The Bearded Collie, as you can see, receive its name from its trademark beard which is achieved by having the facial hair hang down from the chin. In addition to their beards, Bearded Collies are renowned for their shaggy coatings. Often nicknamed Beardies, Bearded Collies have their origins in Scotland where they were used for herding sheep and cattle.
One interesting thing about Bearded Collies is that some of them are born with a darker shade of color and then the color becomes lighter as they approach one year of age. That happens as a result of what is called the fading gene which some Bearded Collies are known to have. If you are in need of help with Bearded Collie grooming, you have come to the right place.
The Bearded Collie Grooming Process
1. Brush Your Bearded Collie’s Hair
Your Bearded Collie has a thick double coating and so one of the main things that you will be dealing with is matting. Taking care of the mats is important because if they are allowed to stick around within your Bearded Collie’s coating, they can become painful for him/her at the skin.
You can get rid of the mats by brushing your Bearded Collie’s coating. Another one of the things that you will be dealing with is shedding. That is because Bearded Collies are known to be moderate to high shedders of hair.
Bearded Collies shed moderate amounts of hair through much of the year, but the shedding is at its heaviest during the fall and spring seasons. So, you will want to brush your Bearded Collie’s coating in order to get rid of dead hair.
Otherwise, any hair that your Bearded Collie sheds will end up on your floor or furniture and that can get messy. You will want to get the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush as it is effective at working its way through your Bearded Collie’s thick double coating in order to get rid of mats and dead hair.
The brush can do that without scratching your Bearded Collie’s skin in the process thanks to its fine bent wire bristles. The brush also comes with a self-cleaning feature that will allow you to easily clean out the brush.
Before you start brushing your Bearded Collie’s coating, I want to point out that the hair that he/she has will easily be damaged if you brush the coating while it is dry. So, you will want to dampen your Bearded Collie’s coating first.
In order to do that, all you need to do is to fill a spray bottle with water and then spray the water all over your Bearded Collie’s coating. Once that is taken care of, proceed to brush your Bearded Collie’s coating.
You will want to focus on brushing one section of your Bearded Collie’s coating at a time. You will also want to brush in the direction that your Bearded Collie’s hair grows.
As for how often to brush your Bearded Collie’s coating, during the spring and fall seasons, you will want to do it daily in order to keep the shedding under control. Other than that, I would brush your Bearded Collie’s coating at least two to three times per week.
2. Brush Your Bearded Collie’s Teeth
Your Bearded Collie needs to have his/her teeth brushed. That is needed in order to prevent tartar buildup from taking form on your Bearded Collie’s teeth because if tartar buildup is allowed to take hold, that can cause tooth decay for the dog.
So, be sure to brush your Bearded Collie’s teeth regularly – ideally on a daily basis. You will want to get the Virbac toothpaste for your Bearded Collie’s teeth because that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s teeth.
You can use a toothbrush to brush your Bearded Collie’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Bearded Collie
You can bathe your Bearded Collie once every month. But, you want to be careful not to bathe your Bearded Collie too often because that can result in the loss of the natural oils that nourished your Bearded Collie’s skin and coating.
Once you are ready to bathe your Bearded Collie, here is how you can go about doing that. First, take your Bearded Collie to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and then pour it onto your Bearded Collie’s coating in order to get it all wet.
Now, thoroughly apply the shampoo onto your Bearded Collie’s coating, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes. If you aren’t sure which shampoo to use, I would go with the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner as that is one of the best shampoos that I can find.
Once the shampooing is done, be sure to rinse your Bearded Collie’s coating until every trace of the shampoo has been rinsed out.
With the bath over, proceed to dry your Bearded Collie’s coating with a bathing towel, but be sure to leave his/her coating in a damp state as you will be re-brushing it. With your Bearded Collie’s coating dry but still damp, proceed to re-brush it.
4. Clean Your Bearded Collie’s Ears
Cleaning your Bearded Collie’s ears is an important part of the grooming routine. That is necessary in order to prevent wax buildup from taking form inside your Bearded Collie’s ears because that can cause ear infection if left in place.
So, be sure to check in on your Bearded Collie’s ears periodically. If your Bearded Collie’s ears start to look dirty to you, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out.
You will want to use the Virbac ear cleaner for your Bearded Collie’s ears as that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s ears. You can apply the ear cleaner onto cotton balls and then use them to clean your Bearded Collie’s ears.
5. Clip Your Bearded Collie’s Nails
Your Bearded Collie also needs to have his/her nails clipped in order to keep them short. You don’t want your Bearded Collie’s nails to be too long as that can be painful for him/her, leading to discomfort when walking around.
So, be sure to keep an eye on your Bearded Collie’s nails or listen for any clicking sounds when he/she is walking around. That way, you will know for sure when it is time for you to clip your Bearded Collie’s nails.
You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Bearded Collie’s nails. Be careful not to clip the quick part of your Bearded Collie’s nails as that can easily lead to bleeding.
Bearded Collie Grooming – Conclusion
There you have it for Bearded Collie grooming. As for whether you should trim your Bearded Collie’s hair, given that Bearded Collies are moderate to high shedders of hair, I wouldn’t recommend it as you run the risk of stripping your Bearded Collie the ability to keep warm and cool during the winter and summer respectively.
Also, if you are in need of help with getting your Bearded Collie to cooperate with you while you are grooming him/her, this post will help you with that.
What are your thoughts? Have you groomed a Bearded Collie before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.