You will learn here how to groom a Bergamasco at home, without any help or without spending money on expensive grooming services, helping you at the same time to build up a stronger bond with your dog.
Bathe your Bergamasco every 12 weeks or when needed. Work the cords once a week to once every four weeks, without a full bath.
Pre-Work
Trim or grind nails at least every four to six weeks to maintain a healthy foot structure. Clean the ears every four to six weeks. If hair forms inside the ear canal, apply an ear powder and gently pluck the hair from inside the canal.
Use care not to pull any coat from outside the canal opening. Clean ears by swabbing with a mild ear cleaning solution.
Cords
The base of a cord is about 1 to 2 inches square. Very often the cords or “flocks” will start to form by themselves, with little assistance. Prior to bathing, gently pull the strands away from one another to keep the cord as a separate strand.
If the coat is shorter and feels “spongy” to the touch, it may not be forming natural cords. Mist the area with water or a light skin conditioner to help see the natural cord separation. Separate the area with your fingers into 1- to 2-inch sections, starting at the base of each cord.
If a cord is too thick, it can be split in two by working it with your fingers or by carefully cutting the cord with shears. Try to follow the natural separation as it splits. As the cords or flocks form, they may be irregular in size and shape. Some flocks will even flatten and fan out at the end.
Feet
Trim the pads with a close cutting blade, ranging from a #15 to a #40. Use a very light touch to clean the pads of long hair. With shears, round the foot slightly to create an oval shape with toes facing forward.
Detail Finish
When the Bergamasco is dry, continue to divide and separate the cords. Pay close attention to the friction areas: ears, under the front legs, the rump and under the tail. These are the areas where the skin is the most sensitive and is prone to injury.
Use extreme caution when splitting the coat in these areas. Trimming the cords to a few inches all over enables the pet dog to maintain the look of the breed yet makes care easier than for the full coat.
Pet Dogs
Some pet owners choose to keep their pets brushed out or trimmed close, not dealing with the corded coat at all.
Grooming Tip
This coat type requires a fair amount of attention, especially in the initial cording phases. Once the cords have formed, keeping them up requires only the use of your fingers. As a Bergamasco owner you can do this during idle time, like watching TV.
With practice, your fingers will gravitate to the areas of greatest density, and they will be able to work the area without even looking at it.
Suggested Tools & Equipment
- Nail trimmers
- Styptic powder
- Ear cleaning solution
- Cotton balls
- Clippers
- #40 and #15 blades for pads
- Straight shear
- Strong fingers
Breed Facts & Characteristics
Country of Origin: Alps Mountain Range
Height at Shoulder: 22″-23″
Coat Length/Type: Corded/Long
Color: All shades of grey including merle and flat black. Colors can fade at the ends of the cords. Small amount of white accepted.
Correct grooming procedure: Cording Coat
Common pet grooming practices: Bathe & Brush/Clipper-Trim
The Goal
Getting the dog clean and totally dry. The flocks should be fully separated to the skin. The natural oils in this coat are important for flocking. It is not recommended to fully wash this breed more than 2-3 times a year. Spot bathing trouble areas is suggested.
Few tips when grooming a Bergamasco at home:
- This coat can take up to 24-36 hours to totally dry.
- When shampooing, squeeze shampoo solution through the flocks. Never scrub.
- Separate flocks by gently pulling them apart down to the skin. The base of each flock should be about an 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter on the main body of the dog – smaller around the head region.
- On mature dogs, flocks will vary in width and density. Most sections on the body will be from 1.5 to 3 inches wide, getting broader and flatter at the ends. Flocks will be finer about the head, ears and throat areas.
