Grooming the Skye
The Skye does not need to be groomed by a professional - the average owner can take care of this quite easily themselves.
Basic tools needed are a pin brush, a natural bristle brush, an undercoat comb, scissors and nail clippers. Plus of course, shampoo and conditioner.
Although the breed has a lot of coat, most of it's grooming needs simply involve regular brushing. If the Skyes coat is thoroughly brushed out once a week (providing it hasn't gotten into any burrs or anything sticky that would create more difficulties), and then finished with a comb to make sure you haven't missed any tangles, you will find that maintaining the coat isn't that hard.
The only trimming the breed needs is to the feet; leveling out the hair that grows between the pads of the foot and you can tidy up any long hairs around the edge of the feet.
Teach your Skye to lie down to be brushed and have it's nails trimmed. This may seem ridiculous while the puppy has very little coat, but you will be glad you have taken the time to train them to do this when they are fully grown and have a lot of coat to brush through.
Don't forget when cutting the toenails to do the dew claws on the front legs (if your Skye has them). The nails should be done every week.
When your Skye does need a bath, be sure to thoroughly rinse any shampoo and conditioners and use a hair dryer to dry your dog . (You having trained your Skye to lie down for grooming will come in very handy for this!) Always be sure to dry under the armpits as, if left damp, these areas can become red and sore and cause your dog a lot of discomfort.
That is basically it. Of course, grooming your Skye for a dog show is more involved, but for that you should get instruction from your Skye's breeder.
Basic tools needed are a pin brush, a natural bristle brush, an undercoat comb, scissors and nail clippers. Plus of course, shampoo and conditioner.
Although the breed has a lot of coat, most of it's grooming needs simply involve regular brushing. If the Skyes coat is thoroughly brushed out once a week (providing it hasn't gotten into any burrs or anything sticky that would create more difficulties), and then finished with a comb to make sure you haven't missed any tangles, you will find that maintaining the coat isn't that hard.
The only trimming the breed needs is to the feet; leveling out the hair that grows between the pads of the foot and you can tidy up any long hairs around the edge of the feet.
Teach your Skye to lie down to be brushed and have it's nails trimmed. This may seem ridiculous while the puppy has very little coat, but you will be glad you have taken the time to train them to do this when they are fully grown and have a lot of coat to brush through.
Don't forget when cutting the toenails to do the dew claws on the front legs (if your Skye has them). The nails should be done every week.
When your Skye does need a bath, be sure to thoroughly rinse any shampoo and conditioners and use a hair dryer to dry your dog . (You having trained your Skye to lie down for grooming will come in very handy for this!) Always be sure to dry under the armpits as, if left damp, these areas can become red and sore and cause your dog a lot of discomfort.
That is basically it. Of course, grooming your Skye for a dog show is more involved, but for that you should get instruction from your Skye's breeder.
