Grooming your West Highland Terrier

When grooming any dog it’s important to familiarize them with the grooming process from the time you get them, especially if you get your dog as a puppy, most groomers can handle whatever you throw their way but if you plan to do it yourself you should familiarize yourself as well as the dog with the process.

A good place to start is just getting them to stand still on your grooming table or a flat surface, if your dog is already trained to follow commands it will help to aid in keeping him still. Gently brush them to get them accustomed to the process, using a stand with a collar may or may not help, it all depends on your dogs temperament and how you feel about it.

Maintaining the Coat of Your Westie

When grooming a West Highland Terrier there’s two ways you can do it, to maintain a coat for a household pet or a coat for shows, they should have a dual coat but this can only be achieved through proper grooming which shouldn’t be too much hassle because their coats are fairly easy to clean.

A few tools you should have to get started are:

• Grooming table
• Scissors
• A 2-in-1 de-shedder and rake
• A slicker brush
• Body brush with shampoo applicator
• De-shedding kit
• De-Shedder tool
• Eye cleaner
• Ear cleaner

When trimming with scissors be sure to trim their ears to a point and be sure that the hair on their head is never as tall as their ears, the shape of their head should be round when you’re done. Be careful around the eyes, some dogs don’t like scissors that close to their face (my dog hates it!) and can jump away if you get too close, having your dog comfortable with the grooming process ahead of time will help with this. When trimming the feet be sure to get the hair under the pads so that it doesn’t become matted, also pay close attention to their behind, shorter hair means less chance of feces getting stuck.

Keeping a West Highland White Terrier White

Because West Highland Terriers are white, keeping them clean isn’t always the easiest task especially if yours is a household pet that runs around the yard. Their fur is like a magnet for debris and if it’s not groomed every day can be prone to matting, using a brush with stiff bristles will help get through any tangles so that you can remove any debris that gets tangled in your dogs fur. Having the hair trimmed around their eyes and ears should happen as often as they need it, your groomer should be able to suggest when to have it done and a full body trim should be done only a few times a year.