# What grooming is required with a Sheltie?



## Ezio (Feb 22, 2013)

I know you will need to brush the dog 2x a week, but what else? 

My future dog will most likely be a Sheltie and I have no experience with long coated dogs. :redface:

What kind of brushes will I need?
How many times should the dog see the groomer? I will keep the dog in, I guess you call it a "basic" coat. Not showing or anything. 
Are there certain shampoos I should use? 

Thanks.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Dont shave it! Beyond that i just know you have to brush them a lot


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

For most long haired, double coated dogs, once every three months is a pretty typical schedule for professional grooming.

Brushing with a slicker + pin brush at least 2x week. I brush my dog once a week (and sometimes even once every two weeks lol) but I think his fur is shorter and lower maintenance.

You will probably have to bathe the dog frequently since they are small and furry. I bathe my Pom-x once every two weeks, sometimes more. I don't use anything special, just biodegradable, natural shampoo that also is conditioning.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

A while back I was talking to a training buddy about grooming Shelties. She took a comb to them once a week and they looked really great. During a TV session she sat on the floor and line combed each dog down to the skin. They will also need feet and fetlocks neatened regularly so they don't have hobbit feet. I would think they only need professional grooming to trim up the rear end to keep that area from getting messy and in cold weather where you don't want the dog to air dry.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

Professional grooming is nice because they can blowdry your dog's coat, it gets a lot of the undercoat out and makes it super fluffy. The only reason you might need professional grooming is to have the feet trimmed, and sometimes people like sanitary trims. Or you can trim the feet yourself. As long as you are regularly brushing the dog and getting the undercoat out, you will be alright. I recommend a comb, pin or slicker brush and an undercoat rake based on how thick the coat is. Most don't need a bath very often. Maybe once every couple of months.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I brushed mine once a week or whenever I realized they needed it. More when blowing coat- like 3-4 times a week. Sometimes they went weeks without and were fine. The only matting was behind the ears. 

Mine didn't get hobbit feet very bad at all. The papillons do and need a foot trim every month or so but the shelties were fine with being tidied up every few months. They don't seem to grow long hair on top of their feet like papillons do.

Brushes- I primarily used a slicker and an undercoat rake. Pin brush could be nice for neatying things up but you definitely need a slicker and a rake. I also had thinning shears and regular shears for feet and doing a sanitary type trim/tidying bum hairs. And a comb for behind the ears. No furminator!

My dogs never went to the groomer. Well, Trey went once and they partially shaved him so it never happened again. They don't really need professional grooming. If you do take them, just have them bathe them and force dry them to get out coat. Be really specific about no shaving!

I used whatever dog shampoo smelled good (very scientific). I bathed my shelties a couple times a year. A proper sheltie coat repels most dirt. Mine never got greasy like the papillons do and never smelled. A proper sheltie coat takes a LONG time to dry though and a long time to really get them wet down to the skin. It is very thick.

I've had 3 shelties fwiw


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