Grooming tools & methods

C

CharlieBrown

Forums Regular
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and to owning a sheltie.
Charlie is 17 weeks old and I was told by my breeder to begin brushing him with a pin brush and a water spray bottle everyday while he is a puppy so he gets used to being groomed.


Becuase I was so excited about getting a sheltie, I already have these tools.

- Pin brush
- Water spray bottle
- Metal toothed comb
- Slicker brush
- De-shedding rake
- Blunt scissors
- Thinning scissors
- Nail clippers



My questions are:

1. In which order do I use these tools?

2. When should I start using each of them on Charlie (17 weeks old atm)

3. Does the coat need to be sprayed when using all the different brushes and the rake or just when using the pin brush?

4. I know the method of line brushing but which tools do I use to do it?


I would love to learn to groom Charlie myself and not take him to the groomers as I live in a small town where I think there might only be 2 other shelties so I don't think the groomers would have sufficient information and/or skills in grooming shelties. I have read on here that the book by Barb Ross is a bible so I may think about buying that. Also in my contract with my breeder, I am not allowed to enter Charlie into confirmation shows so I would just like the information neeed to groom a very loved pet sheltie :)

Thanks
 
First congratulations on Charlie. Have you posted pix?

I started off with the pin brush - this is all you should need until the coat starts getting thicker (the adult coat). Using the water helps to keep the outer coat or guard hairs from breaking. The deshedding rake I didn't use until Emma was close to a year. This depends on how thick the coat is.

For line brushing, I use the pin brush or the slicker brush, just depending on the coat at the time. If they are blowing coat, then I use the rake as well. I tend to use the slicker brush on the pants area as I find it does a good job first, then I change to the slicker brush.

Nail clippers should be started and used now. When I clip the nails, then I trim the fur between the pads, around the foot, and up the legs just a bit.

There are many on the forum who can give you lots of tips on grooming. Search the grooming section here.
 
Thank you :) yes I've searched the grooming section on here a bit but there's not an abundance of info on puppy grooming and it seems everyone has their own ways to groom and the tools that they like best.

I've already begun cutting his nails and his paws are due for another trim. I decided to invest in a grooming table so I'm waiting for that to arrive in the post before I tackle my wriggly man's paws again.

Yes I have posted two photos of Charlie in my "say hello - greetings from Australia" post today. If you can't find them I'm more than happy to repost them on this thread for you :)
 
I got a rake, comb and a slicker they told me to buy when I got Chauncey groomed, I do have another brush type but I too don't really know the order of which gets used first. He seems to dislike being brushed but the groomers he made no fuss, so I might be doing it wrong.
 
Seems like you are well supplied to start!

First thing....the reason for the spray bottle is that you never want to brush your dog dry. Always mist the fur before you brush, otherwise you risk breaking off the guard hair which is important for the Shelties skin protection.

Getting Barb Ross's book is a great primer but almost too much for beginners.

So here is a basic primer:


- get pup used to being handled and manhandled asap. When cuddling, take hold of paws, ears, tail, and put some gentle pressure
- when pup is sleepy, start doing some basic grooming. Spritz the fur and just do plain brushing with your pin brush for now.
- as you get more comfortable, you want to start learning how to line brush. This becomes important when your pup starts to grow into his adult coat.
- watch for matting around the ears and the armpits. Every few days you should check for lumps. Some dogs are more susceptible than others. If your start to feel matts, sprinkle some baby powder or corn starch and rub it in. Then take your wide comb and working from the bottom try to loosen matt. If its really bad, then take blunt scissors and cut UP into the mat, then try again to comb out. This will take a few goes to work it through.
- at 17 weeks, you won't be dealing with Sheltie underpants quite yet, but they are coming. Again, this is where you need to learn how to line brush.
- feet and nails.....I always find it easier to cut/dremmel nails if I trim the feet first. I use several tools on the feet, but admit that I'm a little fanatic about it. First I trim the pads with blunt scissors. I push the hair between the toes down to the pads and trim. Then I take the slicker and brush the fur up. I take my thinning shears and trim the stand up hair. Then I trim around the foot with the blunt shears. Finally, I take my bikini razor to finish. Then I do the nails. I clip first, then finish with dremmel. btw - I only do this about once per month, though I should do more often.
- finally, there is the poop chute. While I do not recommend shaving a Sheltie ever, there is one spot that you can shave....using the bikini shaver, lightly shave a vertical line from the anus downwards, but no more than the width of the tail. You can also use thinning shears for this. You are not trying to get to bare skin; just removing excess hair to avoid poop getting stuck.

I'm sure there's more that I've missed, but its a starter.....
 
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