These days, there is a big difference between keeping a Curly neat looking for a pet home, and grooming for the show ring. Since there are already articles out there on how to groom for show, I thought I'd write one on how to groom the breed in a pet home.
All Curlies, especially those that have been spayed/neutered, will grow longer/thicker hair behind the ears, on the elbows, on the back of the hind legs. and on the tail. If this hair isn't kept combed or scissored off, it will mat.
The hair in these areas should either be regularly combed out, or scissored fairly short, to avoid mats.
Body coat may also mat when the dog sheds its whole coat once or twice a year. During shedding, the dog should be brushed and/or combed out regularly until the shed is close to over.