Keeping my Cairn smelling fresh

[Renee]

Hello! First post here. As of yesterday, I'm a first time dog owner as well. My husband, daughter and I just adopted a Cairn terrier (well, a Cairn mix I guess) from a rescue group. I have had allergies all my life to animal dander, but after doing some research I was delighted to learn that wire-hair terriers are often easily tolerated by allergy sufferers. So far, so good! Our dog is named Kipper. He's about one year old and had been a stray for 6 months. The rescue org told me they had just given him a bath. I realize Cairns need very little bathing, so I won't be bathing him again any time soon. However, he already seems a little less than fresh.

Here are the things I've read so far regarding keeping the Cairn smelling okay despite infrequent bathing:

Frequent combing

Spritz with rubbing alcohol or Sea Breeze followed by towel rub

Expressing anal glands (I'm def. not up for that yet, but will have the vet do it next week)

Keeping his teeth clean/breath fresh (not sure how to do that)

Do any of these seem wrong, or can anyone add anything? I'm going to PetSmart later today to get him a metal comb and maybe some hard dog treats to chew that maybe will be good for his teeth. He doesn't seem interested in the Nylabone we bought.

It's not that he stinks, really, I'm just not used to dog smell in general, and I'm wondering if I can already smell him and he had a bath yesterday, what's it gonna be like in a month?

Thanks for any advice! I'm sure I'll be asking lots of questions.

[Tracy A.]

HI & Welcome

I have two male Cairns and they really only get a bath when they've rolled in something I cannot get out with baby wipes or a wash cloth. I do modified hand stripping on my two, where I strip the jacket of the coat and trim the rest with shears. I find when I hand strip I am puling out the dead coat and my fingers get black with the dirt I am removing too! If you notice a strong odor it can be a sign of an underlying skin condition or an ear infection. Most folks find that if they start handstripping it will relieve the skin issue.

The reason why we handstrip the jacket, which means you are pulling out the dead coat is that when you cut deadcoat, it get softer and lighter...a softer coat get dirty quickly and can retain odors. Where as a 'hard' coat repels dirt and water. I also find that my one dog Mettwurst gets itchy when it's time to strip him...

[oscar's mom]

Using rubbing alcohol or Sea Breeze, can dry out their skin. I would search topic listerine bath. There are people who use this meathod on here and swear by it.

My little guy is three years old, and has had lots of scratching issues in the past, with stripping, brushing and using a plain wet wash cloth, he is under control

By the way LOVE the name Kipper

[Oliver's Mom]

I have been noticing an "odor" on my pup lately and last night I sat down with a flea comb and slowly went over his entire little body just combing him out (thank goodness he likes it). You would be amazed to see how much dead undercoat came off in the process (and no fleas-yeah)! The flea comb does wonders for removing some dead undercoat. Anyway, with all that undercoat also went the odor. So, it sounds as if he may need a good grooming. Maybe the resue org. didn't dry him thoroughly and a little funk is left on him. You may want to also invest in a stripper if hand stripping isn't the way you want to go. I just purchased one but haven't fully used it yet because it's soo cold here but it seems to work well.

Good luck!!

[Autumn & Lola]

Hiya and welcome!

We brush Molly about every two days. It only takes about 5 minutes. Their coats are so thick and dirt can get trapped deep in the hair, so a thorough combing/brushing several times a week usually takes care of any odor. I rarely notice any odor on her, and if I do, it is usually after she's been out in the rain. I have on occassion wiped her down with a non-scented, alcohol free baby wipe.

As far as teeth, feeding a high quality kibble helps to keep the teeth clean. Soft food just lays on the teeth/gums and promotes tartar and decay (which will then smell). Chewing hard food, treats, bones, etc. keeps teeth and gums healthy. You can also brush your dog's teeth with a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste. Finally, an annual dental exam will keep you abreast of any problems.

You're in for a lot of fun with your new Cairn! Congrats!

[BetsyNoodle]

I don't use any product with alcohol in it on Murphy as I don't want to dry out his skin, and the vet dermatologist who sees him advised against it. I brush him every day before bedtime and we have had no problems at all with odor. I also brush his teeth.

I do believe that some people are more sensitive to the smell of dogs than others. My mom has always been one of those people. When we take Murphy to her house I make sure he is brushed and groomed.

[jimnconnie]

Frequent, thorough brushing will go a long ways in keeping your dog smelling nice. Whenever I notice one of our dogs having a bit of an odor problem, I take them straight to the grooming table, and the difference before & after brushing is amazing. Hand-stripping is the ideal method of grooming Cairns, but it's not for everyone. This link:Cairn Terrier Care & Grooming offers lots of grooming tips for Cairns. Good Luck, and welcome to the Forum.

Jim

[Renee]

Thanks for the replies! I bought a metal comb this afternoon which Kipper seemed to enjoy, and it did seem to remove some hair as well. Should I get a brush, too? Is the difference between a brush and metal comb just personal preference, or is one better? It does seem like some of the odor could be just his breath or perhaps the glands, because after I pet him or have him in my lap, my hands and clothes don't smell objectionable. I also got some mint and parsley flavored dog biscuits.

When I was at PetSmart, just for the heck of it I asked the groomer there if they do stripping and she said she did, and I asked her advice on grooming Kipper, and she seemed to agree that the dead hair could be holding odor. She said she could strip the fur and clip him a bit to shape the fur up around the mouth for around $35. This would also include nail trim. But she also said as a matter of course they shampoo the animals when they're done. She said she would use the right kind of shampoo. Should I just take him to a groomer who specializes in wire-hair terriers? He's not a pure breed probably, so I surely don't care about having his hair be "show quality." I just want it to be healthy and tidy.

I will definitely check out the Grooming link that Jim provided also.

[sanford]

Brushing as well as combing are good for the dog's coat. You should do both. Brushing stimulates the skin and oils and makes the hair shinier.

If Petsmart can strip your Cairn, the price they quoted you is really excellent! I You can buy your own "harsh coat" shampoo and have them use it in place of their own and return the balance to you.

If there really is a wire-haired terrier groomer in your area, it might be worthwhile to talk to them re price, etc. and go with whoever you feel more comfortable with.

[Tracy A.]

Thanks for the replies! I bought a metal comb this afternoon which Kipper seemed to enjoy, and it did seem to remove some hair as well. Should I get a brush, too? Is the difference between a brush and metal comb just personal preference, or is one better? It does seem like some of the odor could be just his breath or perhaps the glands, because after I pet him or have him in my lap, my hands and clothes don't smell objectionable. I also got some mint and parsley flavored dog biscuits.

When I was at PetSmart, just for the heck of it I asked the groomer there if they do stripping and she said she did, and I asked her advice on grooming Kipper, and she seemed to agree that the dead hair could be holding odor. She said she could strip the fur and clip him a bit to shape the fur up around the mouth for around $35. This would also include nail trim. But she also said as a matter of course they shampoo the animals when they're done. She said she would use the right kind of shampoo. Should I just take him to a groomer who specializes in wire-hair terriers? He's not a pure breed probably, so I surely don't care about having his hair be "show quality." I just want it to be healthy and tidy.

I will definitely check out the Grooming link that Jim provided also.

Heads up , in grooming speak 'stripping' normally means shaving the dog down... so make sure you are on the same page with the groomer before you let her touch your dog... when we say 'strip' it means the hair is being pulled out... not cut.... stripping knifes and mars coat kings can be used to pull the hair out... so ask what she is going to do...

[Renee]

Thanks for the replies! I bought a metal comb this afternoon which Kipper seemed to enjoy, and it did seem to remove some hair as well. Should I get a brush, too? Is the difference between a brush and metal comb just personal preference, or is one better? It does seem like some of the odor could be just his breath or perhaps the glands, because after I pet him or have him in my lap, my hands and clothes don't smell objectionable. I also got some mint and parsley flavored dog biscuits.

When I was at PetSmart, just for the heck of it I asked the groomer there if they do stripping and she said she did, and I asked her advice on grooming Kipper, and she seemed to agree that the dead hair could be holding odor. She said she could strip the fur and clip him a bit to shape the fur up around the mouth for around $35. This would also include nail trim. But she also said as a matter of course they shampoo the animals when they're done. She said she would use the right kind of shampoo. Should I just take him to a groomer who specializes in wire-hair terriers? He's not a pure breed probably, so I surely don't care about having his hair be "show quality." I just want it to be healthy and tidy.

I will definitely check out the Grooming link that Jim provided also.

Heads up , in grooming speak 'stripping' normally means shaving the dog down... so make sure you are on the same page with the groomer before you let her touch your dog... when we say 'strip' it means the hair is being pulled out... not cut.... stripping knifes and mars coat kings can be used to pull the hair out... so ask what she is going to do...

Yes, I was very clear with her. She knew exactly what I was talking about when I said stripping. I do think $35 seems almost too good to be true, so I'm a bit skeptical. I will probably shop around and see what other prices I can find.

[cairnrescueleague]

I use a pin brush for brushing in general, the Mars coat king (16-blade)for the outer coat, and I do like using s flea comb to get out dead undercoat. I leave the ears and anal glands alone unless there's a problem (if there is, the anal glands will give off a distinctly fishy odor). If a dog is healthy and has clean teeth, their breath shouldn't smell too bad. The only ones I've known to really give off any kind of odor are the ones that have skin problems, and there will be other signs, itching at the very least. You don't want to know how infrequently I bathe my cairns, and when I do, I use and oatmeal and aloe shampoo. Be sure to rinse all the shampoo off. Cairns with soft coats generally get dirty/a little smelly faster than cairns with harsh coats and may need to be bathed more often.

[kintra]

You can look around for Wire-haired terrier breeders in your area, any of them should be able to help you with hand-stripping. Personally I hand strip a few wire-haired Terriers in the area, even if they aren't Cairns.

I would be a bit skeptical of a PetSmart groomer knowing how to properly handstrip a dog - I'm sure it can happen, I just haven't heard of it/witnessed it yet.

I bathe my Cairns far more frequently than a lot of people do but I have had no issues with it - it all depends on the type of shampoo, the drying process, and personal preference. Now that Zach is retired, it's safe to say that he still gets a bath at least once every month/month and a half. When he was being shown heavily, he had baths at least once a week. In between baths, I do like to spritz them with waterless shampoo or watered down listerene, rub it in, then quickly blow it out with a force dryer.

Like Cairnrescueleague said, I never deal with the anal glands unless I can see the signs that they're full. A dog will normally dischange them when they have a bowel movement, but sometimes they can become impacted and swollen. Then I will have them manually released.