Grooming West Highland White Terrier: requirements and types

Grooming the West Highland White Terrier has its own characteristics and requirements. There are several types of haircuts that are designed for show careers and home use.

Trimming is in high demand among West Highland White Terrier owners. This procedure is a uniform plucking of the guard hair. With the help of trimming you can keep your dog's hard coat in perfect condition. Often the owners resort to light trimming, during which all dead guard hairs are removed with a neat capture of only the upper part of the hairs.

Live fur remains intact. This type of grooming is suitable for the cold season, because after the dead coat has been removed, the remaining coat can be smoothed out with a machine.

If light trimming is being done, the maximum interval between haircuts should be 3 months (30% removed). Otherwise, with a lot of hair removed, the animal will become bald and unattractive. If you take proper care of the coat, it will not fall into tangles, get wet. Such wool qualitatively protects the dog from cold weather, heat and other weather conditions. A "plucked" West Highland White Terrier will not get so dirty, freeze and get a neat appearance.

Trimming can be of several types.

• Plaking. It is a pinch that uses only the fingers.

• Stripping. During this plucking, the master uses a special stripping knife.

• Plaktom. The hair is removed with a sharp and quick motion.

The grooming of the West Highland White Terrier must be done according to the rules.

• First of all, the animal should be combed with a brush from the back of the head to the tail. After that, brushing is carried out in a vertical direction along the abdomen and paws.
• If the owner is inexperienced in trimming, do not use special knives to prevent injury to the dog. It is best to pluck with your fingers.
• A small amount of baby powder improves grip.
• After the preparatory measures have been taken, you can grab the skin fold with the fingers of your left hand, pulling it up. Due to these actions, the longest hairs will become noticeable. It is most convenient to grab them with the thumb or index finger of the other hand.
• Several hairs should be captured, after which they are pulled towards themselves with a sharp jerk.
• First of all, the back is plucked (from the withers to the tail). In these areas, the fur grows quickly, so it needs to be thinned regularly.
• When plucking is done, the coat must be combed constantly. This will allow you to consider the outcome of the process.
• The bangs are carefully cut with scissors, after which the hair on the ears is removed. Leave 1 centimeter from the tip of the ears. It is advisable to ask a helper to hold the terrier's head to ensure a neat haircut.
• The hair on the chest and throat should be trimmed with thinning scissors.

For the first time, trimming is not done entirely, but through one hair. The puppy will look untidy, but this procedure is essential for grooming. This is due to the fact that the coat of this breed is completely ready for trimming within 4-6 months. If the owner turns to a groomer after 2.5 months, a new, harder and shorter coat will appear under the untidy coat.

The specialist will remove the remaining hair the first time, and the animal will acquire an appearance that will be completely suitable for the exhibition. The procedure is not quick, it will take several visits to create layers, but each time it will take less time to work with wool, and the animal will become more and more like other representatives of the breed, placed in glossy magazines.

For this reason, experts advise to approach the procedure for caring for the coat of your four-footed friend with responsibility if an exhibition career is planned.... The first groomer job is done when the puppy is 1 month old. The traditional "chrysanthemum" on the head is created only by plucking with the fingers. Paws and "skirt" do not touch.

Hygienic procedures for breed grooming are a must. Daily manipulations will be required, with the help of which the whiteness of the muzzle is maintained. To keep the coat snow white, you can use calcium carbonate with boric acid. They need to be rubbed into the wool, and then proceed to combing out with a natural bristle brush.

Show grooming scheme:

• the length of the hair on the upper body (from the withers to the tail) should be 4-5 cm;
• areas on the throat, on the sides of the neck, up to the shoulder-blade joints should be plucked out shortly;
• the hair on the crest of the neck should be 5 cm, the transition from the neck to the withers should form a smooth arc;
• flanks and ischial tubercles remain short;
• the elbows are plucked out so that a snug fit is noticeable;
• "Skirt" should start from the junction of the elbow with the highest inguinal point;
• the transition from short to long coat should be smooth;
• only protruding hairs are plucked out on the paws;
• short hair is left around the anus and on the back of the tail.

For exhibitions, there is only one option, which is called pedigree grooming. Some owners are exploring non-standard options that are also suitable for their dogs, but do not fit the breed standard. You can choose haircuts from other breeds and experiment with your pet, but experts distinguish between 2 types of work with hair: for an exhibition and for a home.

They differ from standard grooming in a shorter hair length, which makes the cover more practical. Some owners cut their animals under a clipper, which is undesirable. Experienced groomers recommend using this option only in the following cases.

• When the animal is sick with skin diseases that are in the stage of exacerbation. Do not pull out damaged skin.
• If the pet has never been plucked, and its age is more than 5 years.
• The owner likes the look of the animal.

You can simply shorten the length of the coat a little by creating rectangular shapes without resorting to the chrysanthemum head shape. Also, the owners of dogs of this breed experiment with bangs, emphasizing the gender of their pet.

For how to groom the West Highland White Terrier, see below.