Making the best of your Westie coat

by RENEE ROCHE

MUTTON CHOP jowels, lumpy toplines, straggly tails and floppy elbows. All this pretty well describes early efforts at grooming Westies. I have found the following method works well.

About six months before you intend to show your Westie, begin work on the legs, skirt, forechest and frame. Brush thoroughly to separate the hair, not with a slicker brush but with a pin brush such as the ones used by Poodle groomers. A slicker tears out too much coat, both the hard hair and the softer undercoat. Also, use a comb very sparingly and lightly as this too will damage and pull out coat.

CHALK AN AID

Sprinkle these areas with chalk, then with thumb and forefinger remove most of the fine top coat on the front legs, thighs, stifle, hock and around the feet. Pull on the sides of the dog about midway down the ribcage and include the long uneven hair on the stomach, but don't pull the undercoat on any of the areas worked.

Now pull some of the hair on the forechest. All these spots are slow growing and will take several months longer to come in than the shorter body coat.

On most Westies, the hair on top of the head has had very little work, is probably soft, and parts down the centre of the top skull. Brush a setting gel into the hair until dry; this gives it body and helps it stand so you will be able to shorten and even it. Pull on this section, don't trim with thinning shears. The more you strip on the hair, the harder and thicker it will become.

Before beginning on the frame, I trim the tips of the ears about the width of my thumb. I use thinning shears here, but only lightly with the lay of the hair, and then the edges with straight scissors. Thin the tufts on the back of the ears by pulling, not scissors.

Start working the hair on top of the head first, pulling so no hair stands higher than the tips of the ears. Next do the same to the thinner hair under the chin until the longest hair is about 1 1/2 ins (3.8cm) long. The frame will begin just behind the jawbone, up behind the ears to the occiput.

The hair is usually very thick on the cheeks and jaws and must be stripped out a little or you will have the mutton chops effect with the widest point at the jaw and narrowing up to the ears. Shorten the sides of the frame and shape it until fairly round.

If your dog's head is a little narrow make the hair on top of the head and under the chin shorter, but leave it longer on the sides. This will make the head look a little wider.

When beginning the sections, it is very important that you know the faults of your dog. Be realistic, there are none without faults. Be able to recognise a dip behind the shoulders, a rise over the loin, a low set tail etcetera. If the dog is a little long in back, do sections three and four at the same time. If too narrow across the chest, strip the shoulders 8-9 weeks prior to showing, to allow longer coat there.

You can time the sections to minimise these faults. All dogs do not grow coat at the same length of time but, in general, about 13-14 weeks before his first show begin the sectioning. The Westie standard calls for a 2ins (4cm) coat, but I prefer about 1 1/2ins (3.8cm) when first starting the dog. In a few short weeks it will be the required length.

SECTION PROGRAMME

Click to enlarge

SECTION 1: About 15 weeks before showing, strip the front side of the tail from root to tip. The back side of the tail will need to be done at about three weeks before. A thick coat on the front, and the very short hair on the back, will improve the tail set and shorten the back. Work out the hair on the tip of the tail periodically, as the tail should resemble an inverted carrot, with no flag on the tip.

SECTION 2: Allow one week to 10 days between each of sections 2/3/4. A greater amount of time leaves a definite variation in length of coat in each section. Thirteen weeks prior to showing strip an area behind the 'bumpy' withers muscle, as most dogs have a slight dip here. This dip section should be about the width of your hand and should extend down the ribcage to where you pulled the side coat and skirt several months earlier.

SECTION 3: This section includes the back, sides and buttocks (down past the cowlicks on the rump). With thumb and forefinger, blend to minimise the junction of the earlier stripping on sides and thighs.

SECTION 4: The area over the wither muscle and up the back of the neck to the occiput should be done about 2ins (5cm) wide at the bottom and narrow gradually to about 11/z ins (3.8cm) at the back of the head.

SECTION 5: Do the sides of the neck from behind the ear and jawbone, the shoulders and the front of the shoulders about seven weeks prior to showing. The most common mistake in grooming the shoulders is leaving too much hair about and on the elbow itself. This makes the dog look out at elbow and bowlegged.

Feel the elbow. Slightly above is a depression. Strip down to this notch, then blend the hair at the indentation and on the elbow. Take off a good amount. This will eliminate the flying elbow hair.

Strip around the front of the shoulder and make sure to blend the hair on the front of the leg at the junction with the shoulder. If the leg hair is not blended it will fly to the side when the dog moves.

SECTION 6: About four weeks before the show, strip under the front of the neck up to the jawbone, which begins the frame. Several months earlier you pulled the legs, thighs, stifles and around the feet. This should now be coming back in, with much better texture. By the time you are ready for the ring, all should be in and blended nicely.

Don't rake the undercoat, but if it seems bunchy in spots rake selectively. If the dog is a little high in the rear, rake on the highest point over the loin, but not in the dips or hollows. A dog with too short a coat shows every curve and bump.

The body coat should fit like a jacket and blending once a week will eliminate demarcation lines between the longer leg, skirt hair and body coat.

Trim the nails each week and scissor inside the pads (not the top of the toes). This will much improve the feet.

FINAL TOUCHES

Now you are ready to put the final touch on your dog. Brush the front legs upwards, then comb lightly down. Shake the leg. Let the dog stand squarelv on the table. Now pull out any hair that spoils the straight outline of the leg when looking at it from the front and side. Although Westies are allowed to turn their feet slightly, I have found the majority of judges prefer them to look as straight as possible. Follow the same procedure with the back legs.

Rework the head the same way that you did months earlier. To produce really hard furnishings, all of the parts pulled nearly six months ago should be worked each week. Pull a little hair between the eyes in front of the stop. Pull the long shaggy brows so the hair doesn't fall over the eyes in 'bangs'. A Westie is to have deep set eyes, but you should still be able to see that they have eyes.

If you plan on showing the dog over a long period of time, you must begin to work or roll the coat when it first begins to come in and is just barely long enough to pull. Work A over the dog once or twice each week.

I lift up the hair and pull with my fingers. I feel that a stripping knife, no matter how dull, will still break a very hard coat. As the coat gets longer you will need new coat coming all the while you are showing. By this method I kept one dog in very hard coat for nearly 21/z years, so I know it works.

When you think you have finished the dog, have someone else move him. You will be surprised how he will change in outline when moving. The most common area needing attention is the bump over the rear. The legs will probably need some attention to make them look straight.

I usually scissor around the feet with the points of the scissor touching the table. Don't trim any hair from the top of the foot.

THERE'S NO EXCUSE

There is no excuse for showing a dirty dog. A bath will soften the coat, but if done a week or two before the show and dried properly, it will not to be too soft. Use a warm dryer and brush with the lay of the hair on the neck, back, sides & tail until completely dry. If the hair is left the least bit damp, the hair will probably separate.

The finish work, the blending and shaping, could be the deciding factor between winner and reserve. The profile or outline is the first thing a judge sees when you enter the ring, and many times the final decision is made when you move in a circle. Try to see as many top winners as you can and compare your grooming with theirs. Hopefully yours will compare favourably. •

Originally printed in ZZZ Used with permission