We got a question from someone out there in the inter-webs, and they were asking how to look after their sheltie in a better way.

More specifically, how to keep the feces out of her sheltie’s back quarter fur. She has been trimming the haunches back quite a bit, along with trimming down at the base of the tail.

Here’s the thing. She’s not realizing that she may be damaging the dog’s fur or it’s coat.

We’re going to talk about how we can hygienically keep these dogs with the fluffy back ends in the pants, as we like to call them in the grooming industry. We’re going to discuss what you can do at home to keep this area clean and tidy and neat, and not have so much poop stuck in there.

Sanitary Tidy Up

If you’ve got a grooming salon that you go to on a regular basis or one that you use frequently. Here’s what you wanna do when you call to make an appointment. Tell them the breed that you’ve got. In this specific case, we’re talking about a sheltie. You call them and you tell them that you’ve got a sheltie and you’ve got a problem with the back door.

Ask them, “Is it possible to come in and have a sanitary tidy up done?” What this means is they’re going to take the scissors or the clippers, and they’re going to clip the hair around the rectum area. They’ll then likely take the clippers or their scissors, and they’ll trim or scoop very gently a little bit of a poop path. Sometimes we called it a “driveway,” other times call it a “poo path.” Essentially, the idea here is that when the dog goes to the washroom, there’s nothing there for feces to get stuck and caught up in it.

I don’t want you to get the idea that your dog is going to be running around looking like he’s got a baboon butt or anything like that! What we’re doing when we do this for Sheltie dogs is we are keeping the area around the rectum completely clean so no poop gets caught in that spot. The pants is another area where sometimes things can get hung up. If we clear that away, tighten it up a little bit, neating it up a bit with thinning shears, it will help tremendously for those dog owners that suffer trying to keep the dogs hind quarters clean.

Get Yourself a Flea Comb

This is a very challenging area for dogs owners that have the big pants areas and big fluffy tails. Things can get caught up and stuck in those areas. When the dogs a bigger dog it’s not so easy to just go and throw them in the tub or into the kitchen sink or into the laundry tub. Poop is a difficult thing to get rid of and I encourage everybody when they go to the pet store on their next visit. Take a walk down the grooming aisle and see if you can find a flea comb.

A flea comb is of tremendous value in your grooming kit. Because what do you use the flea comb for? Yes, we use it for picking up the dead fleas if you give a dog flea bath. But what I use a flea comb for, more than anything, is when I get a dog in the bath, and I get that rear-end area soaked and wet and soaked up with shampoo. I will take my flea comb and I will pick out the debris that’s all caught up in there. It’s also good for removing debris around the eye area such as discharge issues in the little dogs. It’s great for trying to get into tight spots, or sensitive areas and extracting the debris that’s gotten caught up in the hair.

So get yourself a flea comb. It’s going to be under $20 for sure. It’s probably more like anywhere from $8 to $15. And it’s of tremendous value because you will find 101 uses for that flea comb on your dogs coat. You’ll find that when you’ve got something stuck in the hair, you’ll reach for that flea comb, and it’ll help get out nasty things that are stuck in the coat.

How to Keep the Sheltie Bum Clean

Prefer a video? I’m joined by a pooch named Emma for visuals. In addition to sharing tips, she helps me demonstrate how to use the scissors around the back area of a dog.

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Thanks to our viewer, Caitlyn, for bringing this topic up for discussion! We hope it helps you take better care of your Sheltie, or other similar breed.

What are your grooming challenges? Drop me a comment below!

For more grooming tips, techniques, and answers to common challenges, hop on over to our Consumer Education page.  I also share a lot of behind the scenes from my shop on both Facebook and YouTube.  I’d love to see you there.

Big Love,

Terrie