How to Groom a Border Collie

Border Collies have many different coat types, although most have a medium to long flat outer coat, with some feathering on legs and chest, and a soft, thick undercoat. Their colors are typically black and white but some appear in browns and greys. Some Border Collies have smooth silky hair, while others are rougher. Their coats are beautiful when well groomed, so give him your time and attention.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Slicker brush
• Mat splitter
• Blunt-nosed scissors
• Wide-toothed comb
• Fine-toothed comb
• Dog shampoo
• Human conditioner
• Towels
• Blow dryer
• Cotton balls
• Nail clippers
• Thinning shears

1. Spend 10 minutes brushing your Border Collie two to three times a week to keep matting to a minimum and to maintain a healthy coat. Use a slicker brush first, working through her entire coat.

2. Try to tease out mats with a mat splitter. If you can't get it out, carefully cut out the mat with blunt-nosed scissors. Pay special attention to his tail, back leg feathering, behind his ears and under his arm pits. These areas are highly prone to matting.

3. Follow brushing with a wide-toothed comb, running it through her entire coat to remove any excess shed undercoat. Then using a fine-toothed comb, do a second combing of her head, neck and ears.

4. Bathe your Border Collie every two to three weeks to maintain his healthy coat and good skin. Use a high quality dog shampoo or baby shampoo, being careful not to get water or shampoo in his eyes and ears.

5. Use a high quality human conditioner with this breed. Border Collies need extra conditioning on their tails, back leg feathering and croup, where their undercoat is extremely thick and hair tangles easily.

6. Rinse all shampoo and conditioner out of her coat, towel dry and then blow dry with a regular blow dryer. Make sure her undercoat is completely dry.

7. Check ears two to three times a week for dirt, ear mites or ticks. Using a damp cotton ball, wipe any dirt out of the inside of his ear flap.

Tips & Warnings

• During shedding season, brush and comb your Border Collie every day to remove the dead coat. This helps speed the shedding process and keep matting to a minimum.

• Border Collies are heavy dogs, and if they get regular exercise on hard surfaces they likely don't need nail clipping as they wear their nails down on their own. But clip nails regularly if they spend most of their time on grass or soft surfaces.

• Using thinning shears, trim away any stray or long hairs from your dog's feet, pad areas and anal area.

• When conditioning your Border Collie, do not condition his entire body, only in areas indicated. An overly moist skin and coat can cause skin infections.