Dandies boasts having a short coat but very little to no undercoat and as such they need to be brushed regularly just to keep things tidy and to make sure their skin in kept in good condition. However, these little terriers should be clipped and their coats shaped every 8 to 12 weeks. This is a task that's best left up to a professional dog groomer, but it does make keeping a Dandie's coat looking good that much easier in between visits to a grooming parlour.
It's also important to check a dog's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
Dandies are active, energetic terriers which means they like to be kept busy. As such they need to be given a minimum of an hour's exercise on a daily basis for them to be truly happy, well-rounded dogs. Because they are such clever little dogs, they also need lots of mental stimulation on daily basis to prevent boredom from setting in which can lead to dogs developing unwanted behavioural issues.
With this said, young Dandie puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. Because they have such long backs, they are prone to spinal injuries. As such, puppies should not be allowed to jump up or off furniture nor should they be allowed to run up and down the stairs because this puts too much pressure on their still growing joints and more especially on their delicate backs.
If you get a Dandie puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
