COAT CARE

Coat care is a must when you (want to) own a Cesky Terrier. Regardless if you own a showdog or a pet, he has to be combed regularly and be clipped now and then. Since both have to occur regularly it is very important that your dog gets used to it from a young age on.. How often a Cesky has to be combed depends on the coat texture, amount of coat and the weather conditions. With a correct coat texture 2 to 3 times a week should be enough.

For combing you need a brush with metal pins (not the ones with a little balls on the end) and a metal comb. Start with the belly while the dog is laying on its back.. Brush with alternate strokes with the hairgrowth and against the hairgrowth. Try to work in layers (so slowly work yourself to the top or to the bottom). Do the legs the same way. Repeat the procedure by using a comb with medium fine tooth. This way small tangles will show that you didn't find using the brush. Bigger tangles or matts can be separated first into smaller ones by splitting them with scissors. Make sawing movements with the scissor and work from the skin away!. Try only to cut the matts away if they are to big to be removed any other way.

The clipping

Clipping a cesky should be done every 2 to 3 months.

Body :
The back and neck can be either clipped against or with the hairgrowth. Which one you use depends on the desired length of the hair. The result can differ with the different coat types. If you have a dog with a very thick coat, you will usually get better results by clipping against the hairgrowth. The length of the coat for dogs attending shows should be between 1 and 1.5 cm long. A handy trick to check the length is to lay your hand flat on the dogs back and take the hair between the forefinger and middle finger, the hair should be visible. A curly coat or a thick coat is better kept a bit shorter. (drawing 1/a)

The coat on both sides of the body should be a little bit shorter than on the back, but the transition should be gradually and smooth. If you have a dog that is a bit short in the back it is better to make the sides a bit shorter, this will give the impression of a little longer body. On the other hand, if you have a dog that is a bit too long in the back or has not enough substance in body leave the sides the same length as on the back. The line where the long hair under the body starts should be just beneath the broadest points of the ribs. When you look from above the start of the long hairs may not be visible.(drawing 1/b)

The thighs, shoulders and side of the neck should be very short, without showing the skin. This is usually clipped against the hairgrowth. The shortest part starts on the sides of the frontlegs, about 2 cm under the ellbow. Then up taking almost all of the shoulderblade towards the side of the neck. Then towards the ear. The tighs are clipped very short too. The big thighmuscle should be almost completely visible.(drawing 1/c)

Standing in front of the dog, the long hair starts where the front legs blend into the chest and beneath the imaginary line between these two points. Don't have the longhair start from the top of the sternum (breastbone). On a dog that is a bit broad in front it is better to make it a little more round instead of a straight line.(drawing 2)

The tail is clipped short.. Notice the length of the tail (the hair on a long tail can be left a little bit longer, a shorter tail as short as possible). Also here a smooth transition is made between the longer hair on the back and the short hair on the tail by making a V-shape over the first 3 cm. of the tail

The hair on the front and back feet is cut a little above the ground.

Head : (drawing 3 )
The cheeks are cut as short as possible to make the head look narrow, again without showing the skin. Under the throat is clipped towards the chin where the beard begins. The sides of the face are clipped till the outer corner of the eye and the corner of the mouth. To create a smooth transition between the long and short hair, comb from the outer corner of eye towards the nose, then use a thinning shear. The hair under the eyes (from outer to inner corner of the eye) is used to make this smooth transition.

The ears should be clipped short. On top of the head clipping is done from the front edge of the ears towards the nose, leaving a forelock. The hair must be a little bit longer than on the sides.. The full length of forelock starts above the inner corners of the eyes. The hair above the eyes are used to make a smooth transition between short and long hair. The part of the head between the ears is clipped towards the tail. This way the head appears to be longer and more flat.

Use thinning shears to smooth all transitions between long and short hair.

The hair in the ears must be removed. If not the abundance of hair can cause ear infections. Hair can be removed with the fingers or with tweezers with a flat end. Cut the nails, especially the dewclaws on the forelegs (if they have not been removed).

Something that is often forgotten is taking care of the teeth. A well groomed dog should also have a white set of teeth. You can brush you dogs' teeth with a childrens toothbrush, just with water. If necessary, tartar can be removed with a dental scaler. With a little practice, a thin layer of tartar on the teeth can easily be removed. With regular check-ups of the teeth broken or split teeth can be detected before they can cause infections.

The hair under the body and on the legs of dogs that are not attending shows can be made a bit shorter. This way they track less dirt into your home. Usually the forelock is also made a bit smaller so the eyes can be seen more. Never cut away the forelock, this is one of the characteristics for the breed !