The Sealyham Terrier’s low carriage and long skirt attracts dirt, and grooming is required on a regular basis to keep the white or white-and-lemon coat smart. The coat is long, hard and wiry with a weather resistant undercoat. Regular expert trimming is a must.

The Grooming Process

Equipment needed: Slicker brush, wide toothed comb, stripping knife, clippers.

• Brush the coat with a slicker to remove debris and tangles.
• Comb with a wide-toothed comb.
• Strip or use thinning scissors on the head if it is not being clipped (show dogs should be stripped). Start from above the center of the eyebrow, so the eyebrows will fall over the inner part of the eye, forwards toward the nose. Work backwards toward the back skull or the point at the top of the neck. Next, trim down from the inner corner of the eye to the edge of the mouth, and backwards to the throat.
• Then trim again from the center to the outer corners of the eye, down the cheek to the outer edge of the mouth and back to the throat. For both pet and show dogs, clip from the sternum up to the line of the mouth and as far as the inner edge of the ear.
• Trim both sides of the ears downwards, and trim the edges with scissors. Pets can be clipped with a No. 10.
• For the pet dog, clip from the groin to the navel, and the insides of the thighs. Clip the anal area in a triangle shape for show dogs. Use a No. 7 Oster.
• For show dogs, strip or thin from the head, down the neck and over the shoulder, taking in the brisket to the elbow. Pet dogs can be clipped with a No. 5.
• Continue stripping with a knife or finger and thumb, along and down the sides of the back to leave a skirt to be blended in with the line from the elbow to the pelvis.
• Trim the dog’s tail by stripping or clipping from the base to the tip (obviously, do not clip a show dog, however).
• Comb the coat to remove loose hairs.
• Bathe the pet dog in white-enhancing shampoo, and apply conditioner where necessary. An ordinary dog shampoo should be used for show dogs — no substance can be used to enhance the coat.
• Blow the coat dry using medium heat, brushing the long hair in the direction of the hair growth with a pin brush or slicker.
• Check the dog’s nails, ears and teeth. Hair inside the ear canal needs to be removed with forceps.
• Go over any lifted hair to neaten appearance.
• Blend the skirt and legs into the body with thinning shears, going with the hair growth at
 all times.
• Scissor around the feet to give a catlike appearance. Remove hair from in between the pads. This is done for both show and pet dogs.
• Comb the fringe of the face downwards and scissor it level.
• Comb the eyebrows and beard forwards, and scissor with the hair growth to trim any stray or straggly hairs. The fringe falling from the eyes is solid and is not cut between the eyes.