Dachshund Ask ten dachshund owners what causes matted fur, and nine of them will say the same thing: the dog needs more brushing.
Sounds reasonable. It is also the reason so many longhaired doxies arrive at the groomer with a glossy back and two felted lumps behind the ears.
Matting is almost never a frequency problem. It is a location problem.
Hair mats where hair rubs against hair, and on this breed that means armpits, throat, the backs of the thighs, the fringe under the tail, and the fluff between the toes. Not one of those spots sits on top of the back, which happens to be exactly where most brushing sessions start and finish.
The myth survives because the back is easy. You can reach it while watching TV, the dog holds still for it, and the results look immediate. Nobody flips a dachshund over to check an armpit unless something has already gone wrong.
Below is a plan you can actually follow, in order.
Step 1: Figure Out Which Coat You Are Working With
Grooming advice written for "dachshunds" as a single category is useless, because the three coat types have almost nothing in common.
Smooth
Smooth coats do not mat in the traditional sense. They can still get gunky skin folds at the neck and greasy buildup along the tail base, so this article’s later steps on bathing and diet still apply to you.
Everything about brushing technique, though, you can skip.
Longhaired
This is the coat that gets people in trouble. The guard hairs are silky and long, the undercoat is soft and dense, and the two textures grip each other like velcro the second moisture or friction enters the picture.
Feathering on the ears, chest, legs, and tail is where roughly ninety percent of dachshund mats live.
Wirehaired
Wires have a harsh outer coat over a softer underlayer, plus a beard and eyebrows that collect everything the dog walks through. They mat less dramatically than longhairs but tangle constantly around the face and legs.
Wires also need hand stripping or a stripping tool a few times a year, because clipping softens the coat and a softer wire coat mats far more readily.
Step 2: Learn the Five Places Mats Actually Start
Before you buy a single brush, spend two minutes running your fingers through these spots on your own dog. You want to know what "normal" feels like so you notice the change.
- Behind and under the ear leather, right where it meets the skull
- The armpits, where the front leg swings against the chest
- The groin and inner thigh
- Under the collar or harness, especially at the chest strap
- The tail underside, and the feathering on the back of the rear legs
A mat you can feel with your fingertips takes thirty seconds to fix. A mat you can see from across the room takes scissors, patience, and usually an apology.
Dachshunds sit low, drag their bellies through wet grass, and burrow into blankets. All three habits load moisture and friction into precisely those five zones.
Step 3: Buy Three Tools and Ignore the Rest
The grooming aisle is designed to confuse you. Here is what a longhaired or wirehaired dachshund genuinely needs.
A pin brush with rounded tips for the body and feathering. This is your daily tool.
A metal greyhound comb with a wide half and a fine half. This is the one that matters most, because a comb finds tangles your brush glides straight over.
A slicker brush, used gently, for breaking up soft tangles in the leg and chest fringe.
Skip the deshedding blades. They cut coat rather than detangle it, and on a silky dachshund coat they cause more damage than they solve.
Step 4: Brush the Right Way (Line Brushing)
Here is the technique that separates owners who fight mats from owners who never see them.
Lay your dog on their side, ideally on your lap or a towel on the couch.
Start at the bottom of the ribcage, closest to the table or your leg. Part the hair with your free hand so you expose a horizontal line of skin.
Brush only that exposed line, from the skin outward. Then move your parting hand up about half an inch and repeat.
You are working in layers, from the skin up, rather than skating across the surface. It feels slow the first three times and then becomes automatic.
The comb is the test, not the brush
Once a section is brushed, run the fine side of the greyhound comb through it. If the comb reaches skin and pulls out clean, that section is genuinely done.
If it snags, the brush lied to you.
How often
Longhairs: a full line brushing session twice a week, plus a sixty second finger check of the five hot spots on other days.
Wirehairs: twice weekly on the face, beard, and legs, less on the body.
Step 5: Fix the Harness Problem
Harnesses are non negotiable for this breed, since neck pressure on a long spine is a genuinely bad idea. But a strap that sits in one place for hours is a mat factory.
Take the harness off indoors. Every time.
Comb the chest and armpit area right after every walk, while the coat is still lying the way the straps left it.
Gear that protects a dachshund’s back will happily wreck the coat underneath it. The solution is not fewer harnesses. It is more combing.
Choose a harness with wider, flatter straps and soft edges rather than thin round webbing, which digs a channel into feathering.
Step 6: Bathe in the Correct Order
Most matting disasters happen in the bathtub, because water tightens an existing tangle into something permanent.
Brush and comb before the bath. Always. A small tangle that goes into water comes out as a solid mat.
Use a conditioner, even on a dog this size. Conditioner coats the hair shaft and reduces the friction that starts tangles in the first place.
Rinse until you think you are finished, then rinse again. Leftover shampoo residue is sticky and grabs debris for days.
Drying matters more than washing
Towel dry by pressing and squeezing rather than rubbing in circles, which twists hair against hair.
Then blow dry on a cool or low setting while brushing, aiming air at the skin. A dachshund who air dries in a blanket nest will be tangled by morning, guaranteed.
Pay particular attention to the ear feathering and the back of the thighs, since those hold water long after the rest of the dog feels dry.
Step 7: Trim the Troublemakers
Prevention gets much easier when you remove some of the raw material.
Trim the hair between the paw pads flush with the pad surface. It collects burrs, ice, and mud, and it tangles between the toes where you cannot see it.
Neaten the sanitary area and the feathering behind the rear legs. This is not a haircut, just a tidy.
Thin the fringe just behind the ears with blunt tipped safety scissors if that spot mats repeatedly.
Resist the urge to shave a longhaired dachshund down. The coat regrows unevenly, often with a softer texture that mats worse than the original.
Step 8: Handle a Mat You Have Already Found
Do not reach for scissors. Dachshund skin is thin and tents up into a mat, and vet clinics stitch up plenty of accidental grooming cuts.
Hold the base of the mat firmly against the skin so the dog does not feel the pulling.
Work a detangling spray or a little conditioner into it, then use your fingers to split the mat into smaller sections.
Pick at the outer edge with the end tooth of your comb, working inward in tiny strokes. Never drag the comb through the middle.
If the mat is tight to the skin, warm, or damp underneath, stop and book a groomer. That is a skin infection waiting to happen and it needs clippers, not persistence.
Step 9: Support the Coat from the Inside
Dry, brittle coat tangles faster than healthy coat, and no brush fixes nutrition.
Look for a food with real animal protein at the top of the ingredient list and adequate omega 3 fatty acids. Many owners add fish oil, dosed by weight, after checking with their vet.
Persistent flaking, sudden greasiness, or a coat that mats far more than it used to can signal hypothyroidism, allergies, or a skin infection. Those are vet conversations, not grooming ones.
Step 10: Put It on the Calendar
Twice a week: line brush, then confirm with the comb.
Daily: a thirty second finger sweep of ears, armpits, and groin, usually while your dog is already sprawled across you.
After every walk: chest and armpit comb, harness off.
Every four to six weeks: bath, plus trimming of the paws and sanitary area.
Twice a year: a professional session, whether that is a full groom for a longhair or hand stripping for a wire.