Westie grooming
West Highland White Terrier grooming in Gloucester, MA
The Westie's white coat is a working terrier's coat: straight, hard hair over a short, soft undercoat, in the words of the AKC standard. Show dogs keep it by stripping, and the AKC notes that pet owners often have it clipped. This page explains the difference, what whitening can do, and why the skin under that white coat matters as much as the coat.
The coat
A Westie wears a hard white jacket over a soft undercoat
The breed standard describes a white double coat that is hard and weather resistant: straight, hard hair on top and a short, soft undercoat beneath. On a show Westie the jacket is about one and a half to two inches of hard hair, plucked and trimmed to blend into the shorter coat on the neck, chest and shoulders, with the head hair shaped into the roundish frame that gives the breed its expression. The ears are trimmed short and velvety, free of fringe at the tips.
The AKC recommends daily brushing and combing, while VCA's breed profile suggests combing two or three times a week. The habit matters more than the exact number. Where a Westie tangles is predictable: the longer furnishings on the legs and belly, the hair framing the face and the coat under the collar. The AKC adds a caution that owners of white dogs need to hear: because the coat is hard, bathing too often can do more harm than good.
- Jacket: hard, straight outer hair over a short, soft undercoat
- Head: shaped into a round frame around the eyes
- Ears: trimmed short and velvety, no fringe at the tips
- Furnishings: the longer leg and belly hair, where tangles start
Clip or strip
Our full service gives a pet Westie a haircut; ask before you book if you want the coat stripped
There are two ways to keep a Westie coat. Stripping, or plucking, pulls out the old, dead outer hair so the new hard coat can grow in, and the AKC calls it the traditional method and the one a show dog must have. Clipping cuts the coat to length. The AKC notes that pet owners often have their dogs clipped for neatness, and VCA's breed profile says clipping is preferred for pet dogs. Our full service is a bath plus a breed-specific or custom haircut, trimmed to the Westie outline or to your photo.
Hand-stripping is not on the grooming menu we publish. If your Westie is shown, or you want the coat kept stripped, ask the front desk before you book, and you will get a straight answer. A clipped coat is a fair choice for a family dog. The round head, the short ears and the tidy outline all come from the haircut, and the AKC suggests a groomer visit every four to six weeks to keep the look.
The skin
Westie skin can be sensitive, so tell us what your vet has said before the bath
Westies are known for sensitive skin. A study in Veterinary Dermatology describes the breed as highly predisposed to canine atopic dermatitis, a common allergic skin disease, and in a group of Westie puppies followed for three years, 52 percent developed it, most within their first year. VCA notes that some Westies need a special diet because of allergies. None of that is a groomer's diagnosis to make, and we do not make it.
What the grooming appointment can do is follow your vet's plan. Tell us at booking about allergies, medications or a prescribed shampoo. The antiseptic or fungal shampoo add-on at $8 is a medicated wash for itchy, irritated or sensitive skin; ask your vet whether it suits your dog before you book it. A groomer sees the whole dog up close, so ask at pick-up how the skin looked under the coat, and take any redness or rash to your vet.
- Tell us about allergies, medication or a prescribed shampoo at booking
- Medicated antiseptic or fungal shampoo: $8, on your vet's advice
- Whitening: $8, for the coat, not a treatment for the skin
- Bathe only as often as the coat and your vet's plan call for
Timing and whitening
Book a full service every four to six weeks, with whitening when the white dulls
The AKC's suggestion of a groomer visit every four to six weeks is a sound starting point for a clipped pet Westie, and VCA puts coat shaping at least every three months. Between visits the face loses its round frame first and the furnishings tangle next. Whitening, at $8, is a brightening shampoo that restores a white coat that has gone dull or yellowed. Because it is a shampoo, it is added to a bath or full service, and it brightens the hair rather than treating the cause of a stain.
Reddish staining on the paws and muzzle is commonly linked to licking, and a Westie that licks its feet constantly may be itchy rather than untidy, which is a question for your vet. Skipping a cycle costs time at the next visit: tangles in the furnishings are worked out at $15 per 20 minutes on top of the $75 full service, estimated at check-in. Mud season on Dogtown Common and the salted sidewalks of a Gloucester winter will gray a white coat faster than any calendar.
Price
A Westie full service is $75, with whitening at $8 and a bath at $55
The AKC puts the breed at 15 to 20 pounds, inside our smallest band, up to 25 pounds. That makes a full service $75, covering the bath, blow-dry, brush-out and trim, and a bath alone $55. The full-service price is confirmed at check-in after a coat assessment. Book the next visit before you leave and save $5. Unlimited daycare members and overnight guests on the Dogtown Deluxe bundle take 15 percent off grooming, and the Classic bundle takes 10 percent. The full add-on menu is on our dog grooming page.
The behavior or handling surcharge of $20 applies only when a dog needs slower, more careful handling, and you hear about it before work starts. A small dog's groom also shares a day easily with daycare: once your Westie has passed the free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30, the groom can be added to a $42 full day or a $33 half day.
| Westie service | Price | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Full service with breed trim | $75 | Every four to six weeks |
| Bath only | $55 | Between trims, after a muddy month |
| Whitening shampoo | $8 | When the white has dulled or yellowed |
| Antiseptic or fungal shampoo | $8 | When your vet suggests a medicated wash |
| Face trim | $10 | To keep the round head between full grooms |
| Dematting | $15 per 20 minutes | If the furnishings have tangled |
At home
Between grooms, comb the furnishings and save baths for when they are needed
A comb through the legs, belly and face two or three times a week, the rhythm VCA suggests, does more for a Westie than any shampoo. Work down to the skin and look at it while you are there. Our guide to dogs with skin allergies explains how baths, shampoos and a daycare day fit around a vet's plan, and the AKC reminds owners that a Westie's teeth should be brushed often with a toothpaste made for dogs.
Resist the urge to bathe the white back into the coat every week; the AKC warns that frequent baths can harm a hard coat, and dry skin itches. After a wet walk at Ravenswood or a salty February sidewalk, rinse the legs and belly with plain water and towel them dry instead. Tick season runs April to November, and on a white coat a tick is easy to spot once you part the hair.
- 01
Comb the leg and belly furnishings to the skin two or three times a week
- 02
Comb the head hair forward and out to keep the round frame free of tangles
- 03
Check the skin as you go and note redness, flaking or a sour smell for your vet
- 04
Rinse mud and salt off the legs with plain water rather than giving a full bath
- 05
Book the next full service four to six weeks out, with whitening if the coat has dulled
At Dogtown
Grooming for a Westie, on its own or with daycare
Book the groom straight away, or pair it with a daycare day after the free evaluation.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Do you hand-strip West Highland White Terriers?
Does whitening shampoo remove paw and face stains?
My Westie has itchy skin. Should I still book a groom?
How often does a Westie need grooming?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: West Highland White Terrier
- AKC breed standard: West Highland White Terrier
- VCA Animal Hospitals: West Highland White Terrier
- Veterinary Dermatology: atopic dermatitis in West Highland white terriers (PubMed)
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
A white coat, kept white.
Full service $75 for a Westie, whitening $8, bath $55. Book online or in the Dogtown app; no evaluation is needed for grooming.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
