Georgie Buxton, a professional groomer at The Little Grooming House in Hitchin, is urging owners to take extra care when dressing long‑haired dogs for cold weather, warning that jumpers and jackets can rapidly produce painful tangles and matting if not accompanied by attentive coat maintenance. This Popular Winter Item For Dogs May Be Doing More Harm Than …

Writing for Country Living Magazine, Buxton explained the mechanics behind the problem: friction from clothing, and wet fur pressed under a jumper, creates the precise conditions in which tangles form and tighten into mats. She said some long‑coated breeds — notably cockapoos, cavapoos and spaniels — can develop mats within a single walk if owners do not check and brush afterwards.

“Jumpers are a cosy winter essential, but friction from jumpers or wet fur can actually make winter discomfort worse,” Buxton told readers, stressing that warmth and coat health must be balanced. She highlighted specific high‑friction areas, such as the armpits, where movement against fabric commonly leads to snarls and mats that can be painful for the dog.

Buxton recommended that owners who dress their dogs for cold weather adopt a hands‑on routine: inspect the coat and brush after every wear of a jumper, paying particular attention to under‑coat regions and places where fabric sits tightly. She said shorter maintenance sessions between full grooms — regular bathing, brushing and tidying — will help keep fur manageable during months when clothing is used more often.

For longer‑haired dogs she advised a professional grooming cadence of every 6–8 weeks to reduce the risk of matting and the possibility of an unexpected short haircut to remove painful tangles. “Brushing your dog after every wear can prevent painful mats and the need for an unexpectedly short haircut,” she said, describing the approach as proactive rather than prescriptive: owners need not abandon layers if they follow a careful after‑walk routine.

Buxton’s guidance arrives as many owners weigh the benefits of dog clothing against winter health risks. Common winter health issues include common winter health issues — a highly contagious respiratory infection that spreads more easily when dogs are crowded indoors — and hypothermia and frostbite from prolonged cold, especially when fur is wet. Those risks are reasons some owners opt for extra layers, but Buxton’s warnings underline that clothing introduces its own coat‑care demands.

She also urged owners to assess whether their individual pet needs a coat in the first place by considering breed and coat type, age, overall health, activity level and body fat, as well as local weather conditions. How can dog owners properly assess whether their pet needs a winter coat? Small, short‑haired or hairless breeds such as Chihuahuas, Greyhounds and Chinese Cresteds are more vulnerable to cold and therefore more likely to need protection than larger, thick‑coated breeds.

Indeed, breed differences are significant: cold‑weather breeds like Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Saint Bernards and Great Pyrenees possess thick double coats and greater body mass that provide natural insulation, while many companion breeds lack those protections and benefit from human intervention in colder months. How do different dog breeds vary in their need for winter protection?

Practical implications, Buxton told Country Living, are simple but strict: if you choose jumpers or jackets for warmth, commit to a post‑walk grooming routine. Regular brushing, monitoring for dampness and scheduling shorter maintenance grooms between full salon visits are the measures she outlined to reduce the chance of mats forming quickly and to keep long coats healthy through winter.

The message is one of balance: layers can help with temperature regulation, but only when accompanied by vigilant grooming. Buxton framed her advice as preventative care for owners who want to keep dogs warm without compromising coat condition.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article at Country Living.