The "Sanitary" Cut

[KShep]

So, I had visible success with hand-stripping yesterday. I am quite proud of myself. Today I bought some thinning shears and trimmed up the head and face a bit (I thinned her brows so I could see those beautiful eyes). I think she looks great! I didn't strip down to her undercoat. I just tried to keep it as even as possible. Is that okay or is that again hand-stripping procedure? Can we do maintenance or does everything have to go twice a year?

I don't exactly know how to put this..... Does anyone use a groomer for a sanitary cut (around the bottom) or ask the groomer to do only one specific thing? (I remember reading a post about a woman who asked her groomer for a very specific cut, because she did hand-stripping herself. I can't find that topic for the life of me!!) How do you go about asking for that? Every groomer I called to check prices on grooming for a Cairn said around $45! I don't want to be ripped off. It's only a partial groom, so, I'm assuming it should cost less.

I am definitely getting the hang of hand-stripping, and will continue to practice. I read that a lot of puppies have soft coats like Ripley's and the wiry texture will come after a while (If it doesn't, who cares? But I want to keep it as healthy as possible). I'm just worried about the hot summer. It's been in the high 80's this week and we haven't had rain in a long time. I want to get a routine set up with a groomer. Whatever they can do, without ruining the progress I've made on her coat, to keep her as cool as possible. Whether that's keeping the belly shaved, neck trimmed close, legs, etc. I don't even know how to do "the terrier foot". I'm a only a novice at grooming, but I definitely want a sanitary cut for her. Cling-ons are no fun for either of us!

[2littleterrors]

I would call and specifically ask how much it would be to just do a sanitary cut, anal glands (VERY important to have those done regularly if you don't want to do it yourself) and nail trim on a small dog. Be sure to specify that you don't want a bath or anything else.

Keep calling around until you find a place that will work with you.

[KShep]

I would call and specifically ask how much it would be to just do a sanitary cut, anal glands (VERY important to have those done regularly if you don't want to do it yourself) and nail trim on a small dog. Be sure to specify that you don't want a bath or anything else.

Keep calling around until you find a place that will work with you.

True! I forgot about that. How often does that need to be done? That's why I love this board. You need someone in your life who reminds you about anal glands!!!

I am including some before and after pictures. Unfortunately, it really doesn't look like there is any difference. But she sure is cute! And I love having the excuse to share

BEFORE

Sad/Sleepy Ripley after her Spay Surgery.

Punished Ripley (I don't remember what she did, but she was in a time out!)

AFTER

I see now that I need to get the hair that extends over the eyes on the bridge of her nose (This seems to be a multi-step process to me)

[KShep]

Also just realized that what I am doing is rolling the coat! I always wondered what the difference was!

[hheldorfer]

I take care of Buffy's nether regions with an electric clipper, probably about once every six weeks. You have to be very careful, of course; just take off a tiny bit at a time when working close to her "weasel" (as Pindrop calls it - love that term!) The trick is to keep her standing and hold her tail up while working with the trimmer - DH usually assists during this procedure. Personally, I don't trim it super-close just because I don't particularly like the look of a bald-butted dog. A few clingons are inevitable with Cairns, but the trimming minimizes this.

As for anal glands, Buffy goes to the vet for this when she starts scooting and then we have him clip her nails at the same time. He's very reasonable - maybe $20-$30 for both glands and nails.

[kjwarnold]

I take of the boys "personal trim" as needed. I have electric clippers and shave the noticeable parts pretty short. As for the rear end, we don't have many problems there, so the MKC or the Furminator do enough for that. Agree, it is a two-person job. We don't have problems with anal glands, however they get checked whenever we're at the vet.

[Dempsy's Mom]

He looks great! Love the pics.

[josie&holly]

Ripley looks very cute with her hair trimmed/stripped/rolled[whatever!]

I try to do a tidy up of feet and rear with blunt ended scissors every so often[inbetween visits to groomer] but think I would do better with another pair of hands!

[kintra]

Many dogs express their anal glands themselves every time they go the bathroom - occasionally they do become impacted and need to be expressed by us but you can usually tell by the dog's change in behavior.

For a sanitary trim, you can strip the hair on the rear very short or trim it.

As for keeping your dog cool, the double coat actually helps keep them cool in summer and warm in winter. Oftentimes I do shave the the belly to help keep them cool and for sanitary reasons (I don't shave the entire belly area though)

[Lynn in TN]

I think you did a great job. She looks beautiful. I am trying to soak up all this information I'll need it soon.

[Idaho Cairns]

"As for keeping your dog cool, the double coat actually helps keep them cool in summer and warm in winter."

I certainly agree with this statement. You can pull your Cairn down to the undercoat to promote a lusher outer coat, or to satisfy your need to tinker with your dog's coat, but to do it to make the dog more comfortable in warm weather isn't a good reason. That dual coat is a wonder of insulation for the Cairn no matter the weather or temperature.

[KShep]

"As for keeping your dog cool, the double coat actually helps keep them cool in summer and warm in winter."

I certainly agree with this statement. You can pull your Cairn down to the undercoat to promote a lusher outer coat, or to satisfy your need to tinker with your dog's coat, but to do it to make the dog more comfortable in warm weather isn't a good reason. That dual coat is a wonder of insulation for the Cairn no matter the weather or temperature.

That's great! I was very worried about how she would cope with a Texas summer. I didn't think she was built for the hot weather

[pindrop]

KShep she looks gorgeous - you did a great job and love the questions that I too have wondered about. Thanks for asking!

[janis]

Village Idiot Here - what is the difference between stripping and rolling the coat? Ripley is a cutie!

[KShep]

@janis

Here's what Bradl said about the difference between stripping and rolling that made the most sense to me

Hair parting is usually a sign it's past time for some grooming. Every 3 months is not unreasonable and if the groomer is good your Cairn will look sharp (in their shaggy way) and would likely have a very healthy coat and skin. However many many folks get by with less grooming, say twice a year with a full strip. That does require the dog to grow an entire new coat each time. One reason for more frequent grooming is because the coat grows at different rates on different parts of the body, so fast growing areas get a touch-up and slow growing areas are not overgroomed so that eventually the dog has a balanced coat of correct length in all parts. This is why if you groom yourself you could keep a very typical 'showy' coat with just a little touch-up every couple of weeks. I'm told the concept is a lot like cleaning house: rolling the coat is like doing a little cleaning each day instead of waiting for a whole-house major Spring Cleaning.

[MegsMom]

This reiterates some of what others have said, but there's suggestions in it that you may like:

The undercoat is the 'insulating' coat, keep that 'thinned' out with a slicker brush/furminator during summer and she'll be cooler.

As for a butt trim, have someone else hold her for you, comb that hair out perpendicular to her (like a mohawk on her butt) and go at it with the thinning shears, to as short as you want. (Leave a wide tooth comb IN the hair, against her body, to keep from getting too close, if you prefer.) Remember cairns don't have shaved 'poop chutes' (mine are a bit long in that area, a 'modesty covering', I don't like 'target butts'), so if I need to do a 'clean-up' trim, the thinning shears can do it--and washing the shears is much easier than a dog butt). For the very rare 'cling-ons' here, I usually just go outside and do a quick couple of strokes with a wide tooth comb and leave the offending dingleberry in the yard; then wash the comb inside (strictly because I know what it was just used for, usually there's no 'evidence' on the comb).

Anal glands are a tricky situation, once you start manual expressing, you may have to continue it for life, they seem to 'lose' their ability to function as nature intended. A dog that has a firm stool (not constipated, just a normal 'firm') will naturally express it's own glands with each bowel movement and not need to have their glands expressed. I have never, nor do I allow any vet office to, express my furbutt's glands--and they have been with me 3 & 6 yrs. {Some people aren't very good at it, and can cause very uncomfortable bruising, so I avoid the possibility.}

As far as not knowing how to say something, well, here goes: on 'the weasel' just cut the hair near, but straight across. Do not try trimming the hair into a 'shape' or 'shorter than'--promise you, "pokey" hair tips will cause maniacal itching--I made that mistake years ago and never again.

Very nice trim/strip job, you did--the hair under her chin is still a bit long, cairns don't have beards. I couldn't do a head as well as I wanted and it took me a while to realize, I liked the head shape I was getting, but the under-chin hair was what I wasn't getting short enough--shortening that got me the 'better circle shape' I like on my kids. [Visualize a circle from the chin to the eartips as your diameter, then groom the sides to a similar diameter. Sometimes if you'll take a full face picture (run a comb to 'fluff' face first), put into Paint on the computer, put a circle over the area, you can "see" the effect better.]

Do you have this site for grooming/maintenance guidelines? http://jerrier.tripod.com/grooming1.html Don't miss the "Make Sure To Read This Information Too" link at the bottom of the page.

If you want to add a clipper to your arsenal of tools, look for a Conair Palm Pro, it's a cheap battery-powered mini clipper that does a super job (can do butts in the direction of hair-growth, nicely). I think even the human version will do the same job, but there are pet versions available. Target used to carry them in their pet supplies, but I haven't seen them in a while--good thing I've got one backup--but mine's 3? yrs old & still going strong + not a 'battery-eater'. Fantastic when I don't have time to pluck ears, and the clipper teeth are close enough that you can literally go along the edge of the ear leather and not nick it--also great for doing under-paw hair; and if, needed between pads-- but that's tricky watch out for that thin webbing between toes, might nick there if not really careful. It's quiet enough, most dogs want to investigate it, but don't freak at it.

Think I picked up somewhere you're down around Houston, the humidity there may cause her to pant almost immediately outside, but that's a good thing--panting is her body's AC. Why not get her a kiddie pool for cooling off as she wishes. If she shies from it, teach her to 'bob for hotdogs', with an inch or 2 of water in it to get her used to it--thin slice some hotdogs and toss them in; quarter them as she gets the hang of it, so you don't 'treat-overload'. Frozen works for 'just walk out and toss in some treats'. If she likes vegs, those can be used too. Oh, right, a bit of bleach every night (cheapest plain, no scents, no additives)-- after 'last potty'-- in the pool, will help control algae. [bleach/chlorine burns off in daylight exposure > every day.]

[beccadiane374]

I tend to like a little bit of the shaggy look, so I don't have Tanner groomed as often, especially in the winter. However, for the sanitary cut, I actually take him to Petsmart. (They are not his normal groomer.) They have a package (for lack of something better to call it) where they will do a 15 minute brushing, a "trim", brush his teeth & grind his nails. I especially like that they do the nails along with it because that is something I've never mastered. Anyway, I just tell them very specifically what I want trimmed...usually just around his bottom & sometimes between the pads on his feet, maybe a bit around his face. I've had a bad experience with another chain pet store, but this store & location have done very well by me. The package doesn't include a bath, so I don't have to ask them not to do it, and the price is somewhat cheaper than a full groom (my groomer is quite reasonable). Oh, and they throw in the toothbrush they use, so that's nice, too. I take Tanner there about every 6 weeks.

[KShep]

As far as not knowing how to say something, well, here goes: on 'the weasel' just cut the hair near, but straight across. Do not try trimming the hair into a 'shape' or 'shorter than'--promise you, "pokey" hair tips will cause maniacal itching--I made that mistake years ago and never again.

We don't want that!

Thank you MegsMoms for all of your tips. Lol- I love the term "weasel". I didn't really mean I was embarrassed to mention the anatomy, but rather, what I was trying to say was confusing to put into words. I've just been curious about a few things things since I've been dabbling in hand-stripping. Stripping everything is not an option. Some places I've tried to pluck really upset her and I'm not interested in doing that, poor baby! She soon let me know that the softer hair below her jaw was a "no no", as is anything on her hips.

1. Those who handle all the grooming themselves- how do they handle the sanitary cut, head, legs, paws, etc? Do they use clippers, do they use a stripping knife, etc

2. Those who partially groom- what kind of professional grooming combination do they use, or ask for when they visit the groomer?

Very nice trim/strip job, you did--the hair under her chin is still a bit long, cairns don't have beards.

I read this just recently while looking at past topics, and I realized at that point that her face wasn't right, but I REALLY love her beard. I'm afraid to mess with it in case I take away some of her preciousness in the process.

Thank you for the link. I haven't checked in out yet but I will be sure to study it carefully. I'm not obsessed with the coat, but rather, I find it really interesting. It's a new hobby for me sort of (one which I am a complete novice at). I've got to get me one of those conair palm pros!

Think I picked up somewhere you're down around Houston, the humidity there may cause her to pant almost immediately outside, but that's a good thing--panting is her body's AC. Why not get her a kiddie pool for cooling off as she wishes. If she shies from it, teach her to 'bob for hotdogs', with an inch or 2 of water in it to get her used to it--thin slice some hotdogs and toss them in; quarter them as she gets the hang of it, so you don't 'treat-overload'. Frozen works for 'just walk out and toss in some treats'. If she likes vegs, those can be used too. Oh, right, a bit of bleach every night (cheapest plain, no scents, no additives)-- after 'last potty'-- in the pool, will help control algae. [bleach/chlorine burns off in daylight exposure > every day.]

Great idea about the hot dogs. She HATES water, but I'm sure she loves hot dogs more, and yes, I'm in the Beaumont area. We are in the middle of a drought and I've been a little worried about her. I think the best thing in the heat has been our tile floors. She lays down the moment she comes in. That cool tile must be heaven.

[KShep]

I tend to like a little bit of the shaggy look, so I don't have Tanner groomed as often, especially in the winter. However, for the sanitary cut, I actually take him to Petsmart. (They are not his normal groomer.) They have a package (for lack of something better to call it) where they will do a 15 minute brushing, a "trim", brush his teeth & grind his nails. I especially like that they do the nails along with it because that is something I've never mastered. Anyway, I just tell them very specifically what I want trimmed...usually just around his bottom & sometimes between the pads on his feet, maybe a bit around his face. I've had a bad experience with another chain pet store, but this store & location have done very well by me. The package doesn't include a bath, so I don't have to ask them not to do it, and the price is somewhat cheaper than a full groom (my groomer is quite reasonable). Oh, and they throw in the toothbrush they use, so that's nice, too. I take Tanner there about every 6 weeks.

I think I will do the same. Less trips to the groomer in the winter. I'd like to see her with a shaggier coat sometime. Some of these Cairns have fabulous coats! I've really appreciated hearing all the different grooming routines. Thanks everybody!

[bradl]

1. Those who handle all the grooming themselves- how do they handle the sanitary cut, head, legs, paws, etc? Do they use clippers, do they use a stripping knife, etc

"Sanitary cut" - like MegsMom I don't care for a bulls-eye, so I'll just thin down the weeds along the poop chute at the back using thinning shears (I will only take the time and effort to do that by hand for a dog being shown). Blunt scissors for the delicate bits.

Undercarriage - on a show dog using scissors along the bottom or skirt is very obvious and looks terrible, so I avoid it whenever possible - I will use my fingers but go verrrrry slowly, literally a few hairs at a time; but for pets and dogs who object strenuously: thinning shears.

Head - I use my fingers (with finger cots for added grip). Most dogs (not all, obviously) seem to tolerate the head very well.

Ear tips - fingers (I find ears - along with jackets - to be the easiest spot on the dog - I've never had an objection from any of our dogs)

Legs - fingers, but if in a hurry with a non-show dog and feeling lazy, I might use a thinning shear along the trailing edge.

Paws - thinning shears. First I lift the paw up and trim around from the bottom and clear any long hair between the pads. Then put the paw back on the table and slide the shears (or even scissors) in from the side so that the paw is flush and level with the table. Thinning shears makes it less likely for me to see sharp, obvious trim lines on the paw, but if I'm careful, scissors can work.

Tail - fingers always on dogs being shown; for others fingers except for the very tip, where I may use thinning shears or a stripping knife to just cut the excess length off. Our dogs all seem to object the most to the tail tip.

I have a terrific collection of stripping knives, but I probably only pick one up maybe twice a year and that's to break some coat on a tail tip. Whenever I try to learn some knife technique I get impatient and go back to fingers and finger cots because it's just so much faster for me, and less likely to leave blunt tips or an obvious cut line somewhere. My grooming kit is basically some finger cots, a thinning shear, a greyhound metal comb, a pin brush, some blunt scissors, and a Dremel Stylus.

Usual disclaimer: I am an abominable groomer and lazy to boot. In fact, I will sometimes pay a local breeder/exhibitor/friend to groom a dog for me. There are a lot of terrier folk in our area, so I am spoiled for opportunity in that way.