Part 2 - Sheltie trimming for the ring

A few tips and methods to trim your sheltie for the show ring. There are many ways to prepare a sheltie and no one way will work for all but here are a few ways that work for me and will hopefully work for you too.
Karen Linkletter Linkridge Shelties
Music by
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Happy Life by FREDJI / fredjimusic
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[@petcastbrazil]

Your Shelties are Amazing! Im a big fan of your Blackberry!

[@angelaenchilada]

I’ve always wondered how to take care of my sheltie’s “saddle”! Thank you for the tips 😄

[@aselangrud3462]

Thanks for a good video! Groomed poodles some time and learning australian shepherd, but helping a friend trim her sheltie for their first show upcoming weekend :D

[@thedistractedpoesy263]

Thank you so much. I am a new sheltie owner and am struggling to learn scissoring skills or making paws look so nice and other things. This is so helpful.

[@JanRonandArthur]

Arthur thanks you. I have done some really bad grooming on his ears. I have paws and legs looking good. But those ears! I never can tell the difference between ear fur and the head and neck fur around the ears. This makes better sense.

[@dianarose2683]

Thank you for this video! I don’t show my boy but I like him to look nice. This has been our go to video since getting him. He’s only 10 months so we don’t do all of it since his coat is still coming in, but it’s made for a great at home guide for trimming him up.

[@gijoyjoy]

You are an amazing teacher!! Thank you so much for these great grooming tips! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️

[@DejaVuShelties]

Very good video. Thank you

[@lynnrinaldo6795]

I am crying as I watch this, this sheltie looks just like my boy "blue" who I lost due old age a. Couple of years ago I loved him more than like itself, I. Miss him so much, see you in heaven my love.

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

I’m so sorry you lost your boy, they really don’t live long enough... 💔

[@kryslaurelle]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting these videos! The only ‘shows’ we do are agility, but I still like my boy to look neat. Great tip on the shawl and wings - I’ve been wondering what to do with that hair!

[@SophiaEasterly]

You have a beautiful Sheltie that's my favourite color

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Thank you! She’s a beautiful girl, hopefully we will get to some more dog shows next year 🤞🤞😷

[@tammyblakely3117]

love it ;)

[@renatabartkovasodomova3605]

Thank you, it was really helpful for me. Hope we are going to win:)

[@ktagliam]

Great video! super helpful ideas and demonstrations. Thank you so much for making this available Do you use the Andis rake with cutting teeth (like Mars Coat King) or the Andis rake with the pins?

[@karastarshelties]

Great Video . Thank You !!!!

[@shengyi1701]

That’s a Blue Merle!

[@theunbreakableameritechnet]

Awesome videos! Thank you! Do you do sable ears the same?

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Yes, I do ears on all colours the same. It’s just the heads on sables you need to be careful with. 😊

[@melindahibbard9275]

Thank you for these videos! Quick question: can the thinning of the undercoat at the withers be achieved with thinning shears rather than the Andis grooming rake? Or is it best to use the Andis grooming rake?

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Hi Melinda, yes it can and in a pinch I do it too. What I find though is cutting the hair will look fine for a couple weeks but as it starts to grow back it can make the issue worse. It’s really hard to make short hair lay flat. Sometimes with a very heavily coated dog you have no choice as you simply can’t pull enough hair out, especially over the haunches. You pay for it in the long run though.... I try to stay on top of it by stripping some every time I groom them so it never gets out of hand. That being said, without shows on right now, I have a few Sasquatches at home that I haven’t done in a while. If I was to show them this weekend, I’d have no choice but to take thinners to them.

[@maygdhsnbd1212]

Hello! Great video! Was wondering how to trim my sheltie as he’s getting a bit too hairy. Just wondering, (as I’ve read online that dogs whiskers shouldn’t be cut or trimmed) is trimming a dog’s whiskers mandatory, or is it just for aesthetic reasons?

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

You definitely don’t have to trim whiskers, it’s only done on show dogs and even then completely optional. It gives the muzzle a cleaner look I find but absolutely not necessarily. 😊

[@maygdhsnbd1212]

@@linkridgeshelties7413 Thank you for the explanation! Your Sheltie is gorgeous!

[@catekauffman5841]

Wondering why the whiskers are cut off?

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Hi Cate, the whiskers are trimmed to give the muzzle a cleaner look. It’s not mandatory and you can leave them on if you prefer. I just find I end up cutting them when trimming the rest of the head so it’s easier to just remove them. They grow back quickly and I leave them when I’m not showing. My dogs all have long whiskers at the moment as we don’t have shows in Canada! Hopefully we’ll have some this summer. 🤞😊

[@reneemckee6297]

Why do you take the whiskers off? I have never heard of this.

[@XxLuUx]

Actually it's a really bad thing tu cut the whiskers off. Dogs need them to feel the world around them it's like the touch for us. That's also why it's the only time in the video where the dog moves.

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

It’s done on most show dogs in North America. It doesn’t hurt them and they grow back quickly. It’s entirely up to you if you want to do it though, I can’t imagine a dog would win or loose based on whiskers… I just find it gives the muzzle a cleaner look. 😊

[@ktagliam]

@@XxLuUx My dogs all do competition sports (obedience, herding, rally, agility) and trimming their whiskers does not impact their ability or skill in any way. Dogs are not cats.

[@teolinek]

Why trim the wiskers???

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Hi teolinek, honestly, it’s purely cosmetic. It makes trimming the muzzle and lip line easier and gives it a cleaner look. It is entirely up to you if you want to do it but most shelties shown in North America will have their whiskers trimmed to show. That being said, if you don’t want to, you absolutely don’t have to. They grow back really quickly when not being shown. 😊

[@angelikajunge2508]

oh gott was macht diese mit diesen armen sheltie .ich selber habe einen sheltie und weiß wie viel arbeit es ist aber das ist für mich grenzwertig.

[@suzukiyesteryear]

Why do you cut off her whiskers? Seems cruel!!!

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

Whiskers are removed on show dogs in North America. It’s not cruel and they grow back quickly. It’s completely optional though, unless my dogs are showing I leave them alone. It just provides a cleaner look and almost all dogs in the ring will have it done. I realize this isn’t the case in European show rings so it’s important to know what is considered appropriate in your region. 😊

[@angelikajunge2508]

aber warscheinlich müssen die armen tiere auf irgend eine hunde show.nicht schön wenn man shelties liebt.

[@wmnoffaith1]

You are definitely a great groomer and very agile with the scissors, but I wish I had seen you display a little more love to the poor dog. I kind of get the feeling of watching someone detail a car, and I think you forget sometimes that the dog is alive.

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

I’m sorry it appeared that way, I think I was just focusing on explaining what I was doing. I edited it down to just the essentials and cut out a lot of parts where I would play with her to keep her happy on the table. These dogs are my life and I promise you they get a tone of love and attention in their normal life. They are my house pets and Claire is normally goofy and playful but takes her grooming very seriously. If you watch till the very end there’s a short clip of her funny side. I will definitely try to include more of that in the future, it’s definitely important that they are enjoy the process too.😊

[@flipnshifty]

the music ruined the video i cant watch this

[@huggs702350]

I will never understand the need to take away a dog’s whiskers and tip their ears for aesthetics. They should be respected and appreciated for their natural beauty.

[@linkridgeshelties7413]

It’s definitely not a need, just a tutorial on how shelties are presented in the show ring. The breed standard calls for ears to be 2/3 erect with the tips tipped forward. It’s all a part of the correct sheltie expression. This definitely doesn’t mean that shelties that don’t have perfect ears aren’t beautiful as well. Many shelties have ears that do this naturally, some have prick ears, some have floppy ears. They are all beautiful and it only matters if you are wanting to show them. As for whiskers, mine are only trimmed for shows, otherwise they are left alone. I pluck my eyebrows and shave my legs when the occasion calls for it, we all want to look our best when in the spotlight. 😊

[@seppotaalasmaa3404]

its far from natural

[@apoyomkt2594]

AWFUL

[@toffieeditz]

why?

[@flatdick-mccoy4135]

I love my little ROCKY boy, he is the life in my life and I don't call him a _ _ _ he is my other little kid

[@flatdick-mccoy4135]

I love my little ROCKY boy, he is the life in my life and I don't call him a _ _ _ he is my other little kid