Tangles and mats can appear anywhere on the coat when dealing with Yorkshires, but happen most often in oily areas, such as behind the ears, or in friction areas, such as in the armpits. If it’s a small knot, use your fingers to pull the hairs away. Spraying the tangle with a detangler or mat. Remember, comb the hair out of the mat, not the mat out of the hair. If the mat is large, you may need to split it lengthwise, pulling it apart with your fingers.

What about cutting the mat out? Sometimes that’s the kindest solution, but you have to be extremely careful not to cut the skin. If you decide to use scissors to cut the mat lengthwise, or to simply cut it out, first wriggle a comb between the mat and the skin. When mats are tight, it’s hard to tell where the mat ends and the skin begins, so the comb acts as a barrier. Of course, be sure to cut on the hair side, not the skin side, of the comb.

If the dog is extensively matted, you need an experienced professional groomer. Be forewarned that the skin beneath such matting is often already bruised, fragile, and unhealthy from the pulling and bacteria caused by the mats. But the dog will feel immensely better, and can then grow a new coat from scratch.

Some coats are more prone to tangling than others. The correct satiny coat is easier to maintain tangle-free than is the cottony coat some Yorkshires have. If you feel like you’re spending your entire life brushing and de-matting, try different conditioners and detanglers, and if that doesn’t help, consider clipping the hair. It’s no favor to either of you to maintain him in a coat that requires all that work. Besides, clips are cute!