How to Groom Westies

Groomed Westies have clean, neat coats.

A West Highland white terrier, or Westie, is a purebred dog that is popular in dog shows. The Westie's coat is long, thick and white and can easily become tangled or dirty. Grooming a Westie involves cleaning the dog and clipping its coat to an attractive and manageable length. The grooming process allows the dog to play without getting dirt or debris caught in the fur.

Things You'll Need

• Dog shampoo
• Towel
• Blow dryer
• Slicker brush
• Dog clippers
• 10 blade
• 5 1/2 blade
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Put the Westie in the bathtub. Use a hand-held shower sprayer to thoroughly soak the dog's coat. Rub a dime-sized amount of dog shampoo into the coat, working from head to tail. Rinse the coat with the shower sprayer, and towel dry the dog.

2. Take the dog out of the tub and place it on a flat surface. Blow dry the dog's coat on medium heat, brushing the coat with a slicker brush as you dry it. This will remove any knots and curls, making the coat easier to groom. Continue until the coat is completely dry.

3. Fit the dog clippers with a 10 blade and apply two drops of blade lubricant. Lift up the dog's tail. Run the clippers from the outside of the dog's anus, up the base of the tail. Run the clippers down from the anus one inch, then to the left and right of the anus one-quarter inch.

4. Remove the 10 blade and put in the 5 1/2 blade. Run the clippers from the back of the dog's head where it joins the neck, all the way down the spine and up the top of the tail. Go to the back of the dog's head and clip the hair on either side of the spine, all the way to the tail.

5. Return to the back of the dog's head. Clip from that point, down one side of the dog, following the natural growth of the hair. Clip all the way from the spine to two-thirds of the way down the dog's side. When you reach the back, run the clipper around the dog's haunches to clip the hair on the back of the leg. Repeat on the other side.

6. Hold the dog's head up and feel for the point under the chin where the head joins the neck. Clip from that point, down over the neck and one inch past the sternum. Clip both sides of the neck from under the chin to the crease where the front legs meet the body.

7. Brush the hair on top of the dog's head forward, over its eyes. Use scissors to clip the hair to just above the eyes. Brush the hair on the face forward. Cut the hair so the hairline curves from the nose up to the ear on both sides.

8. Hold one ear in your hand between your thumb and forefinger. Use scissors to trim the hair on top of the ears so it follows the line of the skin. Repeat on the other ear. If the dog has any hair in the ear canal, insert a cotton swab, wind the hairs around the swab and yank them out.

9. Brush the hair hanging on the dog's underbelly. Use scissors to cut this hair so it is longer toward the front and gets progressively shorter toward the back. The exact length is up to you. If the dog is a male, use the clippers with a 10 blade to clip a line from the front of the genitals all the way to the chest. This prevents urine from being caught in the fur.

10. Lift up all four paws and trim any hairs growing past the paws. Brush the hair on the front legs so it points do the floor, then trim the hair on the back of the front legs from the paw to the elbow. Brush the hair on the back legs and trim it so it is just one inch long. Trim the hair on the front of the back legs so it is even with the line of hair on the underbelly.

References

• Canada Westie Club: Pet Grooming a Westie
• Down South Westies: Westie Grooming
• Westie Rescue of Northern California: Tip 5, Grooming