Boy do i have alot of questions..just one more:) - long haired gsd
 

Kai is a long haired gsd and ive noticed clotts of hair just below his ear. First it was just one now its both. The vets and groomers said to clip it off as cutting it my cut the skin. i did that once. its now happened again. I do comb him every day in that spot to make sure they dont form but nothing seems to be working

You may want to gently try one of those rake grooming tools - go against the direction the coat is growing - that should help remove the excess hair that is probably causing the matting. I have also seen dematting grooming tools that prevent the skin from being cut.

You could put some corn starch in the tangle to work it out...I have a long coat GSD and she never mats near her ears, mostly her flank and belly will get some mats that have to be cut out. Brush daily with an undercoat rake for the thicker coat, and a pin brush or bristle for the softer floofy areas. Make sure you are supplementing with fish oil too, that helps the coat stay soft.

I normally don't like the Furminator for GSDs, but one thing that I like about it is using it to work out tangles and small mats. I have a cat-sized one that I use on my mutt's ears (he is a mutt but gets very long ear fluffs, longer than a coated GSD). I also keep his trimmed a bit because I don't like it when they start to look "stringy". I use a thinning shears to trim the ears. It cuts a little uneven, so you don't get a straight hack job like with a normal scissors. You can get thinning shears online or a beauty/hair care place like Sally Beauty if you have that near you (I use the same ones on myself, my husband, and my dog, lol).

I use kid's "tangle spray" ( leave in conditioner) on our poodle to help control the mats. Suave makes one that's inexpensive and comes in a variety of yummy scents.

Any dog with long hair is more apt to get tangles and knots, but a good brushing every day helps keep them under control.