The Australian terrier is an adorable little dog with a weather resistant, double coat that does not require clipping and sheds no or very little hair. The straight, harsh, shaggy hair of the outer coat is long while the undercoat is very soft. When it comes to grooming, the Australian terrier's coat is easy to look. Brush your dog several times weekly but always use a wide toothed comb and an excellent quality bristle brush to preserve the dog's soft undercoat. When you brush your Australian terrier, it stimulates the natural oils bringing out a high gloss on the coat.
The standard for these terriers is a hard coat so to keep it this way by only bathing your dog approximately once a month unless necessary. Bathing that is more frequent can soften the dog's harsh Aussie coat causing it to become lank. Some Aussies bathed too often also end up with flaky, dry skin. Brush your terrier once his coat is dry. When necessary, use blunt-nosed scissors to trim the hair on and between the eyes, on the ears, around the vent, feet, and back of the Aussies tail. If you show your terrier, it requires plucking approximately every three months. It is very important to keep your Australian terrier free of fleas because of their low tolerance. In some dogs, it causes only a mild flaking and itching but it others, it induces an extreme allergic reaction.
Some basic grooming techniques and tricks for your Australian terrier include knowing how to make a top knot. The soft hair of their profuse topknot is usually a lighter color than the rest of the dog's head color. It should never hang into the dog's eyes but should stand upright and be brushed forward. Keep your dog's ears free of any long hair using your fingers to pluck this and never scissors. Remove any untidy, long hair growing into the corners of your dog's eyes using your fingers to pluck. Rub a little talcum powder into your fingers and holding the ear with one hand, pluck the hair, using the thumb and finger of your other hand. You want to encourage your terrier's ruff to reach its full potential so remove any straggly hairs and brush it outwards and forward. It should reach the dog's breastbone and frame his head.
Brush your Australian terrier's body coat down being careful to untangle any knots from his coat or underbody. Brush his legs forward and use scissors to remove or slightly trim any untidy or extra long hair. Your Australian terrier's neck should be brushed to look arched and long. Sometimes it is necessary to thin the dog's neck using thinning scissors but never overdo this. Always cut your dog's nails regularly and keep them trimmed short. Brush the terrier's teeth daily and also examine and clean his ears regularly. If you are inexperienced at grooming your Australian terrier, never trim your dog drastically. Your breeder will probably be happy to show you the correct way to groom your Australian terrier.
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