Thanks for the matting explanation, Sandie. I can imagine your little wooly doggies getting mats!

Lavinia at her age does not do much if any self-grooming, so her fur tends to form a lot of mats. I can work many of them out by gently pulling away bits of hair from the edges until the mat falls off, but she only stands for that for so long and then wraps her teeth around my hand.. not exactly "biting," just establishing dominance and letting me know this has to stop now.

But lately they were really starting to get out of hand, so I got a recommendation for a groomer from the vet and made an appointment. During the two weeks until the appointment date, I guess Lavinia decided to go gangbusters with the matting because that's when the back-ridge formed.. she'd never had that before.

This particular groomer's "spa" is actually the vet's clinic. Lavinia is quite laid-back and rode to the vet's with no trouble. The vet gave her a mild sedative to put her lightly under, and then the groomer was able to shave her without struggles or anxiety on Lavinia's part. She was as mellow as ever afterwards.

The groomer told me to bring her back when her fur has grown out enough and she forms her first new mat. That way we can do low-cost maintenance work.