Shetland sheepdogs

sheltie grooming GROOMING grooming sheltie

PUPPY SHELTIE ADULT SHELTIE EXCESS COAT LINE BRUSHING GROOMERS

GROOMING YOUR SHELTIE PUPPY

grooming sheltie puppy
Your Sheltie puppy will not need a lot of grooming, but it is important to get him/ her used to the tools, the feel of the brushes, and the presence of the nail clipper. You would need to brush out the soft fur that sprouts out behind the ears, the frills that grow behind the front legs and the hocks, and also the tail. As your puppy grows a bit of coat, just gently brush with a soft brush in order to keep it neat and to get your puppy used to the feel of it. You may want to put your puppy up on a grooming table for this, but it is not essential. Brushing stimulates and encourages new hair growth. For those that have more coat at this stage, you can also get him/ her used to the scissors, and you can gently trim a little behind the ears and some untidy bits from the hocks. Sometimes the fronts of their paws also need a little help.
For nail cutting, you can just use a standard human nail clipper. Remember that all of this is new to your baby if your breeder has not started the process, and keep your sessions very short, and treat a lot!
You may also want to get your puppy used to lying on his side and being gently brushed - make it seem like a gentle massage so he can relax and perhaps even sleep!




GROOMING YOUR ADULT SHELTIE

grooming adult sheltie
Your adult Sheltie will require a lot more grooming! By now he/ she will be used to you fiddling around with the coat and feet, so should be able to relax while you work. If not, some more treating while grooming is necessary!
First of all, never work with a dry coat - it can easily be damaged, so always have a water spray bottle on hand that can spray a fine mist. You can also use a groomers spritz - a coat nourisher in a spray bottle.
It is probably best to start with legs and feet. First, brush all the coat (frills) behind the legs well, in the same direction as the coat grows. The coat on the front of the legs can be brushed in an upwards direction. A plain pin brush can be used for this. Also brush up all the coat on the foot, including coat that gets stuck between the toes. Use a pair of thinning scissors to neaten this coat.
Next, use some straight scissors to trim the coat sticking out below and in between the pads of the feet. Also, trim neatly the entire way around the foot. Brush the coat on the hocks so that it is standing 90 degrees to the hock, and use both types of scissors to trim off all the rough edges.
Brush the tail thoroughly from the base to the tip. The tail needs no trimming!
The ears will be the most work for you! Lift up the ear and trim most of the excess coat from the inside (the coat that protrudes past the edges of the ear). On the outside of the ear, brush all the long coat upwards & outwards and trim everything that is longer than the ear edges with thinning scissors. Bend the ear in half and trim further the coat that sticks up (roughly). Lastly, hold the ear towards the tip of the nose and use the stripping knife on the ear in a downwards motion to blend the shortened coat.
The body and neck and chest will require line brushing if he/ she has a lot of coat. Please see below how to go about that.
The nails can be trimmed with a standard pet nail clipper or a dremel.



EXCESS COAT ON YOUR SHELTIE

Grooming sheltie excess coat

If you are struggling with excess coat, you will need to thin it out in some areas.
BODY
Always use a water spray bottle before working the coat.
The no1 tool for excess undercoat is the undercoat rake. There are a few types - single row, double row and retractable - all work very well, but brush lightly, it is a hard brush! It also comes in a more severe type rake with blades. The de-shedding tool can be used in the same manner, but it takes only excess surface coat out.
EARS

The very long coat around the ears is trimmed with thinning scissors, followed by a stripper knife for blending the shortened coat. A matt breaker can help you with any knots behind the ears, but don't get into the habit of breaking and cutting the fur - rather try and prevent the knots from forming - you can do this by gentle brushing every day. If knots start, untangle them. You can use a form of oil or dishwashing liquid to help you.




LINE BRUSHING
If your sheltie has a lot of coat, you will need to line brush to make sure that you are getting it all.
Here is a LINK to a simple video on how to line brush your Sheltie.



ADVICE ON SHOW GROOMING YOUR SHELTIE

ASK
Nadine @ Mackland
ASK
Joanie @ Wylwind



FOR A LIST OF PARTICIPATING GROOMERS, PLEASE CLICK
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