A clean, well-groomed dog is a happy dog. Most dogs would be delighted to be brushed daily but most people don't have the time. Do it on alternating days or once a week. Any less often than that, you both get out of the habit and it can be a chore for both of you.

Have the dog lie on her side on the bathroom floor on a non-slip backed carpet, or you can put her on a grooming table or on the end of your bathroom counter on a non-slip backed carpet, while you brush her sides, tummy and tail.

Brushing your dog with a dry coat will break the hair. Before brushing, use a spray bottle to mist the coat lightly. You can use water or a light solution of water with a coat conditioner. Remember, Sheltie coats are supposed to have a harsh, stand-off quality and water repellant texture.

Coat Condition
A lot depends on the condition of the coat and how recently the dog has been groomed. If he hasn't been brushed for awhile, you are likely dealing with mats and dead hair. Be very gentle with a dog whose coat is in this condition. It isn't his fault that he hasn't been groomed recently. He is not used to being brushed so he will likely be fussy. Also, be aware that his skin will be very tender and probably is oily or flaky under the matted fur.

Remedial Grooming
For a tangled mess, with the dog standing up, take your wide-toothed mat rake and start from the top of the back at the back of the neck, gradually down to the feet all along one side. Then go to the other side and repeat. Remember to lift the dog's legs and rake out the armpits and groin areas. Lift the tail and gently rake out the tangles under and between the legs. If the mats are very large, use thinning or straight scissors to cut the mat into smaller pieces that can then be raked out. If you have a mat splitter, this is what it's for.

After the coat is relatively tangle free, use a large slicker brush in the same pattern (back of neck to tail, top of back to toes) to remove the rest of the dead hair. Brush all the hair DOWN when taking out tangles and mats. Be very careful with the slicker because if you go too deep or press too hard it can cut the dog. You will want to get a set of thinning scissors or blunt nosed manicure scissors to trim down the hair around her bottom, feet and behind her ears.

Line Brushing
If the coat is in good condition to start (or after you've taken the mats out as noted above) bypass the mat rake and slicker and use a pin brush all over. Lay the dog on her side on a table or counter. Make a part lengthwise, parallel to the backbone, from the back of neck to top of tail. Start at the back of her neck and brush the coat UP, toward the backbone, working along the part to her tail. After having brushed that row UP, go about an inch lower and make another lengthwise part. Flip the top coat back so you can see the skin, and brush that line of hair UP, against the grain. This is called line brushing.

If you find debris or tangles when line brushing, the coat rake or comb can help to gently get them out. Go back to the Remedial Grooming stage and use the mat rake and splitter, then slicker brush. Most pet supply stores carry a selection of each of these brushes.

Finally, for pet grooming (not for show) go over the entire coat with a comb, smoothing the hair back DOWN. If the comb doesn't pass easily through the coat, you still have dead hair and tangles under the top coat. Go back to the pin brush, slicker or rake and do another pass. Then try the comb again.

Note: If you want to go beyond basic pet grooming, an excellent show grooming book is The Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming, by Barb Ross. It's available through Amazon and other on-line sellers.

Feet

Have a professional groomer show you how to do the toenails and trimming of the footpad hair. The equipment you need to trim the hair in her foot pads and around her toes is a small sharp pair of blunt nosed scissors and a small slicker brush.

* With the slicker, brush the hair on top of the foot backward so that it stands straight UP. Then trim down to leave a neat "powder puff" look on the top of the foot.
* Trim the outside edges of the top of the foot flush with the floor Š nothing hanging over the bottom of the foot.
* The tufts of hair that poke out between the pads on the bottom of the foot should be trimmed off, flush with the foot pads.

Besides a nicer look, the benefits of trimming the feet are that the dog is less prone to picking up harmful objects between the pads. If she does injure her foot you can see the wound better. Trimming also reduces the mud and grit that are carried indoors on the dog's feet to your floors. The biggest benefit is that you can see her toenails better and that helps you trim them quickly.

Snowball Feet
If you are taking your dog for romps in the snow, first be sure the feet hairs are trimmed (above). That reduces accumulation of painful ice balls between the pads. Then lightly coat the bottom of the foot and between the pads with Vaseline. This prevents the ice from sticking. If you live where winter weather is prolonged, consider buying neoprene booties to protect your dog's feet through the winter.

Salted Sidewalks
Be careful in the winter to avoid walking on salted sidewalks and streets. Guide your Sheltie to walk with her feet on what are usually grassy areas as much as possible. If you live in the city and must walk on salted pavement, do so sparingly. Just a few blocks of walking on salt encrusted sidewalks can be extremely drying and possibly injurious to the dog's foot pads. Wash her feet thoroughly immediately when you return home. Wash again an hour or so later, then coat the feet with a healing treatment like aloe vera gel. If you must walk your dog on salted sidewalks frequently, make or buy booties to protect her feet.

Toe Nails

Your Sheltie's nails may grow fast because she gets won't wear them down unless she is walking long distances on pavement. She needs to have her toenails trimmed about every one to two weeks. Don't let them get too long or it will throw off her posture and cause orthopaedic problems. She may have dew claws; they also grow fast and they do get sharp.

To Trim Sheltie Toenails
Give her a tiny treat as you trim each nail. You can have a groomer show you a few times and you'll be ready to do them yourself. Be careful not to nick them because they will bleed, she will freak out, and nail trimming will be horrid for weeks. If you really hate doing it yourself, most groomers will do the toenails for about $5 per week. It's a bargain.

Nail Clippers
If you don't want to use a Dremel, get a scissors-type nail clipper with a guard. The guard will keep the nail from slipping through too far and causing you to nick the nail. The guillotine type of nail trimmer is really difficult to control and you will nick more nails with it.

How to make nail trimming fun
Can't believe trimming dog nails would be fun?
* Picture a beauty salon with all the dogs getting their hair done. That will help you both to be less nervous. If she fusses about having one of her toenails done, switch to another nail and come back to that first one later.
* At first, just do one toenail per day and then give her a treat when she doesn't squirm. When she gets more comfortable, after doing all the nails on one foot, say OKAY TREAT! then give her a treat. I do both front feet, brush some more, then do both back feet. Treat when your Sheltie's grooming is finished too.

Introducing your Sheltie to the Dremel
You can do your Sheltie's nails with a Dremel, Mighty Mite (about $70). Use the coarse sandpaper bands available as alternate grinding heads for it. One band lasts a long time, even if you are doing several dogs' nails. Even my fosters do not mind it when introduced properly (as described below).

Many people (and dogs!) hate nail clippers because it's hard to see the nails well enough to keep from nicking them. The Dremel gives you control so you don't take off too much at once. You will never have a bleeding nail with the dremel! The downside of the Dremel is that it is noisy, takes longer with each nail, and the nail will heat up as you focus on each nail.

To introduce the dog to the dremel, do one step each day:
* set the silent (off) dremel next to the dog while you are grooming
* still with the dremel off, touch each of the dog's nails with the dremel and treat while touching (do not treat unless the dog is calm!)
*turn the dremel on and hold it, standing quietly next to the dog. Give the dog treats when she is calm with the dremel running
* while the dog is watching, practice on your own finger nails until you feel confident that you have control

When starting on the dog's nails, be careful to hold the foot hair back or the dremel can get wound up in the hair.
* with the dremel on, touch one dog nail with it. Treat. Touch a second nail with the dremel. Treat. Go back to the first nail. Touch with the dremel. Treat. Quit for the day
* do one foot, a small amount on each toe nail at a time. Treat after each nail. Do not continue if the dog is fussing. Get your brush and do a little grooming to end the session. Treat only if the dog is calm.
* if possible, have another person stabilize her and feed her treats while you are grinding or trimming toenails. If you don't nick her nails, she will eventually get less nervous.

Teeth

Avoid Tooth Decay with Raw Bones
If you want to avoid having to brush your dog's teeth and still have a healthy mouth, feed biologically appropriate raw food. Even older dogs who are switched to raw food and raw bones quickly demonstrate substantial reduction in tartar and tooth gunk.

Recreational chewing of raw beef marrow bones or raw beef knuckle bones will keep your dog's teeth clean. Ask for large beef soup bones from your local butcher or grocery store. Most dogs smaller than a Lab will work on a big bone for several days or even weeks. The act of chewing is natural and soothing to a dog, particularly if he is bored or spends a lot of time alone.

If you are giving raw marrow bones, the marrow is quite rich and can make the dog sick if he gets too much at one sitting. At first, only let your dog have a marrow bones for about 15 to 30 minutes at a time. Then put the bone in the freezer until then next day. Once the dog is used to chewing these bones she will likely scatter them around the house or yard. You might want to confine the bone chewing to her crate so you won't be stumbling over them in the yard. Check the bones often to make sure they arenÕt getting rancid. Replace them every week or two.

Teeth cleaning - brushing
If you feed kibble (commercial dry dog food), as your dog ages, you will likely find that her teeth must be cleaned every year or so. This is an unpleasant process and often requires anesthesia by a Vet. Between the crud from the teeth and the anesthetic, this procedure is very challenging to the dog's system, especially as she gets up in years. To avoid major problems developing, inspect the dog's teeth and gums each time you groom her. If the teeth are dirty, have the plaque scaled off about once per year by a qualified Vet Tech.

Older dogs usually need to be anaesthetized to have their teeth fixed. Avoid your dog having anesthetic by preventative care. Keep the dog's teeth clean. Tooth pastes for dogs like Oxyfresh Pet Gel are available at pet supply stores and from Vets. Don't use human toothpastes. A dog's mouth and saliva has a different pH from humans.

To get your dog used to having her teeth brushed, put a dab of pet tooth paste on a finger brush (fits like a rubber finger). Finger brushes about $1 or free with purchase of dog toothpaste or get the fancy two headed manual brush that cleans both sides of the teeth at once. Some people brush their dogs' teeth with the new battery operated tooth brushes like the inexpensive Colgate toothbrush (about $10).

Ears

Sheltie puppy ears need to be glued to keep them from going straight up when they are teething. Go see this link for a very good guide to doing pet Sheltie ears.

Link to Dee Silverstein's Sheltie puppy ear setting video: http://silvertrailsshelties.com/Eartip.html

Ear Cleaning and Irritations
Many Vet visits are caused by canine ear infections and irritations. Often over the counter ear cleaning products are too harsh and will burn the inside of the dog's ears. Ask your Vet about McKillips Solution. It's a bit more expensive but worth it! Some people also make their own ear cleaners. See recipes below*.

*Disclaimer: These home remedies are not intended to be a substitute for proper Veterinary care.

Vinegar Ear Cleaner
Half - Apple Cider Vinegar
Half - rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide
See directions below Blue Power

**Blue Power Ear Cleaner Equipment needed:
8 ounces 70% isopropyl alcohol
2 Tablespoons boric acid powder
8 drops gentian violet
eye dropper
empty an 8 to 12 ounce squeeze bottle
Combine all ingredients in squeeze bottle. Shake well.
Most pharmacies carry the ingredients for this recipe.
Shake well every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder.
**Highly recommended! I use this on my own dogs.

Directions for using Vinegar Ear Cleaner or Blue Power
Evaluate condition of ears before treating. If ears are very inflamed and sore do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all. Just flush with the solution and then wait until inflammation has subsided in about two days.

To flush: Warm the solution to almost body temperature and shake the bottle each time before using. Flood the ear with solution (gently squirt bottle). On first treatment: Flood the ear twice, wipe with a tissue and leave alone without massage. When irritation has begun to subside, flush and then massage gently to the count of 60, and pat dry with a tissue.

To treat ears: Soak up solution in two cotton balls, tuck cotton balls into ears, then squeeze outside of ears around wet cotton balls. Remove initial cotton balls, wipe out ear canals with dry cotton balls. Then let dog shake out excess. NOTE: The Gentian Violet does stain light colored fabrics and surfaces.

Schedule of treatment for irritations: Treat twice per day for the first week to two weeks depending on severity of ear inflammation. After the second or third day you can clean out the ear with cotton balls or Q-tip. Caution when using a Q-tip: only insert it as far into the ear canal as you can actually see. Use care to prevent the gunk from falling down into the ear canal.

Treat once per day for the next one to two weeks. After inflammation subsides, treat normally once or twice per month.

Users of the Blue Power have found that despite the alcohol, the dog will not object to even the first treatment. The Boric Acid Powder soothes the ear. The Gentian Violet Solution is an anti-infection agent, as it is a dye mixture that acts as a bactericide, fungicide, and anthelmintic (destroys worms). Remember, gentian violet will stain fur, clothing etc.

Keep It Clean

Rainy days
You will have a cleaner house and a healthier dog if you wipe your Sheltie down after walks in the rain. Just have her sit, get your dog towel, then tell her "Wipe Off". Wipe feet, under belly, and fluff top hair. Make this a fun game of Peek-a-boo!

Bathing your dog
She should be bathed and trimmed up every couple of months whether you do it yourself or take her to a professional groomer.

For do it yourself bathing, brush her out first to remove any mats. Do nails and clean ears before the bath. You might need to carry her into the bathroom. For safety reasons, have a bath mat in the bottom of the tub and lift her into the tub. A long hose on your shower massage head is very useful to spray off the mud and grit from her legs and under carriage first, then soak the body.

I prefer Number 1 All Systems Dog Shampoo and Conditioner (available at dog shows and over the Internet). Many people use the human versions of Mane and Tail, Pantene shampoo/conditioner or Helene Curtis Salon Selectives shampoos. During flea season, I do a second stage shampoo with Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus soap (diluted extremely weak) to repel fleas.

Rinse very well!
Be sure to rinse your Sheltie's coat extremely well or she will develop skin irritations and start itching. To prevent soap scum being left on your dog, make a rinse solution of one-half cup apple cider vinegar mixed in one gallon water. Use it all. This gets the soap out and makes the coat shine. After the vinegar rinse, rinse again with clear water.

If you are going to use a conditioner, do the apple cider rinse between shampoo and conditioner. Use a very diluted conditioner and then rinse well again.

Prevent chilling
Obviously you do not want the dog to get chilled after the bath. She should be bathed preferably on a warm day and not allowed outside while she is still soaking wet. Squeeze out the moisture with a towel and then further towel dry. If she will tolerate it, using a blow dryer on COOL setting about 12 inches away from her to avoid burning her skin. Brush her hair gently while blowing her dry.

Fleas & Other Pests

Flea Treatment
If your Sheltie is already infested with fleas, while bathing use Irish Spring soap or Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Get the dog wet all over, soap up well and leave the suds ON for at least ten minutes. This will kill the fleas. Then rinse well. Yes, baby shampoo kills fleas!

Mosquito and Flea Repellent
15 drops of each - Eucalyptus oil and lavender oil
Combine above in 12 ounce spray bottle with water or
1/2 water and 1/2 Apple cider vinegar
Spray on dogs (don't spray in eyes!). It even repels ticks.

Instead of doing the bathing yourself, you might have a professional groomer bathe and tidy your Sheltie every couple of months. It's well worth the investment! But don't forget to brush your dog frequently between professional sessions. For a dog, a good brushing can be as relaxing as a massage for you!