The West Highland white terrier is commonly known as Westie dogs. This breed is originally from Scotland and is known for its white double coat. They have a wiry coat at the top that sheds the dirt, and underneath it, there’s a soft coat to keep them warm in cold weather. They require regular brushing and haircuts from a young age to keep their coat clean and bright. Grooming your Westie as a puppy is important so they could get used to the grooming experience and will make it easier for you when they get older.
Importance Of Grooming Your Westie
Grooming your Westie is not only about maintaining their good looking, but it also maintains their cleanliness and physical health. When you get a Westie, you should start the grooming when it’s still a puppy, because as they get older, it becomes harder, especially when it comes to ear cleaning and nail clipping. If you don’t know how to groom your Westie, you can search for Westie dogs site to help you with the process. Grooming sessions include brushing, nail clipping, cleaning their teeth, and trimming their hair. Westies is considered a long-haired breed which requires more grooming sessions than short-haired dogs.
Brushing
- Brushing your Westie’s coat can be considered as bonding time. If they enjoy it, it can make your bond stronger. When you’re brushing their fur, it can be a time to de-stress yourself, and it can be soothing for both of you.
- Regular brushing will make your Westie looks beautiful and healthier. And it will keep their hair clean from dirt and dandruff.
- Westies have natural oils in their coat, and because they can’t groom themselves, they need a little help from you to spread it. Brushing their coat regularly will spread the natural oils in their fur and will make it look shinier.
- A matted dog can be in pain because it feels the same as someone pulling your hair. Mats are not only painful, but it can cause serious skin problems. However, if you brush their fur regularly, you can prevent painful mats from forming.
- Brushing your Westie’s hair regularly will allow you to know how their skin feels and looks like. That way, you can detect any bumps or parasites easily and at an early stage. If your dog has ticks or fleas, you will be able to detect and remove them before they harm your Westie.
- Having a long-haired breed means that you will find their hair all over your house and furniture. However, brushing can help reduce shedding as you will remove all the dead hair with a brush.
Even if you’re going to take your Westie to a professional groomer, you need to brush its hair between sessions. Brushing twice a week is enough to prevent mats and maintain their natural oils. Before brushing, take your Westie to a quiet place, so they don’t get distracted and move away. If your Westie is not comfortable with brushing their hair, provide them a treat and praise them a lot. Start brushing the hair around the head first and move towards the tail. Using a rubber comb and moving it in a circular motion will help distribute the oils faster and will keep the coat shiny.
Trimming nails
If your Westie’s nails are long, then they are at risk of being torn off, which can cause serious injuries. Long nails also make it hard for dogs to walk comfortably as it puts pressure on the nail and not the paws. Putting pressure on the nails can make your Westie distribute its weight differently, which can harm the joints.
If your Westie doesn’t walk on a hard surface a lot and spends more time indoors or on grass, then you should cut their nails once every two weeks. Most dogs don’t like trimming their nails and can be stressed from the sound. So make sure that your Westie is comfortable before doing so. A lot of praises and treats can help ease the trimming process. To cut the nails, Use a clipper that’s designed for your Westie’s nails and start by holding their paws firmly but gently. Cut the nails, but avoid the pink areas. If you accidentally cut the quick, you will find a lot of bleeding. If that happens, stop any bleeding immediately and comfort your little Westie.
Ear Cleaning
Ear cleaning is useful to prevent diseases and infections and can help you detect if there’s anything wrong at an early. Excess wax in your Westie’s ear can cause health problems in the future. If there’s redness, odor around the ear area, or swelling, this might indicate an infection. You can clean your Westie’s ear once or twice a month unless its ears get wet a lot, then you would need to clean it more often.
To clean your Westie’s ear, ask your veterinarian to recommend an ear solution for cleaning. Use that solution with cotton gently inside the ear and around it as well
Teeth brushing
Brushing your Westie’s teeth may not be an easy process, but it’s very important to include it in your grooming routine. Many dental problems can be caused due to poor dental care. Bad breath and plaque can be symptoms of dental health problems. To prevent these dental health problems, brush your Westie’s teeth regularly. It will also help remove any food particles between their teeth and prevent bad odor. If your Westie doesn’t let you put your hands in their mouth to brush their teeth, then you can save it for the professional groomers to do so.
Grooming your Westies regularly can improve their health and makes them look good. If you’re not able to do all the grooming process by yourself at home, you can visit professional groomers once or twice a month. But in between sessions, make sure to brush regularly and clean their ears. You can also ask a professional groomer about the steps so you can do it easily at home. Making your dog get used to the grooming routine can save you a lot of visits to professionals, and with a treat and praise, you can get all the grooming done.