Priceless tips on how to groom and trim your Newfoundland

~ Agata @BarkTime
Our Bunk before and after grooming session. Thank You Maja from Cancrimo Kennel.
Our Bunk before and after grooming session.
Thank You Maja from Cancrimo Kennel.

Grooming your Newfie can be really challenging at times, at least at the beginning when you are not to sure what to do and how to do it… but it has to be done and someone has to learn how to maintain his or hers coat. Searching the net I found this fantastic picture guide which will help any Newfie owner.

Post below is reblogged from Mukota Newfoundlands.

General Trimming:

You can start to groom your dog when it is completely dry, perhaps the next day. If this is your first time grooming your dog, don’t do it before a show. Incorrectly groomed coats need time to grow out. The most important rule: it is better to cut less than too much! Good quality scissors are very important. Remember to comb out the entire coat carefully before grooming.

Newfoundlands, must have medium length coat, without over-long and wispy bits of hairs. Groomed dogs MUST still have a natural appearance; be careful and don’t leave visible cut marks!

Paws

Start with the front paws. Beginning under the paw, cut the coat that grows between the pads.

Lift the coat between the toes, combing upwards, and cut using straight scissors. Your goal is a nicely rounded foot; be careful not to cut too much. Nails shouldn’t be visible. If you do cut too much, don’t worry, the coat grows quickly on the feet. On the rear part of foot the coat must touch the ground with a gentle upward curve.

Cut the hind paws in the same manner.

We will now use the thinning shears, and from now use only them and the comb. Cut only in direction of the coat, never upwards - comb the coat in the part you are working on and cut, comb and cut.

Forequarters

First even out the feathering. Begin on the back part of the leg, next the outside, then the inside. Cut the inside of the leg more if your dog has a narrow chest, but don’t exaggerate!

The front legs should prolong the line of the shoulder/upper legs. Do not leave any long coat - especially on the elbows! Trim all indesiderable wisps of coat on the shoulders and upper arms to make “clean” lines.

Hindquarters

Look from behind and trim the coat downwards from croup to feet. Cut more on the inside leg if your dog moves close behind, less if moves correctly.

Looking from the side note the angulations, cutting excess coat under knees and hocks. Because Newfoundlands must have short heels trim coat starting from the hocks downward at a 45° angle, and the lower part vertically (see illustration).

Chest

Coat on the chest often grows too long and needs to be trimmed quite a bit. Be especially careful trimming the throat. If coat below the breast-bone is too long it gives the illusion of short forelegs, so trim to a soft curve. Trim excess coat on the sides downwards from ears to the breast.

Underline

Start from the back going towards the front, left flank, then right flank. Trim coat on the belly and breast starting from the hindquarters towards the armpits. Don’t cut too much or it will give the impression of legs that are too long or too short.

Lift the foreleg and trim under the armpit blending the line of the chest with the underline. Repeat with the second foreleg.

Now examine body of your dog from the rear. The shape of the underline must be rounded to the flanks, it is insufficient to trim only the underline.

Trim more behind the armpits, or when moving the coat here will appear to be too long.

Topline

Sometimes the topline doesn’t need trimming. If coat on the neck and croup is very thick so it looks as if your dog has a mane and is too high in the croup, use a dematting comb to remove the excess undercoat.

Tail

Trimming the tail is only necessary if it looks like a flag.

Head

Start from the ears. Trim coat so it doesn’t project past the edge of the ear, always combing downward. The tips of the ears must be rounded not pointed.

Trim under the ears. Trim any greasy coat growing under the ears, and coat on the cheek at the base of the ear.

Often behind the ears the coat is soft and over-long, damaging the shape of head. Trim it downward from the earset.

Comb coat on top of the head upward and trim to obtain a rounded shape.

Stand the dog on the ground and ask somebody to show move it for you. You will see any areas that need corrections. Show dogs need to be trimmed once every 2-3 weeks.

This page has been provided by: Iwonna Salak of Logrus Newfoundlands

33 thoughts on “Priceless tips on how to groom and trim your Newfoundland”

  1. These are fantastic diagrams. Over the last year - year and a half, my husband and I have not been in the best of health really and our beloved newfie is now a bit unkempt to say the least. After seeing this I feel it gives me a bit to work towards. Thank you so much. Just need to have appropriate equipment now. We have a furminator, brushes but, maybe need really good scissors, any advice ?? Kind regards. Elizabeth

    Reply

    1. Hi Elizabeth,
      Yes, you definitely need a good pair of scissors, standard hairdressing ones work perfectly. You might also want to get a thinning tool (it’s like a rake with small blades), we use it summer time for Bunks chest as I don’t want to shorten the fur just make a bit less of it so he isn’t so hot.
      If you have any questions just email me and I will try my best to help.

      Reply

  3. I can’t get all the pictures to show, boo!!! i want to show this to my newfie customer to see if she’d like to try this, but i want to print out the whole thing, pics too, and all that is showing up are the first two….

    Reply

  4. Hi,
    That’s what I was was sort of going to do - maybe use a lump of clay and try and mould around Mounter’s paw (if can stay still long enough) and then try and cast from that. It should be an interesting experience anyway….

    Reply

  5. ‘Mounter’ my newfoundland (still just a puppy) is due to for ‘make over’ soon - so will pass this on to lady in the grooming parlour.
    Has anyone - heard of the following though - you know for babies some people will take a moulding of a hand or foot and make it into a clay cast etc and then put it in a picture frame etc - has anyone ever tried doing it for dogs - any health issues that I need to be aware of - as I’m thinking of trying it for my dog ? - Ive never heard of it for dogs before - so wanted to give it a go

    Regards
    Angela

    Reply

  7. Hi! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone!
    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to
    all your posts! Carry on the great work!

    Reply
  9. Pingback: We Are One! | Bark Time = everything and nothing

    1. Hello George,
      My post has a clear indication where it was rebloggled from - please check top part 🙂
      Post below is reblogged from Mukota Newfoundlands. - it also includes a active link to original post.

      Reply

  13. Think it should mention in the post that those grooming tips was originally made by Iwonna Salak, Neverines newfoundlands in Italy. Copyright and acknowledge of the author in any part is important.
    Although it says in the link that it was from Iwonna, but then someone is sharing this post, and someone else will be copying next post and suddenly the originator disappears when it goes out in cyber space.

    Reply

    1. Hi Piretto,
      I totally agree with you. I wouldn’t want or even tried to take credit for someone else work.
      I reblogged it from Mukota Newfoundlands and they are credited in my post.
      I have no idea who originally created it. I can only give credit to place I found it.
      I hope you can understand it.

      Reply

  16. Great reference! These are the exact diagrams we used years back getting Moses ready for the show ring.
    These days, a Moses ‘after’ more resembles as Bunk ‘before’, however. The never ending snow-melt-mud-snow-melt-mud cycle is going to drive me to drink.

    Reply

  19. Gosh what a difference! We have a King Charles Spaniel and he needs a lot of grooming, we have had a few not so pretty results when he can’t keep still 😉 Excellent job!

    Reply

I love all comments :-)