How to Groom a Collie

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Large slicker and pin brushes
Wide and standard metal combs
Matting rake
Scissors
Clippers
Blades
Fine or medium tooth comb
Toe nail trimmers

Step 1:
Look for knots of hair behind the collie's ears. You must split and remove these knots.
Step 2:
Remove shed hair and knots from the body before bathing. Lift the hair and brush with a pin brush. You should brush your dog's head with a fine or medium tooth comb.
Step 3:
Clean the area around the anus where feces residue may be tangled in the hair.
Step 4:
Bathe your collie using the appropriate shampoo.
Step 5:
Use a force dryer to remove extra water from the dog after bathing. Given the collie's thick double coat, this can save you a lot of time.
Step 6:
Clean inside the ears with a wet cotton ball. Only clean inside as far as you can see, be careful not to probe to far into the ear.
Step 7:
Trim toe nails by removing small bits of the nail at a time. Once a black dot in the center of the nail is visible, then you've removed enough.
Step 8:
Scissor the feet evenly and remove stray hairs.

Tips & Warnings

The collie's outer coat should be coarse to the touch and very straight. The undercoat, in contrast, should be thick and soft.
If you want your collie's coat trimmed short, you should know this isn't the proper cut for a show ring.
Never remove mats behind the ears with scissors. It is very easy to accidentally cut the dog's skin this way.
Approximately 95 percent of collies are afflicted with Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) which can eventually cause blindness, depending on how severe the condition is.

Resources

Petgroomer recommends appropriate grooming instruments for your dog breed.

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