Grooming

Grooming tools

Electric clippers with interchangeable blade heads
Blade #5
Blade #7-F
Blade #10
Blade #15
Shears
Thinning Shears
Brush (Pin type)
Comb (Greyhound)
Nail trimmers
Quik-Stop for nails
Good quality shampoo
Good quality conditioner
Grooming table or towel on a table to groom your dog

For reference make sure you have your copy of the ACTFA/AKC approved breed standard, available on this website. Read and study the grooming section before you begin.

Brush your dog so all knots are gone. Inspect foot pads, and cut hair in between pads when needed. Wash and condition your dog with your favorite dog shampoo and conditioner. Make sure the coat is completely dry before clipping.

When washing your Cesky make sure you rinse at least 3 times and then rinse again. The Cesky hair tends to hold shampoo and if you do not rinse it all out it can cause a rash on your dog. Suggested frequency of washing your dog is up to you. If your dog is active in dog sports he/she may need to be washed each week. If not, every two or three weeks is fine. Each dog is different so you will need to decide what is right for your dog. There are many shampoo products on the market but a good quality shampoo works well. Also use a good conditioner for your dog and make sure you rinse this out well. The conditioner will make it easier to keep your dog's hair soft and silky.

#1 - Ears (#15 blade)

The ear is trimmed on the inside with the #15 blade against the hair so it is very short.
On the outside of the ear, the hair is trimmed the #15 blade with the grain of the hair, and shears are used to trim the hair around the sides of the ear.
Make sure you pluck the hair from the insides of the ear to keep them clean and healthy. Check your dog’s ears each week. With their button ear the Cesky can be prone to ear infections. If you live in a humid area of the country, you need to check the ears more often.

#2 - Head, neck, front and rear (#10 blade)

Head

Using the number 10 blade trim the cheeks and top of head.
The eyebrows are left longer and are trimmed to be shorter in the outside corner with the hair longer on the inside corner blending with the full fall that is left uncut between the eyes.
The fall is left long and only trimmed at the edges so it does not grow too long.
The beard, starting at the middle of the underside of the eye the hair is blended into the beard. The beard runs from the eye to the outside of the mouth and under the chin. The beard should not be too full and only trimmed at the ends to clean up dead ends.

Neck

Clip with a #10 blade
When you clip across the front of the dog the furnishings are left long across the chest right where the legs meet the chest.

Front

Clip chest with a #10 blade.
When you clip across the front of the dog the furnishings are left long across the chest right where the legs meet the chest.
Following the line of the shoulder muscle, clip to form the front part of the saddle.
Clip a U shape down the sides of the legs. This is unique to the grooming of the Cesky Terrier.

Rear

Clip the rear with a #10 blade.
Following the line of the hip muscle, clip to form the rear part of the saddle.

#3 - Saddle

Back

Using a #5 blade (with the grain of the hair) clip the back of the dog from the top of the head to about 1 inch into the tail.

Sides – Part of the Saddle

Using a #7-F blade blend in the hair as indicated on the chart. The long furnishings should start at the elbow and go across the dog.

You will need to use thinning shears to make the different length of hair blend into each other. You do not want a sharp line between areas #1 and 2 where they meet area #3.

For companion dogs, the clip is the same as for the show ring, except that the saddle may be omitted by using a #10 blade on both the back and sides.

#4 - Tail

The tail is trimmed with either a #10 or #15 blade.
You are to leave a V at the top of the tail with the longer hair of the saddle working into the V on the top part of the tail. The rest of the tail is left short.

The furnishings are left long. You must brush and condition your dog’s hair to keep a long silky coat. The furnishings are not to drape on the ground but are to be trimmed to just meet the floor.

Your Cesky must have neatly trimmed nails.

Brush out your dog every day as a puppy to keep the hair from getting knotted.

Brush out your adult dog every week to keep a good shiny coat.

Teeth are very important, daily brushing is the best and there are many products to keep your dogs teeth white and clean. The cost of a tooth cleaning at your veterinarian’s office is very high and with some commitment you can avoid having your dog go through this costly process.

No part or drawing from this grooming chart may be copied or duplicated in any form without express written permission of the American Cesky Terrier Fanciers Association