How to Groom a Sheltie
Shetland Sheepdogs are a beautiful breed of dog with long-flowing, silky hair and faces full of expression. The silky coat of the Sheltie flows over a rough undercoat that warms the dog and provides a lift for the silky top-coat. The two layers of hair make grooming a Sheltie more time-consuming than grooming a dog with only one type of coat, but the time spent is well worth it for the sheen and feel of the Sheltie's coat. If your Sheltie is an indoor dog, then proper grooming will likely save you hours of vacuuming up hair.
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Things You'll Need
- Cotton balls
- Shampoo with conditioner for dogs
- Towel
- Dog brush
- Toenail trimmer or hand-held grinder
- Alcohol
- Dental scaler (optional)
Instructions
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Bathe your Shetland Sheepdog only if he needs it. Shelties have sensitive skin and coats that can be damaged from over-bathing. Place cotton balls in the dog's ears to prevent water from entering the ear canals. Use a shampoo with a conditioner and make sure you rinse all the soap from his fur. Squeeze excess water from the Sheltie's coat and pat off more excess water with a towel. Do not rub him with a towel or you will loosen the undercoat. Place the Sheltie in a warm area to dry or blow-dry his fur. Do not put the Sheltie where he can get chilled.
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Brush the Sheltie thoroughly at least once a week. Dampen his hair before brushing. The easiest way to brush a Sheltie is with him lying on his side as it will take 15 minutes or more per side to thoroughly brush the dog. Brush with the natural lines of the hair except on the tail, which you should back-brush for fullness. If the Sheltie has mats in his hair, spray the mats with a detangling product made for children or one sold at pet stores. Allow the detangler to sit on the hair for several minutes before attempting to brush through the mat.
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Trim the Sheltie's toenails. Long toenails force a dog to shift his weight to his heels and can cause him to limp. Cut just the hooked part of the nail. Be careful not to cut into the blood line (called "quick"). If you have a hand-held grinder and a steady hand, you can file your pet's nails down to an appropriate length.
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Dampen a cotton swab with alcohol and rub the inside of the Sheltie's ears to clean them. Be careful not to get alcohol into the ear canal.
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Brush your pet's teeth after grooming to help prevent tartar. If tartar begins to form, scrape it off with a dental scaler, or make an appointment with your veterinarian to perform the procedure.
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Tips & Warnings
If you live in a warm climate, and your Sheltie is always shedding large tufts of undercoat, have a professional groomer perform a "shedless" grooming to remove all the undercoat.
