By Amanda Aaron
On numerous occasions, I have seen posts on grooming forums with questions from groomers who just don’t know what to do with the infamous Scottish Deerhound. Interestingly enough, Deerhounds don’t require much!
In most cases, this breed is the epitome of wash and wear. Scottish Deerhounds ideally have a crisp, somewhat wiry coat that does have semi–frequent shedding. They do tend to have skin sensitivity so frequent bathing with high–quality products is ideal.
This groom can be done using a handful of tools, including a slicker brush, deshedding rake, stripping stone, and blenders or thinning shears. This breed should be left as natural as possible, but if your client prefers a shorter length, that can be achieved through carding.
Fig 1) Begin this groom by misting with a conditioning spray.
Fig 2) Using a slicker brush, brush through the coat to remove any of the loose undercoat that may be tangled in with the wiry outer coat.
Fig 3 & 4) Using a deshedding rake, remove the undercoat.
Fig 5) Shave the paw pads.
Fig 6) Next, strip the ears. I prefer using a stripping stone, but whatever tool works best for you and for the dog’s coat will be fine. On this dog, I was able to pull the entire ear, including around the edges. If the coat is too soft or the dog is sensitive, it is acceptable to scissor around the ears on pet dogs.
Fig 7) Dremel the nails.
Fig 8) A Deerhound in the AKC ring will usually not have the pants area trimmed, other than for sanitary reasons. But for pet dogs, trim the pants to the owner’s preference.
Fig 9) The chest area should be treated like the hindquarters in that it is typically not trimmed for the AKC show ring. Pet owners will sometimes ask for this to be trimmed, so use your own discretion when trimming this area.
Fig 10) Trim the face to a moderate length using blending shears or thinning shears. This breed is known for having the right amount of beard hair to maintain personality and character.
Fig 11) Trim around the feet using thinning shears to keep a natural look.
Hopefully these instructions help clear up any uncertainty you might have about Scottish Deerhounds. While elusive, they are incredibly easy to work with and to work on. Style them up, friends! ✂️