Silver Silky Terriers

Grooming

 The Silkys coat is fairly easy to manage and to keep up, they have a single, silky coat.
They have no undercoat. Silkys do not shed.
However, they do lose some hair just like we humans.
You may find it in their hairbrush or around the house like you would your own.

Here are a few helpful hints in grooming.

Use a quality dog shampoo. Make sure to use a tearless puppy shampoo if you have a young dog.

Do not use human shampoo on your dog; but if you do, make sure its a tearless baby shampoo, there is a difference in the pH balance.
While your bathing your Silky, if you use a rinse out conditioner, Pantene conditioner works great.. Don’t leave it in,
just let it set for a minute then rinse it out.
A selection of Pantene Conditioners

Blow dry, after the bath, brush the coat from tip to base to avoid breaking the hair shaft. Make sure to get all the tangles out, then use a comb to complete the drying process, (this will help separate hair strands resulting in faster drying and also straightens the coat. When drying and combing, pull coat away from the body, do not comb down over the body.

A product we use, when brushing to freshen the coat between shampooing is Magic Touch grooming spray concentrate. This is a professional product. I have placed links to this product on the
Recommended items page. There are 3 types of this conditioner, Becky uses type #2. Since it’s concentrated Becky mixes it in a spray bottle and uses it when she brushes the dogs, not when bathing them.

Hair Cuts & Trimming

1. Ears- clip inside and outside of ears. Do not trim below the ear flap. Start at the flap and clip to the point of the ear. After clipping, trim around the outside edge for a clean finish. Where the ear connects to the top of the head, trim away excess hair so topknot falls around ear neatly.

2. Face-Cut back black heavy whiskers (be careful not to damage muzzle coat). Use thinning shears to neatly trim in between the eyes.

3. Elbows – If the coat is excessive you may want to lift up body coat and thin out coat in this area. 

4. Tails – Tail can be trimmed using thinning shears width of tail should be about the width of your fingers as they run along the tailbone. 

5. Body Coat – if it becomes excessively long it can be trimmed using thinning shears taking a little off at a time. 

6. Front Feet – lift up body coat and use thinning shears to trim back the hair to a short length to the wrist on the front.

7. Back Feet – Most of the hair on hock should be left long but should be trimmed evenly along base of the foot. 

8. Toe Nails – should always be short. The silky foot should look like a cat’s paw when finished. Be sure to work with your silky’s feet. This is not their favorite past-time!
     
    Go to a show and look at some silky’s and the way they are trimmed.
     

Nails :    

     Depending on your pet’s attitude, you may not want to say N-A-I-L T-R-I-M too loud. While some cats and Silky Terrier dogs barely notice when you’re trimming their nails, others just plain don’t like it and will let you know by squirming, whining, or worse-growling or biting. By knowing beforehand the proper way to do a nail trim on your pet, you may be able to save Kitty or Rover (and yourself!) some distress. But if your pet simply refuses to cooperate, becomes aggressive, or if you just don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, it may be better to let a professional groomer or veterinarian conduct the dreaded deed. We have a groomer locally that preforms a fantastic job, Debbies Grooming on lakeshore Dr. in Clearlake California.

First, you should know why trimming your pet’s nails is important. While long nails may be fashionable for super models, your dog’s or cat’s overgrown nails will drag on the ground and make walking or running uncomfortable for your pet. This, in turn, could result in soreness or other problems further up the leg. Dew claws (the sixth toenail that’s found higher up on the paw near a pet’s “ankle”) that are not trimmed regularly can curve back into the skin, which is very painful, and cause infection. Although it’s common for many Silky Terrier dogs to have their rear dew claws removed when they’re young pups, dew claws on their front legs often remain. Cats have them, as well.

In addition to trimming nails for health reasons, a pet’s blunt nail tips are less likely to hurt you or your furniture by scratching.

So how often should nail trims be done? Generally, Silky Terrier dogs will need their nails clipped once every one or two weeks. Cats’ nails will need trimming about once a month, or maybe more for older cats. If you hear a scratching noise as your pet walks across the linoleum or on concrete, his nails are too long!

For Rover’s manicure, be sure to use only nail trimmers that are designed for Silky Terrier dogs. For Kitty, you can use either specially made cat nail trimmers or human nail clippers.

Never use scissors!

If your pet is not used to or is nervous about having his nails trimmed, be sure to start slowly. In fact, don’t even bring out the trimmers the first few days. Instead, gently lift each paw and just pet it or massage it to get your cat or dog used to having his feet handled.

Reward him afterward with praise or a yummy treat. When you’re ready to actually clip a nail, do so in a relaxed, quiet area of the house where you won’t be disturbed. You may want to begin by clipping the nails on only one paw, or even just one or two nails on a paw, if Kitty or Rover becomes restless or fearful. Above all else, you want to make this as pleasant an experience for him as you can. So don’t rush it!

Since cats can retract their claws you’ll need to gently press Kitty’s paw between your finger and thumb to expose the nail. In both Silky Terrier dogs and cats, trim only the end of the nail, at the point where it begins to curve downward. And trim only small amounts at a time, so that you’re less likely to cut the “quick” of the nail. The quick contains the nerves and blood supply, so if you cut it, you’ll know it and so will your pet! Cutting the quick is painful and will make Rover or Kitty bleed. If bleeding occurs, sprinkle a clotting powder such as cornstarch or press a styptic pencil (a stick of a medicated clotting substance) on the nail tip. If necessary, hold a gauze pad firmly to the nail until the bleeding stops.

The quick is easy to see and avoid in white nails-it’s the pink part. Always cut below the pink line. Dark nails are trickier, though. It’s hard to tell where the quick is until you’ve cut it. So when trimming dark nails, be conservative. Go slowly and only trim the curved part of the nail.

If you’re new at trimming your pet’s nails, watch your veterinarian or groomer do it first, and then let him or her talk you through it as you try it. With practice, both you and your four-legged friend will learn that nail trims really aren’t that bad.

But if you still feel uncomfortable, there’s certainly no shame in letting a professional perform the manicure.

Silky Terriers definitely do not like their nails trimmed which is why it is very important to begin at a young age to play with their feet. The younger the better, the more frequently the better. We at Silver Silky Terriers start trimming the nails as early as two to three weeks of age.

Using a Dremel has been very effective and produces the least resistance for trimming silky nails.