Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier - Grooming

funkyjebus

Hi Guys,

Hope all you animal lovers have a great xmas and new year.

Anyone out there have a ISCWT as well. My guy is 7 months now, and while I knew the gromming would be hard, I think it might be getting out of hand.

His coat is lovely, but he has a few matts on his chest / belly as well as on the backs of his legs. I just cant get them out. So 2 questions.

1. Are the de matter combs any good / do they damage the coat. Perhaps there is another way to get these out.
2. Do you know of any grommer that specialize in ISCWT and know how to clip them correctly?

To say thanks - here's a pic with his xmas pressie. Thanks

mymo

He's gorgeous.
I don't have a ISCWT but I do have a Tibetan terrier(looks like a smaller version of Dulux dog), and around 8-10 months the get their adult double coat and grooming is a nightmare. Maybe thats what is happening to your fella?
I struggled brushing and combing him twice daily and ended up getting him trimmed as I had to go away and leave him in kennels for 2 weeks. The lady at the kennels just couldn't(and didn't have time to) keep him groomed and she was a trained groomer.
It made life much easier (although I still brush him most days as he loves it), and unless you are showing him it maybe is the best option.
One tip I did get was to use a good sharp scissors to pick apart the tangles(start at point furthest from skin and work back), this stops it looking like you cut a chunk of hair out.
Never tried those combs as was told they ruined the coat, but that was if I was showing him.

funkyjebus

Thanks mymo.

I know the tibetan terrier well, they're lovely. Your guy is the same as mine in that he has hair and not a fur coat, so it tends to matt really quickly. His adult coat won't hit in until 1 - 2 years old though.

I would need a groomer who can handle ISCWT specifically as I am considering showing him at some point. I heard there was a women out near stillorgan way. Thanks again mymo for the advise. I will try a really sharp scissors for now!!

star-pants

I have two lhasa apsos - and they're hard work grooming wise, the older one gets a puppy cut because she just knots up so quickly (they've a double coat), the younger ones coat isn't as curly so it's easier to keep on top of but still tough going.
We go to a chap out in Balbriggan - granted it's a bit of a drive but we find it's worth it, they know how to cut them to their breed, and you can ask for them to be left long or short or whatever. If you want the details I can pm them to you. It's around 54 for each of ours so I assume would be similar pricing for your dog.

funkyjebus

Thanks Star pants. Yeah if you could pm the details whenever you get a chance I'll ring them to see if they know how to cut to the Wheaten standard. Do they knock the dog out while they cut or do you know, can you watch? Thanks again

star-pants

I'll pm you the contact details now - they do not knock dogs out to groom them, to be fair most decent groomers won't knock dogs out to groom them.
I'd say they do know how to cut the wheaten terrier but of course ringing to check will be better to be sure.

They don't like you to stay there because it can of course upset the dog - if the dog sees you they'll want to be with you thus making it more difficult for them. But you can see the dogs being done when you're outside the shop (large window) and they say that for nervous owners, they can go to the library across the road and watch from the window there if they really want to. (people have before)

funkyjebus

No really too worried, just want to see it being done so I can do it myself next time and save €50 odd:D. Cheers for the pm.

star-pants

you can ask him how you should groom your dog - he showed me before with my younger one, showed me the brush to buy and showed me how exactly I should brush her. Very helpful to keep her (semi) knot free between grooming!

mymo

Another option would be to ring a couple of breeders who show and ask who they use, IKC could give you a few contacts.
I know how important it is to keep the coat well for showing, we started out that way but its impossible to bring him walking in woods and to beach etc and keep his coat in show condition (he's mostly white and has a talent for finding muck)
If you're thinking of showing get into the ring craft classes as soon as you can, even if you won't be showing for a while it will give him experience and get him used to the situation.
Best of luck

funkyjebus

Thanks mymo - Yeah the ring craft classes are next on the list. I heard the IKC do them every Tuesday in the national show centre anyone been lately?