Sheltie Grooming Guide: How to Brush, Bathe & Groom a Shetland Sheepdog

Shetland Sheepdogs, or Shelties, are small, smart herding dogs with one of the most impressive coats of any breed: a long, straight outer coat over a thick, soft undercoat, with a full mane around the neck. That coat looks great when it's kept up, and it mats and sheds hard when it isn't.

What kind of coat does a Shetland Sheepdog have?

Shelties have a true double coat. The outer coat is long, straight and harsh to the touch, and it sheds water and dirt. Underneath is a short, dense, soft undercoat that insulates. The coat is longest in the mane and frill (around the neck and chest), the feathering on the front legs, the "pants" on the back of the thighs and the tail. The face, feet and lower legs have short, smooth hair.

Coat type, more than breed name, is what decides how often a dog needs a bath, a brush or a haircut. Individual dogs vary, so treat the schedule below as a starting point and adjust it to your dog's lifestyle, skin and how quickly the coat gets dirty or tangled.

How often should a Sheltie be groomed?

Bathe every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if your Sheltie gets muddy or starts to smell. Line-brush the whole coat 2 to 3 times a week and daily during a coat blow. Comb the soft hair behind the ears every few days, because that's where Shelties mat first. Trim nails every 3 to 4 weeks and tidy the feet about once a month. A professional bath and deshed every 6 to 8 weeks keeps the undercoat from packing down.

How to brush a Sheltie (line brushing)

A quick brush over the top of a Sheltie coat looks fine and leaves the undercoat matted underneath. Line brushing gets down to the skin, one section at a time:

1. Mist the coat lightly with water or a diluted dog conditioner. Brushing a dry, dusty coat breaks the outer hairs and creates static.
2. Start at the back legs and work up. With one hand, push the coat up so you can see a line of skin.
3. Brush the hair below the line down and out with a pin or slicker brush, a few short strokes at a time, until you can see skin and no tufts come out.
4. Move the line up about half an inch and repeat over the whole body, then the mane, chest and tail.
5. Use the undercoat rake on the thick areas (pants, mane and tail base) to lift out loose undercoat, especially during a shed.
6. Finish with a metal comb. If the comb glides from skin to tip everywhere, you're done. If it catches, go back to that spot.

Pay extra attention to the soft hair behind the ears, the armpits, the back of the thighs and under the collar. These are the spots where Shelties mat, often while the rest of the coat looks perfect. A small mat can be teased apart with your fingers and a comb; anything tight against the skin is a job for a groomer. More help in How to Get Mats Out of Dog Hair and Best Brush for Your Dog.

Want this method on paper? Mango's Between-Visits Brushing Guide ($14.99, printable PDF) walks through the brushing method step by step and how to catch tangles before they turn into mats, and Mango's Starter Kit ($19.99) adds a week-by-week grooming calendar.

How to bathe a Sheltie at home

1. Brush and rake thoroughly before the bath. Water tightens loose undercoat and small tangles into mats that are much harder to remove.
2. Use lukewarm water and soak all the way to the skin. A Sheltie coat repels water, so this takes longer than you expect.
3. Lather with a dog shampoo, working it in with your fingers so it reaches the skin, especially in the mane and pants.
4. Rinse until the water runs completely clear, then rinse once more. Leftover shampoo in the undercoat is a common cause of itchy skin.
5. Apply a light dog conditioner if you use one and rinse again.
6. Dry completely, down to the skin, with a cool blow dryer while you brush. A damp undercoat can lead to hot spots and odor. Finish with a final line brush once dry.

Always use a shampoo made for dogs; human shampoo is formulated for a different skin pH. Keep water out of the ears, and give a treat at the end so bath time stays positive.

How much does a Sheltie shed?

• Shedding level: High. Shelties shed some hair every day and "blow" the undercoat about twice a year, when it comes out in clumps for a few weeks.
• Females shed more: unspayed females often drop most of their coat after a heat cycle, and many females have a big shed after having puppies.
• Compared with other breeds: a Sheltie sheds about as much as a rough-coated Collie or an Australian Shepherd, in a smaller dog.
• In warm climates: warm weather and air-conditioned homes mean many dogs shed steadily all year instead of in two clean seasons.

Why is my Sheltie shedding so much? Usually it's a normal coat blow, a post-heat shed or warm-weather shedding. Line brushing 2 to 3 times a week, daily raking during a blow, and a bath and full blow-dry at the start of each shed move the loose hair out fast. Bald patches, red or flaky skin, constant scratching or a coat that stays thin for months are not normal shedding, so check with your vet. Step-by-step help: How to Deshed a Dog at Home. To plan brushing and baths week by week through every coat blow, Mango's Grooming Calendar & Checklists ($7.99, printable PDF) maps it out.

Sheltie grooming styles: what a good trim looks like

Shelties don't need a haircut. The "style" is the natural coat, fully brushed out, with a few areas tidied so the dog looks neat. When people search for Sheltie haircuts or Sheltie grooming styles, the best-looking results come from a deep brush-out and a careful tidy, not from cutting the coat short.

• Natural, brushed-out coat: the standard look. Bath, blow-dry, line brush, and nothing cut except the tidy areas below.
• Neat feet: trim the hair between the pads and around the edge of the paw into a tidy, rounded foot. This is the trim that makes the biggest difference.
• Tidy hocks: trim the hair on the back of the lower hind legs short and neat.
• Ears: thin the fluffy hair behind and around the ears so it doesn't mat, and neaten the ear edges.
• Sanitary trim: a short, neat trim under the tail and on the belly for hygiene.
• Lightly shaped pants and tail: even out stray hairs with thinning shears rather than cutting blunt.

What to avoid: a shave-down or "summer cut". Shaving doesn't keep a Sheltie cooler or reduce shedding, it removes the coat's protection from sun and heat, and the coat can grow back patchy or fuzzy. Most groomers will only shave a Sheltie when it's badly matted or a vet asks for it. More in Can You Shave a Double-Coated Dog?

To keep that brushed-out look between grooms, Mango's Between-Visits Brushing Guide ($14.99, printable PDF) covers the brushing routine and the tangle checks step by step, and Mango's Starter Kit ($19.99) adds the grooming calendar so you know what's due each week.

Fitting the routine into your week

Pick two or three set days for a full line brush, for example Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, and do a 2-minute comb-through behind the ears and in the armpits on the other days. Book baths and professional deshedding at the start of each coat blow. In hot weather, keep the undercoat brushed out, offer shade and water, and walk during cooler hours rather than cutting the coat short.

Tools you'll need

• Pin brush for the long outer coat
• Slicker brush for line brushing and the feathering
• Undercoat rake for the mane, pants and tail during a shed
• Medium and fine metal comb to check behind the ears and in the armpits
• Spray bottle with water or diluted dog conditioner
• Dog shampoo, a light conditioner and a cool blow dryer
• Nail clippers or a grinder, and small scissors or thinning shears for the feet

Tools from the Pawradise shop: Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush · Stainless Steel Grooming Comb (2-Pack)

Common Sheltie grooming mistakes

Sheltie grooming FAQ

This guide offers general grooming information. For skin, ear or coat problems that don't improve, talk to your veterinarian. More Pawfile breed guides.