long coat dries slower in that air, ferments faster and locks into matts within days. If you’re north of Coffs Harbour, treat your brushing schedule as the minimum frequency, not the maximum.
Spring blow-coat (roughly September to November in southern AU, earlier up north) is the other one. Double-coated long breeds dump their undercoat in clumps. Brush daily through this window – an undercoat rake does in 10 minutes what a slicker does in 30.
And don’t shave a double-coated dog to ‘help’ them in summer. The undercoat is the cooling layer. Strip it and you replace insulation with sunburn. The Australian Veterinary Association’s position on coat care, and most accredited AU groomers, both flag this as one of the most common owner mistakes.
Common mistakes
The mistakes that bring dogs into the salon for a $150 de-matting shave are nearly always the same five.
Brushing only the top layer. The matt sits underneath, against the skin. If your slicker isn’t reaching the root, you’re decorating, not detangling.
Brushing a dry coat. Dry fibres snap and split, and split ends tangle into the next layer.
Brushing after the bath, not before. Water shrinks every existing tangle into a felt. Always brush dry, then wash.
Forcing the brush through a stubborn matt. It hurts, the dog learns to fear the brush, and you damage the skin underneath.
Shaving a double-coated long breed in summer. Cosmetic damage aside, you break the coat’s thermal layer.
When to stop brushing and call someone
Some matts are past DIY. We’ve all hit one. The line is fairly clean.
If you can’t slide a comb under the matt – it’s bonded to the skin – book the groomer. If the skin smells, weeps or is hot under a matt, that’s a vet visit before a brush. A matted long-eared coat (cavalier, cocker, cavoodle) plus a yeasty smell from the ear usually means an ear infection underneath. Persistent flinching, even after weeks of treats-and-touch desensitisation, means a professional with the right calm should take it on.
Mobile groomers (Aussie Pet Mobile, Hydrobath, Blue Wheelers, plus dozens of independents) generally charge $80 to $140 for a long-coat groom in metro AU in 2026. A salon de-matting shave runs $120 to $200. Look for a PIAA-accredited groomer if you want a baseline standard of training and animal handling. Cheaper than the vet bill that follows a neglected matt.
FAQ
How often should I brush my long-haired dog?
It depends on the coat type. Curly single coats (cavoodle, groodle, maltese) need brushing every 1 to 2 days. Long double coats (golden retriever, samoyed) need brushing three times a week, increasing to daily during spring shedding season. Long single coats that drop hair (afghan, lhasa) need daily brushing.
What’s the best brush for a long-haired dog?
You need two core tools: a slicker brush for detangling and a wide-toothed metal comb to check your work. For double-coated breeds, add an undercoat rake. A detangling spray is also essential to prevent breakage.
Should I brush before or after the bath?
Always brush thoroughly before the bath. Water tightens any existing tangles into solid mats. Brush the dry, lightly misted coat first to remove all loose hair and tangles, then bathe.
Can I cut matts out with scissors at home?
No. It’s extremely easy to cut the skin, which is often pulled up into the matt. If a matt is tight against the skin or you can’t easily slide a comb underneath it, book a professional groomer.
Australian Veterinary Association – https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/policies/companion-animal-health/ – AVA companion animal health and coat care position
Pet Industry Association of Australia – https://piaa.net.au/about-piaa/about-piaa-accreditation/ – PIAA groomer accreditation framework
American Kennel Club – https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/different-dog-coat-types/ – classification of canine coat types
University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science – https://www.sydney.edu.au/vetscience/ – veterinary dermatology on canine skin barrier and matting
Bureau of Meteorology – http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/maps.shtml – Australian climate and humidity reference