Elevate Your Grooming
Pet Westie Trim:
A Salon Staple
by Blake Hernandez
Groomed by Tricia Burgs
A white West Highland White Terrier with long, unkempt fur sits on a pink grooming table while secured by a pink lead.
A female groomer stands behind a white West Highland White Terrier on a pink grooming table, holding its tail up to showcase a clean, professional "after" trim.
A dark blue silhouette of a West Highland White Terrier standing.
Tommonly known as westies, West Highland White Terriers are a top-ten breed in many salons. Even if you aren’t a purebred enthusiast, these spunky dogs with a round-face groom likely aren’t going anywhere—and they usually come in pairs!
A dark blue silhouette of a West Highland White Terrier standing.
Fig. 1) This dog gets a #4 on the back, but you could go shorter if needed. However, westies have very short, dense undercoat and going shorter sometimes becomes very difficult to blend out of.

Fig. 2) Going with the lay of the coat, gently fall off the ribs to begin your transition into the dog’s furnished pattern.

A groomer uses electric clippers to trim the white coat on the back of a West Highland White Terrier standing on a red grooming table.
Close-up of a groomer clipping a Westie's white coat. Bits of trimmed fur are visible on the red table surface next to a metal grooming comb.
Fig. 3) Like many pet trims, this one calls for a few modifications. This particular modification is blending and de-bulking the dog’s trunk furnishings with a ½” guard comb.

Fig. 4) Use a shorter length than you used on the jacket to do the flat, short area on the throat. This helps create separation between the head and neck.

Side view of a groomer using clippers with an orange guard to trim the white fur on a Westie's torso.
Groomer using electric clippers to shave the underside of a Westie's neck while holding its head.
Fig. 5) The tail is to be trimmed in the shape of a carrot, and that is done best with a full-blade straight scissor, starting from the tip and scissoring down into a determinedly wider base.

Fig. 6) Use a curved scissor to shape the feet. For a more natural finish, you could soften them with a straight or curved thinner.

Groomer using professional shears to carefully trim the long white fur on a Westie's tail.
Close-up of orange curved shears trimming the white fur around a Westie's front paw on a red mat.
Fig. 7) The underline is a bit overly refined here, but that is the result of following the body composition when clipping everything in. So now you are just trimming the shape to a nice finish.

Fig. 8) Use a blender in the outside corner of the eyes to really open them up.

Groomer using long silver shears to trim the "skirt" or belly fur of a Westie standing on a red table.
Groomer using thinning shears to shape the white facial fur near a Westie's eye and snout.
Side profile of a Westie with its mouth open as a groomer uses gold-handled shears to trim its chin fur.
Fig. 9) Continuing with a blender, start building the round shape of the head up from the bottom until you are even with the dog’s eyes before curving back in over the head.
Front view of a Westie's face as a groomer uses yellow-handled shears to trim fur near its ear.
Fig. 10) Without flattening the cheek too much, connect the outside of your circle up to the point of the ear. One of this dog’s modifications is that they do not get tipped ears.

Even if you’re not getting many purebred West Highland White Terriers, there are tons of grooms that look cute with a carrot tail or a round head. Have fun adding a little westie spice to your grooming style!

Fig. 9) Continuing with a blender, start building the round shape of the head up from the bottom until you are even with the dog’s eyes before curving back in over the head.

Fig. 10) Without flattening the cheek too much, connect the outside of your circle up to the point of the ear. One of this dog’s modifications is that they do not get tipped ears.

Even if you’re not getting many purebred West Highland White Terriers, there are tons of grooms that look cute with a carrot tail or a round head. Have fun adding a little westie spice to your grooming style!

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