When grooming the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, only dead hair should be removed. The dog should be hand-stripped, clipping (even in pet dogs) ruins the coat, although it is sometimes done in older dogs for ease.

The coat is a very important feature of this breed. The Dandie coat should be a mixture of two-thirds hard (not wiry) and one-third linty (not silky) hair. The coat should be 2 inches (5 cm) long. The topknot should be soft and silky, and very pale.

The Grooming Process

Equipment needed: Pin brush or slicker, medium-toothed comb, stripping knife.

A small amount of baby oil mixed with the chosen conditioner helps to give extra nourishment to the Dandie Dinmont’s coat.

• Brush with a pin brush or a slicker, spraying untangle or dematter on dry or felted areas to remove mats without breaking too much hair. The mat-breaker will thin excessively soft hair that has bunched. Be sure all mats are removed before bathing.
• If bathing is unavoidable, bathe the Dandie in
 a protein shampoo and rinse thoroughly.
• Apply coat-protecting conditioner if necessary (for pet dogs only — not show dogs, as this could lead to disqualification).
• Towel-dry and finish with a blower, brushing continuously with a pin brush, away from the heat.
• Do not bathe just prior to a show, as this will tend to soften the coat texture, which must be crisp to the touch.
• Check the dog’s nails, ears and teeth.
• Comb through the coat.
• About eight weeks before a show, remove most of the old hair from the topcoat only. The Dandie’s coat is at its best when about 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) long. Do not interfere with the undercoat. The neck and shoulders should be trimmed carefully between the second and third weeks prior to a show.
• About two weeks before a show, trim the ears, leaving the hair at the top of the
  ears to be combed to join the topknot. This will give an effect of added width to the head. Leave a good inch of hair tapering to the tips of the ears where the “tassel” hangs down.
• Remove all the hair from the underside of the ear, which will allow the ear to hang down very close to the cheek.
• Clear all the long hair from the nose to the stop, taking care to make it close. Remove the hair in the crevice or dip between the eyes to accentuate the stop, but do not remove the hair too far toward the forehead.
• Trim under the eyes, removing all superfluous hair. This will enhance their beauty and largeness. Care must be taken not to overdo this trimming, and to give time for the “spectacles” to refurnish or the expression of the dog will be marred.
• The forelegs should be cleared of most of the long hair at the front and inner sides only, leaving a slight “feathering” toward the back of the legs.
• The hindlegs should be cleared of all the long hair from the hocks to the ground. Tidy the hair, which ranges from the base of the tail right down to the hocks.
• The tail should be thick at the base, tapering to a point. All hair beyond the bone of the tail should be carefully and lightly taken off with a stripping knife, but preferably with finger and thumb, taking pains to taper it naturally. Remove all hair that is wispy and superfluous to the natural feathering.
• Tidy the feet to look round and neat. Cut the nails, should this be necessary, being sure not to damage the quick.
• Trim the underbody with a stripping knife or finger and thumb from the end of the ribs to the hindlegs in order to show a carefully graduated and natural cut-up of loin and shapely waist.
• The topknot is the Dandie’s crowning glory, and deserves special care and attention. The topknot should be trimmed to give a rounded effect. All wispy, untidy hair should be foreshortened with the finger and thumb only a day or so before the show, and many enthusiasts will whiten it for added effect with a little chalk and powder — but be sure to remove all chalk before entering the ring or you will lose the silvery sheen. Comb the hair upwards from the neck, and get it to stand softly all over the head, but clear of the eyes.