As the days get shorter and the air gets colder, you decide to go a little longer between your pet's haircuts so as to keep her warm.  Oh, and don't forget that chic sweater you bought to help keep the chill off.  Then you take her into the groomer and they tell you it's all tangled and the best option is to clip her short and start again, what went wrong?  The first problem is that your groomer most likely sets up a haircut that works in your usual timeframe to keep your pet matt free.  When the pet becomes overdue for a haircut it begins to matt and pull on the skin making clipping it off really the only humane option.  The next issue is by adding a sweater to the mix you have just sped up the matting process exponentially. There is, however, some simple solutions to this cold weather conundrum.   

If you are the pet sweater type, then your best plan is to keep your pet on their regular grooming schedule and either clip them a little shorter, yes you read that right, shorter so they can wear the sweater and not get tangled so easily.  Since they will be wearing their canine couture you won't have to worry about warmth as that is what the sweater or jacket will be doing for them.  Be sure to comb through your pets after removing the sweater/jacket paying special attention to the collar and armpit areas. 

Think clothes on pets are for the birds?  Then you should still bring your pet in on their usual monthly or month and a half schedule even if it is just for a bath and brushout visit.  This means the pet can continue to grow their coat, but it is maintained and kept free of matts and tangles.  As the pet's coat grows, at-home combing and brushing will become necessary, or you can increase the frequency of salon visits during the winter, again, not to trim the pet more, but to help keep them free of matts.  This way they are able to grow more of a natural barrier against the elements without the discomfort of a tangled coat. 

Lastly, while growing some extra coat in the winter months does help somewhat, your pet will still be cold, just as you will even with a winter jacket.  So it is not a necessity to leave more length unless your pet spends extended amounts of time outside during the winter months.  If it's just to exercise and potty that they go outside, then it's up to you to weigh the extra work of daily maintenance at home to keep that longer coat maintained. 

A weekly brushing followed by a thorough brushing is helpful year round, but especially as we head into the winter, so pick up those tools and begin to bond with your pet while helping keep them happy and healthy.