Training Your Skye to be Groomed
By Julie Howard-Eden

Julie Howard-Eden provides instruction on removing mats

I had the honor of being invited to give a grooming seminar for Skye Terriers at the Potomac Skye Terrier’s booth at the Devon Dog Show in October, 2003. I have been asked to share some of the tips exchanged with the attendees. 

The most important element of grooming a Skye, for me, is to train the Skye, especially, the young Skye to lie quietly on the grooming table while being brushed. Resistance seems to arise from the young dog being unsure of what is happening and what is expected of him. Give your Skye clear reassuring signals using your hands and voice. If your dog totally trusts you that nothing will ever hurt him, grooming is a breeze.

Skyes seem to worry about something scraping their tummy or their elbows being banged against something.  Some basic things to consider are:  a) when taking a Skye, especially a young Skye, out of his crate,  put your arm under his tummy so it doesn’t get scraped coming out of the crate.  b) when placing the Skye onto his side on the grooming table, protect the underside elbow from hitting the hard table surface by covering his elbow with your hand until you have the dog placed on his side.  The young dog may try to get up from this position.  Before he can move, place one of your hands on his top shoulder, holding him to the table.  As soon as you feel the dog relax, then relax your hold on him.  The dog will soon learn that it's 'ok' to lie quietly and be brushed but if he tries to get up, you will hold him. 

It's important to remain "painfully patient" with a Skye, especially a young Skye. Always acknowledge good behavior with love and praise and ignore unacceptable behavior on the table. The dog will soon learn to earn love and praise. Constantly communicate with your dog using your hands. Convey security with your hands. The dog will trust you and try to do anything you want.  If any of you are ever at a show where I happen to be, ask me to show you how to do this if you are unclear about any of these techniques.  I am more than happy to help anyone.

From time to time, we all find mats on our dogs. When removing mats, it is important to remain calm as mats are just many single hairs clumped together. Never pull mats out.  Tease them apart gently with your fingers. For very serious mats, try working corn starch into the mat and then gently pulling it apart. Most mats will eventually come apart without hurting the dog.

A Skye that has been trained to be groomed will typically love being groomed and will fall asleep while you 'brush away' preparing that beautiful coat.

Again, if you have questions, ask me at a show or just e-mail me at: CastleEden2@aol.com.  I would like to thank everyone who attended and helped make the seminar a delightful experience.     

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