West Highland White Terrier haircut: requirements and types

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

Live wool remains untouched. This type of hair care is suitable for the cold season, because after the dead hair is removed, the remaining coat can be leveled using a machine.

If light trimming is performed, the maximum interval between haircuts should be 3 months (30% is removed). Otherwise, with a large amount of hair removed, the animal will become bald and unattractive. If you make the right care for the coat, it will not fall into tangles, get wet. This coat protects the dog from cold weather, heat and other weather conditions. The "plucked" West Highland White Terrier will not get so dirty, freeze and get a neat appearance.

Trimming can be of several types.

• Crying. It is a pinch in which only fingers are used.

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

• Plactom. The hair is removed with a sharp and quick movement.

A West Highland White Terrier haircut should 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, combing is carried out in a vertical direction along the stomach and paws.
• If the owner does not have experience 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 are carried out, 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 forefinger of the other hand.
• Several hairs should be captured, after which they stretch themselves in a sharp jerk.
• First, the back is plucked (starting from the withers and to the tail). In these areas, the wool grows rapidly, so it needs to be thinned regularly.
• When plucking is done, the coat must be combed constantly. This will allow you to consider the result 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 the assistant to hold the terrier's head to ensure a neat haircut.
• The hair on the chest and throat should be cut with thinning shears.

For the first time, trimming is not done entirely, but through one hairline. 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 for a period of 4-6 months. If the owner turns to the groomer after 2.5 months, a new, stiffer and shorter one will appear under the untidy wool.

The specialist will remove the remaining hair the first time, and the animal will acquire an appearance that will be fully 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 their fourth friend with responsibility if an exhibition career is planned. The groomer’s first job is when the puppy is 1 month old. The traditional "chrysanthemum" on the head is created only by plucking with fingers. Paws and "skirt" do not move.

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

Exhibition grooming scheme:

• the length of the hair on the upper body (from the withers to the tail) should be 4-5 cm;
• sections on the throat, on the sides of the neck, up to the shoulder-jointed joints, need to be plucked briefly;
• 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;
• sides and sciatic tubercles remain short;
• the elbows are plucked so that a snug fit is noticeable;
• “Skirt” should begin from the connection of the elbow with the highest inguinal point;
• the transition from short to long coat should be smooth;
• only protruding hairs are plucked on the paws;
• A short coat 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 of other breeds and experiment on your pet, but experts distinguish 2 types of work with hair: for an exhibition and for home.

They differ from standard grooming by shorter hair length, which makes the cover more practical. Some owners shear their animals under the machine, which is undesirable. Experienced groomers recommend resorting to this option only in the following cases.

• When an animal suffers from skin diseases that are in the acute stage. Do not pluck 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 shape of the head “chrysanthemum”. Also, owners of dogs of this breed experiment with bangs, emphasizing the gender of their pet.

See how to make a West Highland White Terrier haircut.