Westie's Grooming

Stripping or clipping

It is hard to find a groomer who knows and understands Terrier stripping and an do them correctly.   If you consider grooming your dogs at home you first need to decide if you are going to hand-strip or clipper your terrier.  In this article, we will concentrate on clippering rather than hand-stripping.

First it is important that you be sure to have,  obtain, the proper product and equipment.  Somes suggestions:

Bath product

Naturel shampoo, soft for coat and for eyes ;

NORMAL SKIN SHAMPOO

0-3 years do Nature-O-Poil ( web) every kind of dog and coat;

#1 All Systems super-cleaning and conditioning every kind of dog and coat (in show dog);

#1 All Systems professional Whitening for white coat only (in show dog);

Black shampoo available to for finition in pet store.

GREASE ON THE COAT  

Dishes soap : just on grease spot or mixte with regular shampoo to pull of the grease on the dog;

Cébutome goudron concentrate, like Allerseb-T (veterian)  but could find in  pharmacy;

 Skin Problems go to the information page with this link, just clic here.

ECZEMA,  DERMATITIS,  ITCHING, RASHES, INFECTION, FUNGUS, DANDRUFF

Hexadene of Virbac : eczema, psoriasis, fungus (veterian);

Nizoral similar to Hexadene  for same care and best for red feet, find in pharmacy;                

Selsum blue like Hexadene for same care and good for red feet to, in pharmacy;

Buro-Sol : antiseptic powder for skin  inflamation, itching, rashes, infection due to eczema, dermatitis, poison ivy, insect bites, boils, soaps, detergents.

ITCHING, SPRING  ALLERGY

Cortisotte de Virbac  veterian product

Avena Sativa :  spray for after bath and dry.  Whit colloïdal wheat.  Stop itching,  new coat helper.  Ask your veterian or go on web : www.aventix.ca

From Pro-Hill   :  Wheat  spray  for Itching

YELLOW OR DIRTY  COAT

Hunter Paste Shampoo  good for outside or kennel odor

Some breeder and handler use before show to whiteness there dog  :  peroxide 20%

ODOR SKIN

Odeur control and Orange Peel : mixte on table spoon of orange peel with odor control.   Dry wash first, add water, wait 10 minutes, and finish by regular bath.  Available at Deboer Tool (on web)

EARS CARE

Good liquid wiht dry property ans use powder for stripping ears

EYES CARE

Dissolvant for eyes contour available in pet store.

 COAT FINITION

 Super Hold  in pharmacy

Fixatif (bouth it in show dog)

CARE

Bag Balm good for many blessure

Quik Klot Topic powder for stop bleed on nail cut

Basic equipement

Universal brush curved slicker type best one is with red caoutchouc;

A good steel comb with that has wide teeth and fine teeth in same side ;

Nail clipper;

A pair of straigh scissors 8½ and a pair of curve scissors 7½ ;

A par of eyes scissors finition  MINK round  extremety;

UA pair of thinnign or blending shears;

An Oster A5 or Andis clipper with the following blades:  #10, #7F, #5F, #7, #8½ ;

Finition clipper with blade #40;

Cool Lube blade coolant and lubricant;  Blade oil, this should come with your clippers and blade wash.

Hair driyer ;

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" THE GROOMING "

Preparation before bath

Its is best to start out by thoroughly brushing out Terrier and after comb every place;

Clipping with blade  #10: under arm, anus , the  stomach including hairs on the vulva for a female or for a male on the sheath ;

Make sub-legs with the finish clipper, blade 40, cut the hair between small cushions;

Cut claws, grow shorter until you perceived a pale pink or grey petit point in the center of the white claw or the white-grey point in the center of the black claw if you are near the nerve. Maximum of the cutting. If to cut you shorter there will be bleeding, to use a coagulating product to stop the bleeding. Moisten your finger, put some powder above, press this powder on the end of the claw approximately one minute. Do not forget to make spurs of legs before if it was not removed.

Use a file in metal or a grindstone with paper grit of finish to obtain soft claws.

Depilate the inside of ears. To do it use powder for removal of hair,
 

WESTIE DIAGRAM

At the beginning of the clipping or the removal of hair, to see the letter on the dog diagram above

 A) Removal of hair begins with the neck, just behind ears up to the base, or begins the back and on the highly-rated of the neck up to shoulders;  if clipping, take the blade #5.

B) Back If removal of hair to make it by coming down by degrading on sides. If to use you the clipper, set with the blade #7F.  Clip all the back up to the head line the base of the tail and the highly-rated of the dog till the beginning of legs. To degrade the highly-rated it is necessary to hatch  or to take (straight scissors by cutting downward.

C) Clip the tail in carrot model,  the base must be wider, if with a clipping use the blade #5 may slim with the blade #7F by going towards the point to disentangle it.  If to depilate to form a carrot.

 D) Clip the back and the bottom of the tail as well as the buttocks with a blade #7F.

 E) Les legs rear have to look like cylinders. Thus shave the back of legs and elbows with the lam

F) Shorten so necessary skirt with one scissors straight ahead. Cut in angle so that the hair is longer forward and shorter behind. Round off according to the angle of the thigh. We should be able to spend a hand fist closed under the dress, she does not have to touch the ground. Hatch the dress with a ruft blade #7  or the scissors to make a gradation. Thus slide the clipper on the surface of the hair by steering this one downward. Not to enter the razor the hair, to glance through, brushes the hair with accuracy.

G) Legs before also has to look like cylinders, tube.

H) In front of the leg, at the top, has to be to hatch to harmonize with the breast. To use a blade #7 ruft to touch the crazy hairs during legs or one scissors straight ahead.

I)  Begin the breast with the blade #7F. Clip obliquely slightly the breast while following the sense of the hair, to join the shoulder. Begin under the head, come down on the breast until the height of the joint of the leg. Then to shave the neck and on the highly-rated come down until bend. The hair of the neck and the breast must be cropped even if you make the removal of hair. This loosens well the head and highlights the neckline.

J) Make all the difference from Westie to the other one, the big difficulty, the tballot of head. The cutting is made in right and bent scissors. Begin with the chin by going back up to the base of the ear. The hair of the chin has to make a roundness thus it not cut short and straight. On the other hand the hair on the top of the head must be short to allow the hair to like straight ahead or approximately in the first third of the base of the ear. The objective is to give to the head a shape of chrysanthemum by letting exceed only the headland of the ear.  The breeders and the professional groomer puts of the spray net in the hair on the head and the cheeks before the cutting to facilitate the work and to obtain a more precise look when the dog is to groom. For the circumference of eyes, it is necessary to cut the short hair in the internal corners and between both eyes to give an illusion of one stop marked well (at the beginning of a forehead just imposing over eyes). To be used scissors outline of eyes with round ends. Never point,stick towards eyes but still towards outside.

K) To clip the headland of ears is two thirds superior with a blade #10 inside as outside. Then use one right scissors to cut the hair which exceeds everything around ears on these superior two thirds of ears. Attention not to cut the ear bleeds abundantly, put your fingers even if it means that the cutting is a little less near the ear.
 

BATH TIME

Just before there are still some preparations:
 
1. Clean the ears of your dog by putting some specific liquid in the audifit canal up to overflowing. Do a massageto  the base of the ear.  Let the dog shake itself energetically. Take a sweet linen which will not leave deposit  and wipe all the dirts which will have appeared and will be reachable with your fingers in this linen. Not to use no cotton stick unless being certain about the good to handle it it is not necessary.

2. Wash the teeth of your dog with a dough with tooth conceived for dogs or some bicarbonate of soda. Indeed mass gums in the root of teeth and make sure to reach the teeth of the fund.
 
3. You can put absorbent cottons in the ears of your dog before the bath, it the protègera because the water in ears can give otites.

If your dog has smells nauseous anales possible that these glands are full. It is preferable whether it is your veterinarian or your toiletteur which takes care drain away glands. If you had to make you even the pressure know that it is necessary to make it before the bath.

The water to wash the dog must be not hot and not cold, just in middle, not to put water to bathe the dog but use a manual shower or one sprays vegetable if in a washbasin to wet well the dog. A good shampoo is effective only if the dog is very well wet.  Some people will say to you that it is never necessary washed the head of your Westie so that the hair hold well and what it has a beautiful style, the others will say to you that it is the back which it is never necessary wet so that the hair remains the hardest possible. To you to judge the state of your dog and the need. There is no real damage to wash the dog everywhere if it is our pet and not a dog of show.

A shampoo needs of at least five minutes to make a good care, take advantage of this time to mass your dog it he will do good.  It is important to rinse well he does not have to stay of soap, the hair has to make a sound twitter when we hold it between our fingers if it is rinsed well. Bring a particular attention behind ears, tail and in legs.

You can use an air-conditioner which asks for a rinsing or not, in your way.  A less heavy hair dries faster simply.

After the reclaimed bath the dog at most with a towel. Then dry it completely with a cold or tepid hairdryer but especially never hot. To dry the hair in are natural direction it is important for the final look. Inflate the lengthes of hair of the head. To be made you can use of the modulante foam. For legs also, if you want a beautiful cylinder, you can put of the foam before the drying. Ideally to use a brush cards throughout the drying. Do not send air to ears.

To brush again your dog to assure you whether it indeed is to solve it.  Comb again.

It is time to make the finish.

FINISH

After the bath and the drying we see well the imperfections for example in the head, around legs or around the tail, etc. If necessary correct with scissors or in the removal of hair.

Thin and degrade legs and dresses to have a beautiful finish without crazy hair. If you do not feel at ease with scissors, to hatch again the hair of legs to give them a cylindrical shape and the highly-rated of the skirt to degrade this one if you have to use a technique of shaving and not removal of hair.

(*) how hatch: use a blade #7 (not #7F). Attention, the cutting is what we call RUFT. You go to slide the clipper from top to bottom by flattering only the surface of hairs. What you have to make it is to shave all the hairs crazy madman that overtake the others. So to give you the look gradation and you can slim at the need without making a shaving. Attention not to go to depth, brush the hair and you will have a beautiful result. Keep in head that it is the finish.

Here we are, if you had a dog of exhibition to be presented in front of a judge it is in this stage that you would use some fat cream and some chalk to maximize the color. Of the spray net to obtain the popular style.

But for a beautiful finish house, you can simply vaporize your dog of a product on base of lanolin it smells good and protects the hair.
 

Now your dog is in beauty !