we've got a 6month old westie and want to know when (if at all) he should be clipped???....and......how often should you give them a bath, as our pup is always digging and comes in stinking and covered in mud??

bless :-D

The westies i groom are clipped about every twelve weeks ( one or two have faster growing coats and are done between eight to ten weeks ). They get bathed at this time also but their owners do bath them inbetween if they get dirty on a walk! You should probably get him used to being groomed from now so its part of his life and will be fun for him - otherwise he may find it all a bit over welming when he gets older. hope this helps in some way!

I hope that your breeder told you that your Westie needs to be trimmed every 8 weeks to keep him looking tidy and like a Westie. Ask other Westie owners in your area (who's dogs look like Westies not shaved to look like a sausage with 4 matchsticks for legs!) where they take theirs. A good groomer will kindly and patiently train you baby to accept regular grooming just as soon as he is protected by his vaccination. If he has been bred with a correct course coat, then he will be chalked and hand stripped. A course, hand stripped coat is much easier to keep clean as it won't hold dirt and rubbish.  If his coat is soft, then he will be clipped and bathed, or maybe a combination of the two if there is any course coat at all, although I don't put clippers on any Westie baby before it has grow it's adult coat. In between visits to the groomer then a good groom should remove any debris he has collected in the garden or on his walks, a bath is rarely necessary.

I have an 8 month old westie who was clipped 4 weeks ago, she went in looking like a ragged fur ball and came out a beautiful young lady, she looked so nice, I try not to bath her too often, usually a good groom is all it takes to keep them looking reasonably clean, I was told about every eight weeks for a trim.