Cairn Coat Question - HELP

[Cairns cairns]

My 2 yr old cairn got his first professional grooming yesterday and it's a disaster. He had an extremely thick coat and now the only significant fur he has is about 2 inches from his sides to the floor. The groomer obviously had no idea how to groom a cairn even though she assured me she did them all the time. Does anyone know how long it takes for a coat to grow back? Thanks.

[Tracy A.]

in around 6-8 weeks you see growth... but depending on just how short it is... it can take longer to fully grow out...

[BeeBladen]

Sounds like he was going for a Westie cut, not a Cairn.... hope you complained! : ) The breed should be much more recognized.... but its not. *tears*

[kintra]

When the groomer said they did Cairns all the time, they probably ment they're used to clipping Cairns in a "cutsie" way all the time. Very rarely do groomers know how to handstrip, that's what you have to ask for.

[bradl]

Maybe attach this to your dog when dropping off for grooming

Westie: http://www.geocities.com/trainbos/ | Min. Schnauzer: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/167647/97086/Miniature-schnauzer | Cairn: http://www.cairnterrier.org/forum/uploads/1256184019/gallery_3_9_15038.jpg

[Tracy A.]

OMG Brad, that is too funny . Heck post that in the FAQ area for folks to leave with their groomers!

Man am I glad I take care of all the grooming myself at home!

[BeeBladen]

That is a good one, bradl!!!

[jodi0553]

love the pic, bradl!!! Says it all. Wish my cairn looked as good as that one in terms of grooming, but at least he doesn't look like a midget schnauzer or a dirty westie!

[bradl]

Ah well. Mine all look like this at the moment:

[Hagar]

In July of 2008 I went on a vacation and left Renny at a local pet resort. My regular groomer had gone out of business and he was overdue for a grooming. I left instructions to go ahead and bathe and groom him a day or two before my return. I asked for a bath and MINOR trimming mainly around his face and butt. It's a good thing he knew me when I got back, because I wasn't sure they were giving me the right dog. They clipped him very close, not a buzz cut, but probably closer to the "Westie look" that several others on this thread have mentioned.

Other than the poor grooming, the pet resort was great. I'll use them again for boarding, but NOT another grooming.

I managed to locate a new groomer who specializes in Terriers. The first time I took Renny to her, I took "Before and after" pictures along, and asked if she could make him look like a Cairn. She said no problem but it would take awhile for his coat to fully grow back. It took a full year for his full coat to grow back. After his last grooming he finally looked like a Cairn is supposed to look. I don't know if his age is a factor, but he was 3 when the bad grooming was done, and he's four now.

When checking out groomers, it sure won't hurt to take pictures of exactly how you want your Cairn to look. If you can find one who specializes in Terriers, so much the better. I don't know how to add pictures or I would include the before and after pictures.

Another thing I like about the new groomer is that she works on one dog at a time. When I drop him off, he is ready for pickup in less than two hours. She doesn't believe in having a wet dog shivering in a cage while the groomer does other dogs in an assembly line fashion. It's a big improvement over other groomers I've used in the past for previous dogs where you drop the dog off at 9 am and are lucky if they are done by 4pm.

[BetsyNoodle]

OMG,Brad! Those photos are hilarious!

This thread makes me think of the time we had our little Cairn mix, Betsy Noodle, groomed by someone who was unfamiliar with her. I explained exactly what I wanted her to do, and left Betsy there. The groomer had a German Shepherd, and she always thought it was so darn cute to have him "lead" the newly groomed pup out to the owners by holding the pup's leash in his mouth. Well, when he led our Betsy out, she snarled and growled at him all the way. I was appalled at the way she was clipped, and apparently so was she! We live in Texas and I swear it looked like she had a "modified mullet"! It seems like it took forever for her hair to grow back in, but it eventually did.

[Cairns cairns]

Thanks everyone - you've made me feel MUCH better. And Brad, your posting is just a hoot...