GROOMING

This page is to share information about grooming your Newfoundland. After multiple owners shared various experiences regarding dropping off their Newf, at a professional groomers, only to pick up a shaved Newf hours later; I decided it was time for a grooming page. Please realize that just because someone works at a grooming shop, that in no way means they know how to groom every type of dog. You need to take a photo with you, have a description or something so you can be sure your Newf is not going to be shaved!

To see product and grooming tool examples go to my general tips page

A very special Thank You to Iwonna Salak of Logrus for the information on grooming!

Everything below is credited to Iwonna Salak

Before grooming dog MUST be bathed, thoroughly dried and combed.

Bathing:
Show dogs must be bathed a day before every show and in period between shows any 15-20 days black and bronze dogs and any 10-15 days black&white dogs. Frequently bathing take away oil from coat, so cosmetics we use must be of especially good quality. Prepare diluted in water shampoo and conditioner, dry towels. Put dog to the bath and wet him thoroughly with warm (!!!) water. After put diluted shampoo and massage it into the coat. Put it on the muzzle too, between eyes and under the ears. Be vigilant around these parts of body! Next rinse all shampoo thoroughly, rinse Twice to be sure!. If coat is very dirty you can repeat operation. After this apply conditioner, wait some minutes and rinse. If you show your dog day after rinse all conditioner, if not you can leave a bit on the coat. Wait when most part of water goes away and dry dog with towels and put Newf on the grooming table.

Drying:
Use a blower-dryer to dry the coat of your Newfie. It's powerful and blows cold air. Start to blow out all water from the coat, be careful around eyes, nose and ears. Next start to dry (always downwards the coat). At first back (upper part of the neck, back and croup). If your dog has a bit of a waving coat you can brush and dry coat, but be careful and don't scratch the skin. Next lower part of the neck and left flank, after this; belly, right flank, forequarters, backquarters and tail. Coat between toes dry upwards. Lastly dry coat on the head (upwards coat on the cranium). When dog is completely dry you can start to brush and comb.

Brushing and combing:
Start with brushing of all coat and next comb it thoroughly. You don't want ANY matting. Start combing from down parts of the hindquarters lift the hair upwards with one hand, and comb the hair below your hand down to the skin proceed in direction of the tail. Next the second leg, between legs (carefully!) and tail from tip to tail set. Next back from croup to the neck and flanks from belly to back. Remember to comb accurately under armpit. Later forequarters, neck, under and behind ears and head. Now cut the nails and clean the ears.

Nails:
Use your nail cutter and clip the nails just short of the quick. Be careful! Next use your dremel tool to sand the nails down slightly so that they are smooth. Don't forget to trim the dewclaw.

General Trimming:


You can start to groom your dog when it is completely dry, perhaps the next day. If this is your first time grooming your dog, don't do it before a show. Incorrectly groomed coats need time to grow out. The most important rule: it is better to cut less than too much! Good quality scissors are very important. Remember to comb out the entire coat carefully before grooming. Newfoundlands, must have medium length coat, without over-long and wispy bits of hairs. Groomed dogs MUST still have a natural appearance; be careful and don't leave visible cut marks!

Paws
Start with the front paws. Beginning under the paw, cut the coat that grows between the pads.

Lift the coat between the toes, combing upwards, and cut using straight scissors. Your goal is a nicely rounded foot; be careful not to cut too much. Nails shouldn't be visible. If you do cut too much, don't worry, the coat grows quickly on the feet. On the rear part of foot the coat must touch the ground with a gentle upward curve.

Cut the hind paws in the same manner.We will now use the thinning shears, and from now use only them and the comb. Cut only in direction of the coat, never upwards - comb the coat in the part you are working on and cut, comb and cut.

Forequarters
First even out the feathering. Begin on the back part of the leg, next the outside, then the inside. Cut the inside of the leg more if your dog has a narrow chest, but don't exaggerate!

The front legs should prolong the line of the shoulder/upper legs. Do not leave any long coat - especially on the elbows! Trim all indesiderable wisps of coat on the shoulders and upper arms to make "clean" lines.

Hindquarters
Look from behind and trim the coat downwards from croup to feet. Cut more on the inside leg if your dog moves close behind, less if moves correctly.

Looking from the side note the angulations, cutting excess coat under knees and hocks. Because Newfoundlands must have short heels trim coat starting from the hocks downward at a 45° angle, and the lower part vertically (see illustration).

Chest
Coat on the chest often grows too long and needs to be trimmed quite a bit. Be especially careful trimming the throat. If coat below the breast-bone is too long it gives the illusion of short forelegs, so trim to a soft curve. Trim excess coat on the sides downwards from ears to the breast.

Underline
Start from the back going towards the front, left flank, then right flank. Trim coat on the belly and breast starting from the hindquarters towards the armpits. Don't cut too much or it will give the impression of legs that are too long or too short.

Lift the foreleg and trim under the armpit blending the line of the chest with the underline. Repeat with the second foreleg.

Now examine body of your dog from the rear. The shape of the underline must be rounded to the flanks, it is insufficient to trim only the underline.

Trim more behind the armpits, or when moving the coat here will appear to be too long.

Topline
Sometimes the topline doesn't need trimming. If coat on the neck and croup is very thick so it looks as if your dog has a mane and is too high in the croup, use a dematting comb to remove the excess undercoat.

Tail
Trimming the tail is only necessary if it looks like a flag.

Head
Start from the ears. Trim coat so it doesn't project past the edge of the ear, always combing downward. The tips of the ears must be rounded not pointed.

Trim under the ears. Trim any greasy coat growing under the ears, and coat on the cheek at the base of the ear.


Often behind the ears the coat is soft and over-long, damaging the shape of head. Trim it downward from the earset.

Comb coat on top of the head upward and trim to obtain a rounded shape.

Stand the dog on the ground and ask somebody to show move it for you. You will see any areas that need corrections. Show dogs need to be trimmed once every 2-3 weeks.

Home