Grooming Your Cairn

GROOMING

The Cairn Terrier should be thoroughly groomed as frequently as possible.

Puppies should be started very young to allow them to get used to being brushed and combed. Regular grooming keeps the coat looking clean, healthy and shiny. It stimulates the skin and helps prevent skin problems from occurring.

Only a few tools are required to keep the Cairns coat in good shape. You will need a metal pin brush, a fine tooth comb (not a flea comb), a slicker brush, a pair of small scissors and a pair of nail clippers. when purchasing you grooming supplies, hold the comb or brush in your hand and make sure it fits your hand comfortably. Buy the best equipment you can afford, it will last you a long time. When grooming your Cairn, it is much easier to use a grooming table and groom arm. These can be purchased at dog shows, some pet stores or online. Various styles and heights are available.

General Grooming

For general grooming, start with the wire toothed brush. Brushing the coat out thoroughly, then do the same with the comb. When using these tools make sure you get to the skin of the dog. A Cairn is a double-coated breed, so you need to make sure you get through both layers of coat. This is what stimulates the skin. Be gentle but firm, remembering the side and belly are more sensitive than the back. You will probably notice a lot of the dead hair coming out when you are brushing and combing. Using a soft slicker brush as the last step will remove any dead undercoat. Using the small scissors, trim any long hair around the feet and between the pads. Check the nails and trim if necessary. Also check the ears for any wax build up, if necessary, they can be cleaned with mineral oil on a q-tip. Any dirt build up in front of the eyes can be combed out with the fine tooth comb. Check the teeth to make sure they are clean and odor free. Brush the teeth if you are able to.

A Cairn should never be bathed unless it is absolutely necessary, it can make the skin dry and the coat soft and dull. If you do have to bath, make sure it is a shampoo suitable for a wire coated breed.

More Extensive Grooming

This requires a bit more work. The amount of hair taken off is a matter of personal preference. (Some people strip their Cairns down their undercoat, in that case this is only done once or twice a year) Start by grooming your dog as described above. It is helpful to keep a picture of a groomed Cairn to compare to.

Note: When hand stripping, using a powdered chalk, rubber fingers or a lava rock, helps to grip the coat better. Vet wrap can also be used, taped around your thumb, forefinger and index finger. Keep you hand and wrist relaxed when hand stripping, using your whole arm to develop a smooth rhythm.

To pull the coat, lift up a small area of coat, put your one hand in front of the area you are pulling and using your thumb and first two fingers, pull the hair you want to remove. Pull only a few hairs at a time, combing the hair down every once in a while to see the overall effect. If you only pull the longer dead hairs, you will start what is called a rolled coat. To maintain this you will have to pull coat at least once a month (show coats are worked on every week).

Starting at the top of the neck, gently pull the amount of hair you want to remove. Work your way down the back, sides and hips, always pulling the coat in the direction it grows. When doing the underbelly, hold the skin firm, then pull the hair, this area can be very sensitive. For the males, trim the long hairs around the end of the sheath with the small scissors. Do the same for the females around the vulva. This will help to keep these areas cleaner and dryer.

When stripping the legs and tail, treat each as if they have four sides. For the legs comb the hair away from the leg, hold the leg with one hand and pull hair to desired length with the other hand. Starting at the elbow or hock and work down towards the paw, blending the elbow and hock into the body. Once you have pulled all the hair, clip the toenails. To finish trimming the foot, use the small scissors, cut the long hair between the pads. Then put the foot on the table and trim any long hair around the foot, keeping the flat side of the scissors parallel with the table.

The tail is done in a similar fashion as the legs, working as if there are four sides. The tail is to be shaped like a christmas tree, wide at the base coming up to a point at the tip. The hair on the front side is shorter than the hair on the backside. Starting at the tip of the tail, pull any long hairs working towards the bum. Be patient in this area as most Cairns are not fussy about having the ends of their tails pulled.

The back part of the buttocks is the same as the body. From the hock, pull the coat up towards the base of the tail. Thin the hair on the flat part of the bum. The hair around the anus should be kept as short as possible, the small scissors maybe need for that area.

The head is little trickier to do to get the shape, but is still done in the same manner. Starting on the muzzle, brush the hair back towards the body. Holding a few hairs at a time, pull any of the longer hair, working towards the back of the jaw line. Once you get past the mouth, start blending the hairs into the jowl and neck area. Once the sides are done, pull the hair on the top of the head blending it into the sides. The eyebrows are pulled a bit shorter than the top. A Cairn should not have the sunflower type shape to the head furnishing like a Westie. The muzzle and side of the face should taper into the scruff which is the area that comes around the jaw and blends in to the chest area. To do the ears, pull the top coat from the upper third of the ear front and back, leaving just the undercoats. Blend the hair on the lower part of the back of the ear into the head furnishings.

Congratulations you now have a well groomed Cairn.