Head
The lower jaw (beard area) and muzzle are usually some of the first areas to mat, followed by the ears and the rest of the head area. It is important to try and keep the matting to a minimum on the head regions. We have found that keeping the hair brushed out on the muzzle and beard maintains a much cleaner face. Some will also brush out the ears and top of the head. In the beginning if you elect to keep some mats on the head do the best you can to pull them apart, starting at the end and pulling apart down to the skin. Just be careful not to pull real hard and tear any skin. If it won't pull the way you are trying, then try pulling it from a different angle or position. This also goes for other parts of the body. It also helps if you try this when your puppy is tired and lazy. If you want mats, try to keep them no wider than a pencil on the very top of the head if possible. It is ok if they start out a little larger at first. As they grow, you can then separate them more. The ears can be a bit tougher to deal with and 1 finger width works for this area. When working with the ears, you have to be especially careful not to tear the skin. It is very thin in some areas. Take your time, don’t force anything and look at what you are doing. You will notice the ears will start to feel real thick (with hair). This is normal providing you have not let the entire ear mat up. Just keep working on it a little bit each day or a few times per week. Also, there is nothing wrong with trimming the hair in the beard and keeping it short (1 to 2 inches). It dries quicker and also won't trap as much food. If you elect to keep the hair brushed out, you can use a small slicker brush being careful not to put too much pressure on it to irritate the skin. In the long run, some of the head hair is going to mat and there isn't much you can do to stop it. Either keep the mats really small or do regular brushing to keep matting to a minimum. The head region is the most important to keep up with so you really should be keeping an eye on it so you don’t end up with one big knotted mess.
The lower jaw (beard area) and muzzle are usually some of the first areas to mat, followed by the ears and the rest of the head area. It is important to try and keep the matting to a minimum on the head regions. We have found that keeping the hair brushed out on the muzzle and beard maintains a much cleaner face. Some will also brush out the ears and top of the head. In the beginning if you elect to keep some mats on the head do the best you can to pull them apart, starting at the end and pulling apart down to the skin. Just be careful not to pull real hard and tear any skin. If it won't pull the way you are trying, then try pulling it from a different angle or position. This also goes for other parts of the body. It also helps if you try this when your puppy is tired and lazy. If you want mats, try to keep them no wider than a pencil on the very top of the head if possible. It is ok if they start out a little larger at first. As they grow, you can then separate them more. The ears can be a bit tougher to deal with and 1 finger width works for this area. When working with the ears, you have to be especially careful not to tear the skin. It is very thin in some areas. Take your time, don’t force anything and look at what you are doing. You will notice the ears will start to feel real thick (with hair). This is normal providing you have not let the entire ear mat up. Just keep working on it a little bit each day or a few times per week. Also, there is nothing wrong with trimming the hair in the beard and keeping it short (1 to 2 inches). It dries quicker and also won't trap as much food. If you elect to keep the hair brushed out, you can use a small slicker brush being careful not to put too much pressure on it to irritate the skin. In the long run, some of the head hair is going to mat and there isn't much you can do to stop it. Either keep the mats really small or do regular brushing to keep matting to a minimum. The head region is the most important to keep up with so you really should be keeping an eye on it so you don’t end up with one big knotted mess.
Some families keep their Bergamascos in a short coat
Body
In the beginning, you will just be trying to help the coat from getting too matted. Do not get over critical or particular of the mats and their formation. At this stage, we are just trying to form “clumps” of hair by pulling areas of hair apart so it isn’t forming large matted sections on the body. The clumps should be 2 to 3 fingers wide. This can be a frustrating stage because some coats can be very webbed and hard to separate. One day you pull it apart…. a few days later it is starting to grow back together. Those of you that understand or have ever worked with felting will understand why. Just take your time and work in areas (ex. chest, rear, side, etc…). You don’t have to do this all in a day or a week! It is not as critical as the head region. If you are having trouble pulling the hair apart, try pulling from a different angle (last resort use scissors to get things started…, then pull). Also, much of the body work is done by feel as it can be hard to actually see what you are doing as you begin this stage. This does take some practice and time but eventually you will be able to just rub your hands and fingers through the coat and separate without really looking at it. I like to feel the clump of hair with my thumb and first 3 fingers to get an idea of it’s size and shape. As the clumps of hair grow longer, they then start to take a matted or felted appearance (or forming flocks). This is when they will become more defined and recognizable to the eye. At this stage, you will be able to see more of what you are doing and visually shape the mats to your liking. This is when you can separate some of the larger mats that you could not see very well in the beginning. At this stage (when the hair is about 3 to 4 inches long and your puppy is most likely well over a year old), I like to separate the mats to about 1.5 to 2 fingers wide and only about 1 finger thick maximum. To be more specific, the mats are like a tile and most are wider than they are thick. If they get too thick, then it is more of a problem for them to dry when wet. The matt size is really a personal preference but if you get them too small, they can be weak and break off. This is going to happen in some areas no matter what and is actually quite normal. The area with the most mats that will most likely stay in tact will be the rear two thirds of your Berg. The withers should mainly be hair. By the way…, for those of you that were brushing your puppy for the first 6 months, you will want to hold off on that for awhile and just use your hands to brush off any dirt or debris.
In the beginning, you will just be trying to help the coat from getting too matted. Do not get over critical or particular of the mats and their formation. At this stage, we are just trying to form “clumps” of hair by pulling areas of hair apart so it isn’t forming large matted sections on the body. The clumps should be 2 to 3 fingers wide. This can be a frustrating stage because some coats can be very webbed and hard to separate. One day you pull it apart…. a few days later it is starting to grow back together. Those of you that understand or have ever worked with felting will understand why. Just take your time and work in areas (ex. chest, rear, side, etc…). You don’t have to do this all in a day or a week! It is not as critical as the head region. If you are having trouble pulling the hair apart, try pulling from a different angle (last resort use scissors to get things started…, then pull). Also, much of the body work is done by feel as it can be hard to actually see what you are doing as you begin this stage. This does take some practice and time but eventually you will be able to just rub your hands and fingers through the coat and separate without really looking at it. I like to feel the clump of hair with my thumb and first 3 fingers to get an idea of it’s size and shape. As the clumps of hair grow longer, they then start to take a matted or felted appearance (or forming flocks). This is when they will become more defined and recognizable to the eye. At this stage, you will be able to see more of what you are doing and visually shape the mats to your liking. This is when you can separate some of the larger mats that you could not see very well in the beginning. At this stage (when the hair is about 3 to 4 inches long and your puppy is most likely well over a year old), I like to separate the mats to about 1.5 to 2 fingers wide and only about 1 finger thick maximum. To be more specific, the mats are like a tile and most are wider than they are thick. If they get too thick, then it is more of a problem for them to dry when wet. The matt size is really a personal preference but if you get them too small, they can be weak and break off. This is going to happen in some areas no matter what and is actually quite normal. The area with the most mats that will most likely stay in tact will be the rear two thirds of your Berg. The withers should mainly be hair. By the way…, for those of you that were brushing your puppy for the first 6 months, you will want to hold off on that for awhile and just use your hands to brush off any dirt or debris.
Legs & Tail (plus privates)
The hair on the legs can be an area that's easy to forget. It is especially difficult to separate this hair if it's completely matted on a large area of the leg. Keep an eye on it and separate as you did elsewhere, allowing 1 to 2 finger widths. The further you get down the leg, the smaller the mats should be. This may not be possible at first but as the mats grow longer, you can separate them again. From the paw to about 6 inches up (on an adult), I like to try to keep them on the smaller side so they dry out faster. This area of the leg is a “walking mop” and picks up water from anywhere there are wet conditions. The size of the mat can be tricky because if it gets too small, it has a better chance of breaking off. Also, a few Bergs will chew on these and break them off ending up with a skinny looking lower leg. We have also seen quite a few Bergs who will naturally form their own small mats or in this case they look like locks. We have observed this all the way up the leg and onto the rump (by the base of the tail). This is quite desirable because it saves you the work of separating. Although you will still have to do some…. Don't forget about the tail. This is not a difficult area, however your Berg may get a bit fussy when you work with it. I like to separate these mats to about 1 finger width or so. Eventually, you will want to lift the tail and trim around the rear end and private areas. The best way to explain this is for you to create a clear path, by removing hair and mats, so that excrement does not get caught up. We generally do this when we notice the mats are crowding this area and there is obvious need to groom (especially if your dog has loose stools). We also trim around the private parts so that urine has a clear path and everything has a chance to breath. We find that a high quality pair of scissors that you would use in the kitchen works well. They are sharp but have shorter blades and generally not real pointed on the ends.
The hair on the legs can be an area that's easy to forget. It is especially difficult to separate this hair if it's completely matted on a large area of the leg. Keep an eye on it and separate as you did elsewhere, allowing 1 to 2 finger widths. The further you get down the leg, the smaller the mats should be. This may not be possible at first but as the mats grow longer, you can separate them again. From the paw to about 6 inches up (on an adult), I like to try to keep them on the smaller side so they dry out faster. This area of the leg is a “walking mop” and picks up water from anywhere there are wet conditions. The size of the mat can be tricky because if it gets too small, it has a better chance of breaking off. Also, a few Bergs will chew on these and break them off ending up with a skinny looking lower leg. We have also seen quite a few Bergs who will naturally form their own small mats or in this case they look like locks. We have observed this all the way up the leg and onto the rump (by the base of the tail). This is quite desirable because it saves you the work of separating. Although you will still have to do some…. Don't forget about the tail. This is not a difficult area, however your Berg may get a bit fussy when you work with it. I like to separate these mats to about 1 finger width or so. Eventually, you will want to lift the tail and trim around the rear end and private areas. The best way to explain this is for you to create a clear path, by removing hair and mats, so that excrement does not get caught up. We generally do this when we notice the mats are crowding this area and there is obvious need to groom (especially if your dog has loose stools). We also trim around the private parts so that urine has a clear path and everything has a chance to breath. We find that a high quality pair of scissors that you would use in the kitchen works well. They are sharp but have shorter blades and generally not real pointed on the ends.
General Grooming & Bathing
We are firm believers that people should groom their dogs to fit their lifestyle. We don’t look at long or short hair as right or wrong for every situation. Climate, environment, the dogs purpose (pet, herding, show, etc…), and personal preference will all help you determine what is best for your Berg. On a couple of our trips to Europe , we have seen all types of coats including a fair share that have been shorn or cut very short. Most of the really short haired dogs are older because a long thick coat can be hard on them. We also see short or thinned coats on many of the “true” working dogs for obvious reasons. What do we do with our dogs? Some coats will be long and some short depending on age, time in their show career and if they are working. When it comes to bathing, this is primarily dependent on environment. Is your Berg in a clean or dirty environment? If they are dirty…. they need a bath. For some, this could be every month or two. For others, once a year. Just use shampoo very sparingly. You don’t want to dry out their coat or leave shampoo residue. A sure way to start a skin problem or “hot spot”. We like to mix up about 20 to 1 or even more of water and shampoo in the original shampoo bottle. This way, you can apply it in a very diluted fashion. Do not put much of this solution on top of the head or around the eyes. On the beard and neck…. Yes! Then, rinse, rinse, and rinse again. Before the last rinse (when you think all the soap is out) we mix one cup of white vinegar per gallon of water and pour this on the entire coat. We then rinse one more time with water. The vinegar will help neutralize any shampoo residue, odors and is also good for the coat and skin. Just remember, rinse everything out very well. We also highly recommend a portable, off the ground, dog bath tub. We have the polyethylene Booster Bath. There may be other products out there but we really like this one. We have posted a picture of this on our grooming photo page. Next, we have found a chamois works best for wringing out the adult coat. It absorbs the water from the flocks. Continue to wring until you can't get anymore significant water from the coat. We then use a high velocity drier (Metro Air Force Master Blaster -
Please try to make this process as enjoyable and stress free for you and your Berg. If your puppy has had enough and is getting upset, quit for the time being and come back later. Don’t start working on them when they are excited and ready to play. You need them to be fairly relaxed and calm. Most Bergs really enjoy the attention and “massage” you are providing. It is a very good bonding experience for all involved so keep it light and don’t push too hard. Oh… your fingers are going to get tired so this is another reason to work in small sessions.
….and remember you can contact us anytime for support.
Alcina
Martina
Excie getting a bath