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Grooming by Sharon Kleim
On The Outside
In order to keep a good coat you must keep it clean. A bath once a week in a mild, natural, low sudsing shampoo, that is thoroughly rinsed out is a basic requirement, (I use Nature's Choice Citru-Mela Plus),
thoroughly rinsed out. No, that was not a typo, it is critical to rinse well and remove all traces of suds. They can cause itching and
scratching and loss of coat. I then use about a quarter cup of Coat Handler mixed in a gallon of water and soak him in it. This I leave in.
thoroughly rinsed out. No, that was not a typo, it is critical to rinse well and remove all traces of suds. They can cause itching and scratching and loss of coat. I then use about a quarter cup of Coat Handler mixed in a gallon of water and soak him in it. This I leave in. I brush and comb through the whole coat while it is wet to remove any mats; this done I now blow the dog dry (on a medium setting) brushing the whole time - which is usually a couple of hours. It can be a relaxing and enjoyable task if done on a regular basis.
When dry, I comb through him with a wide toothed comb to make sure I didn't miss any spot, straighten the part on the topline and rub a small amount of conditioner on my hands, and then on the sides of the part. I also put extra conditioner on his ear fringes and
his face hair as those seem to be particularly fragile. Clean the ears and teeth and trim the nails. I think the blowing dry while brushing keeps the coat detangled longer than just allowing him to dry naturally.
his face hair as those seem to be particularly fragile. Clean the ears and teeth and trim the nails. I think the blowing dry while brushing keeps the coat detangled longer than just allowing him to dry naturally.Never brush the coat when dry. If you have to brush between baths use 
a spray bottle of diluted conditioner to dampen the coat before brushing. A dry coat is brittle and breaks easily, while a wet coat has more elasticity and can take a little more tugging before it breaks. Use a good quality pin brush (#1 All Systems is good). Once the pins become bent, discard it and buy a new one.
a spray bottle of diluted conditioner to dampen the coat before brushing. A dry coat is brittle and breaks easily, while a wet coat has more elasticity and can take a little more tugging before it breaks. Use a good quality pin brush (#1 All Systems is good). Once the pins become bent, discard it and buy a new one.It is equally important to keep the coat dry as well as clean. Wet hair mats more easily and can also cause the skin to become irritated and sore. Blow drying allows you the opportunity to see these areas clearly and 
notice if the skin has been affected by the dampness. If it looks red and/or sore, a bath in an anti-bacterial shampoo and complete drying should help. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Especially with the skin conditions in a Skye, keeping them dry in the snow or rain is not easy. I use a 'wet bed' that soaks the wetness away from the dog when we have continual wet weather, but it doesn't take away the necessity of complete drying which I usually do last thing before bed, so he is dry most of the time. A lot of work, but well worth it!
notice if the skin has been affected by the dampness. If it looks red and/or sore, a bath in an anti-bacterial shampoo and complete drying should help. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Especially with the skin conditions in a Skye, keeping them dry in the snow or rain is not easy. I use a 'wet bed' that soaks the wetness away from the dog when we have continual wet weather, but it doesn't take away the necessity of complete drying which I usually do last thing before bed, so he is dry most of the time. A lot of work, but well worth it!From The Inside Out
Yes, great coats do start from the inside out. It is very important for a Skye to be on a good, balanced, natural diet. He cannot build a good coat without it. Each dog is an individual and their diets will vary, but the important thing is to watch how he is doing on the diet that he is on.
While the Mav. is my first Skye Terrier, I have worked with coat problems while breeding and showing my Afghan hounds. Coat and skin problems go hand in hand, and it is my belief that most of them start with a poor diet. Not that any of us intentionally feed our dogs a poor diet, but I think we are brainwashed with the commercial market and advertising. I often wonder how we can be gullible enough to believe in a product that has no control over its manufacturing, when a large portion of processed foods made for the human market - which does have some controls - are not what you would call a healthy dirt. I doubt that any of you would feed you dog on chocolate, potato chips and pop, yet we are all guilty of feeding them "dog food" that is unfit for human consumption!
There is a multitude of good books on the subject, and my advice would be to read everything you can, sift through it, and come up with your own formula of a healthy diet for your individual dog. This doesn't mean we have to go right back to mother nature, after all, we have evolved some and it is a little impractical to go hunting in an urban area. What is needed is information and common sense. You dog will love you.