Grooming Instructions 

Dog Washing:

We prepare our dogs for Washing by Line combing to remove all old undercoat.  Start at the back and work your way up to the dog’s head.  Go inch by inch until no two hairs stick together.  We then get the dog really wet, lifting the hair as you go so that water can penetrate the coat.  We use a re-circulating pump and a tub for the dogs baths, it save on time and shampoo while getting the dogs really clean.  You can also use a netting ball to apply soap and shampoo to the dog, we wash the dog no less than twice, every time.

First Bath –      D’Grease mixed down to light blue in color with no sediment.

                        You can also use Dawn Dish Soap (Blue) diluted

Second Bath – Alexander’s Own Super Clean – For Any Bath

                        Alexander’s Own Blue Max – To Highlight coat color

Christensen Day to Day Shampoo – for normal coats.

                        Winner’s Circle Full Figure – for more coat.

                        Christensen Black on Black – for dull/sun bleached coats.

                        Alexander’s Own Sun Amour Conditioner – for dogs that Sun Bleach

Alexander’s Own Coat Handling Conditioner – For those that don’t need the UV Protection

                        Christensen Day to Day Conditioner – for dry coats

Make sure you rinse very very well, no matter what kind of shampoo you use.

Dog Drying:

After the bath towel the dogs off.  You can use an absorber to get most of the moisture out of the coat.

We use a Circuiteer II Dryer, but any high velocity dryer will do.

As you are drying the dog completely (which will take some time) make sure to comb the tangles out, and lay the coat flat in its natural direction, the coat is not dry until all the waves are off the hair shaft.

Basic Grooming:

Coat - “The Adult Newfoundland has a flat, water-resistant, double coat that tends to fall back into place when rubbed against the nap.  The outer coat is course, moderately long, and full, either straight or with a wave.  The undercoat is soft and dense, although it is often less dense during the summer months or in warmer climates.  Hair on the face and muzzle is short and fine.  The backs of the legs are feathered all the way down.  The tail is covered with long dense hair.

Excess hair may be trimmed for neatness.  Whiskers need not be trimmed.”

Feet - “Feet are proportionate to the body in size, webbed, and cat foot in shape.”

Start at the Bottom of the feet and trim all the hair that lies between the pads, be cautious not to trim in-between the toes. Trim the nails back to the just before the quick, so that the dog is not walking on the nails themselves.  Take a slicker brush next and brush against the foot to lift excess hair out from between the toes and with your thinning scissors blend the hair even with the contour of the foot.

Forequarters – “Forelegs are muscular, heavily boned, straight, and parallel to each other, and the elbows point directly to the rear.  Pasterns are strong and slightly sloping.”

Comb thoroughly the feathering on the forelegs, trim hair that might be lying on the ground around the foot so that the feathers slope into the foot neatly.

Hindquarters – “The rear assembly is powerful, muscular and heavily boned.  Viewed from the rear, the legs are straight and parallel.  Viewed from the side, the thighs are broad and fairly long.  Stifles and hocks are well bent and the line from the hock to ground is perpendicular.”

Comb thoroughly the feathering on the hindquarters, and on the hocks.  Comb the hock hair toward the outside of each leg and trim to be even with the width of the leg. 

Ears – “Ears are relatively small and triangular with rounded tips.  They are set on the skull level with, or slightly above the brow, and lie close to the head.”

Comb thoroughly around, on and under the ear.  Lift the ear and blend the hair under the ear to allow the ear to lay close to the head.  Trim around the ear itself so that no hair is outside the silhouette.  Comb against the ear hair and thin the excess hair to blend in with the hair covering the skull.

 Italics text has been quoted from the Standard for Newfoundlands, approved by AKC May 1990

Basic Grooming tools needed:

A Course Comb with a Handle

A Long Toothed Combination Comb

A Rake for Undercoat

A Large and a Small slicker brush

A Pin Brush

Curved Scissors

Thinning shears with as many teeth as you can get

Nail trimmers