How long does your cairn's coat grow?

[Hillscreek]

I'm wondering if old time cairns had different coats than today. I can't imagine folks with working cairns fiddling around with their coats like a lot of us do.

Angus's coat is about two inches and a good bit of it is at stage three in those drawings Brad posted in my thread about stripping.

He looks a lot like the dog (or maybe she's a bitch) in the pic above. Was she a red brindle I wonder and are their coats shorter?

His coat lays close to his body like hers (he even has the same tail). It grows so slowly that it would probably only need to be stripped once a year. And when I did strip him last March the coat came out easily.

He looks different from his parents. Thinking he may be what we used to call a 'throw back' - recessive genes coming together.

It's fascinating to speculate.

He is such a great dog. I'm enjoying him so much. A best buddy and we go almost everywhere together. He's so keen to do whatever might be planned.

[_whits_]

I was going to direct you to this: http://www.cairnterriertalk.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1599

But it seems like you've already seen it!

I don't know if it's the fact that I don't strip Addie (I only brush her regularly) and I don't style her hair but she sure seems to look much more like the Cairns of yesteryear than any Cairns I've seen. Her coat seems a lot less thick and does not seem to grow very long. I contemplated stripping, but her hair has never grown to the length indicated in the CTCA booklet as ready for stripping, and she's a little over a year old now.

It's interesting you note the red brindle - Addie is also a red brindle.

I for one love that Cairns come in all nearly colours and coats and I've grown incredibly fond of what I've taken to calling Addie's "retro" look.

[Idaho Cairns]

I suspect, given the kind of weather common in Scotland that the working dogs of the region would almost have to have pretty heavy coats but I agree with you that the farmers that used these dogs probably didn't try to manipulate the natural coats of their farm dogs. Just as poodles weren't born with puff balls on their butts Cairns probably were pretty hairy.

[Hillscreek]

I was thinking about Sammi and Bonnie's coats Idaho. They seem long. How long are they? Lovely coats.

Angus's coat is short and very dense over a dense undercoat. When he's out in the rain and mist he is well protected. I know the Highlands and his coat would serve him well there. It just seems so different from many pics I see. It is hard to judge just from a picture sometimes.

Agree with you whits - it's a retro look. Maybe we belong to a little subgroup of retro red brindles! Love it!

[_whits_]

I mis-spoke (mis-typed?): Addie's hair seems to be unusually short and hasn't noticeably grown longer over time. However, it is VERY dense and incredibly waterproof. I can see her hair doing well on the Isle of Skye.

Addie, however, refuses to acknowledge she's waterproof as she throws a fit anytime it rains and refuses to go out in it.

Yes, Angus and Addie are little retro reds!

[Idaho Cairns]

We leave both dogs' coats long, I haven't measured the length but I suspect 3-5 inches on Sammi who has a thin light soft, but long coat and about the same for Bonnie who is smaller and much, much more thick coated--really heavy. I just prefer my Cairns this way and the dogs seem to do alright with heavy coats in the hot and cold weather here. Other than trimming the ears and tails, sometimes around the feet, these dogs are kept natural. It really is a preference thing--my Daughter grooms her Cairn way back because she likes her dog "soft".

These pictures being backlit should give you and idea--they were taken this month.

Bonnie:

Sammi:

Edited September 13, 2012 by Idaho Cairns

[_whits_]

This is what happens when I have a cold and too much time on my hands. I got out a measuring tape and took it to Addie's coat. She was giving me some dubious looks, stood up, and trotted away with a "We're done mom" look. But it seems as though Addie's coat is a little over 2 inches at its longest point. I would measure the shorter sections right now but Addie's running away from me and threatening to call the ASPCA.

Also, Bonnie and Sammi are such beautiful little girls. Love the lighting in the first one.

Like I said, I love that Cairns come in so many different colors, coats, and sizes. If only you could collect them all!

Edited September 13, 2012 by _whits_

[Hillscreek]

Beautiful pictures Idaho. Your girls are lovely. I think cairns are fine however we want to groom them. It's part of the fun and interest of owning one.

wits: Addie's hair is about the same length as Angus's. His is very thick like hers also. Go retro!

[Wallyg]

Hi,

 

I am brand new at this forum. 

 

We love what we call our Woolley Mammoth, Sadie Mae.  She is by far the smartest and best all-around dog I have ever had.  She actually talks.  “I want it”, “I really want it mama”  “I love you” and “I want out”  Sometimes her words are much clearer than others, but she gets kind of cranky sometimes when we are having her do her tricks, etc. and she yells at us with a sharp and loud bark. 

Our son went into the service six years ago and I just knew my wife needed a loving companion. 

 

We found Sadie at the dog pound.  She had grown up with two much larger dogs and had been abused somewhat.  That is why when she came home with us, her right ear was up all the time for about the first four or five months until she felt safe.  SEE BELOW  Now both ears are down most of the time, but she knows dad likes them up, so whenever she wants something or wishes to go outside, up they come with that wonderful quizzical face.

 

I do have a couple questions for you that are far more experienced with Cairn Terriers.

 

I have never seen a photo of any dog with the ear hairs like Sadie has.  Any comments? 

The first time my wife took her to a groomer for a haircut, I just about had a fit as she cut all of the hairs off her ears.  Maybe that was for a Teddy look, but they have not been cut since. 

 

And do dogs toe nails shed every so often.  She is constantly chewing and licking at her front and sometimes back feet and at one point I thought I found a toe nail covering sheath.  She only gets a bath about once every three months. 

 

Is she a true Cairn Terrior or maybe a combination?  If so, what breed.  I have never seen a photo of a dog with that long of hair on their ears.  SEE LAST PHOTO

 

Thanks in advance for any comments!!

 

The first photo is a few months after she first came home

This was a couple of months after one or her groomings.

It has been a long time since she had a haircut and I love it.  Plus she has what I call a mantle hanging down her sides that are almost touching the ground and are turning towards a siver gray color. 

[teddybearsmommy]

I keep teddy bear short because its easy but I'm thinking about letting it grow out because people think he's a Chihuahua noooo he's a Carin terrier

Edited October 3, 2013 by teddybearsmommy

[clairebear]

I like both looks. Living in Florida though I am hoping to keep his on the shorter side. Teddy is such a cutie!! Do you hand strip the coat?

[Lupinegirl]

Hi,

 

I am brand new at this forum. 

 

I do have a couple questions for you that are far more experienced with Cairn Terriers.

 

I have never seen a photo of any dog with the ear hairs like Sadie has.  Any comments? 

The first time my wife took her to a groomer for a haircut, I just about had a fit as she cut all of the hairs off her ears.  Maybe that was for a Teddy look, but they have not been cut since. 

 

And do dogs toe nails shed every so often.  She is constantly chewing and licking at her front and sometimes back feet and at one point I thought I found a toe nail covering sheath.  She only gets a bath about once every three months. 

 

Is she a true Cairn Terrior or maybe a combination?  If so, what breed.  I have never seen a photo of a dog with that long of hair on their ears.  SEE LAST PHOTO

 

Thanks in advance for any comments!!

 

0730081616a.jpg

The first photo is a few months after she first came home

1018101803 (2).jpg

This was a couple of months after one or her groomings.

Sadie Mae Best Ears Kitchen 60 percent siZE.jpg

It has been a long time since she had a haircut and I love it.  Plus she has what I call a mantle hanging down her sides that are almost touching the ground and are turning towards a siver gray color. 

My dog grows his ear hairs that long. He used to shed his ear hair down to soft fuzz every summer, but the last two years, he's been keeping the long hair. At first I left it alone and just kept brushing it, expecting it to fall out. It didn't. It formed a curtain and drooped into his ear canal. That was enough for me. I trimmed his ears myself. This summer, the same thing happened. He grew really long fringe all over his ears and the tips drooped into his ear canals. I've been wondering if anyone else has ever heard of this happening. He's nine years old and for the first six years of his life, all I ever had to do with his ears was brush them. I'm wondering what changed?

Nikki looks a lot like Idaho Cairn's Bonnie. He has long, fine, thin hair and not much undercoat. His belly is almost naked and the coat is very thin on the rest of his undercarriage. He's always looked like that and his coat seems to have a nice healthy sheen to it so I never worried about him. I've never stripped him and only recently had to trim the hair on his ears and tail as well as paws. His tail has always looked like pampas grass. Really long, stringy hair. I didn't realize that I was supposed to pluck those long hairs. O_o I trimmed his tail down to the length a cairn's tail hair looks like it's supposed to be in 2012 but it grew back the same in 2013.

I've been spending a little extra time working on Nikki's coat every day, experimentally pulling on hair to see if it's ready to come out. Some of it did. Maybe by the time summer comes around, he'll have a proper coat. Wish me luck! Lol. He's patient with brushing but he starts giving me an insulted eye roll when I try to pluck him.

[Hillscreek]

Reading this thread again I can see the changes in Angus's coat. He is two years and four months now. I did not strip him late summer as I wanted to see what his adult winter coat would be. It is longer than last winter- about three and a half inches on shoulders and back but not near as much hair on legs.t has a good undercoat and top coat is medium thick I'd guess. It tends to clump together with static electricity.

He's never had much long hair on ears or tail. I just pull out the few long ones that hang off his ears now and then.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Hillscreek

[Autumn & Lola]

Bonnie:

Sammi:

 

These two could be in Playdog/ doggie pinups/ calendars.

 

"I like long walks in the woods, playing frisbee, and running with my sister..."

[Autumn & Lola]

Welcome Wally and Sadie!

 

There is a member on this forum named Newman who has a dog named Fonzy. I think Fonzy's ears might be a bit like Sadie's?

[Lupinegirl]

I didn't get out a ruler, but measuring Nikki's long hair on my hand, his guard hairs extend past my palm. I think Nikki's hair is about seven inches long in some spots! Wow! Shaggy dog.

[bradl]

Yep, the "part" along the back is a dead giveaway (no pun intended) that the coat is past its sell-by date and could be pulled out to start a new growth cycle

 

The world does not end if a dog has a dead coat. Some dogs are never really groomed their entire lives, or are exclusively clippered. They tend to have soft, dead coats but it may do them no harm. Other dogs with similar dead coats have skin or odor issues. It really depends on genetics, environment, and the individual dog.

 

If you want the most live, most healthy skin and coat possible, then yep, it's time to yank out some coat. The ideal coat is thick, lush, harsh, a couple inches long, with abundant undercoat. Ideal is one thing; reality is another. For example, Ideally I would look like Brad Pitt   Oh well, that's life.

[Sam I Am]

Oh but you are Brad. at least you are our hero on this site,

[hheldorfer]

Buffy's hair is probably 4 inches long in some spots.  I try to strip a little each time I brush her - work on legs one day, neck another day . . . and the dreaded, thick butt hair that just doesn't seem to get any better no matter what I do.  She mostly looks like a yak but her coat is healthy and she doesn't have any odor or itching problems.

[Idaho Cairns]

I have come to believe grooming is generally a matter of personal preference--after all poodles are groomed to justify some sort of alleged hunting protection with the puff balls, hair spray, and nail polish so when it comes to what we "like", we can suggest.  My laziness in routine grooming  is excused as "natural" and as thermo-protection for the benefit of temperature regulation in my Cairns.

There are no "rules" I have decided and thus, with some creative insight, we may be able to have some fun with our pets, for example:

 

http://www.boredpanda.com/20-bizarre-dog-hairdos/

[Hillscreek]

A good chuckle Idaho!

I agree. Groom your cairn any way you want. If he/she is clean and has no mats and no skin problems then regular brushing might be enough with a bit of a trim round eyes, feet and privates. Judging by the many pics on this forum there's a variety of coat types.

If coat comes away easily as it usually does when 'dead' and you want to strip -fine. If clip that's up to you.

Re clipping versus stripping/leaving alone. For me I want to keep the harsh coat as it is protective and attractive but if clipping and the soft coat are OK for you then fine.

If you are going to show your cairn then I guess you need to strip and roll. Otherwise your choice I say.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Wow!  Those dos are a bit much for me.  Haha.  I love Nikki's long hair.

[dinib]

Poor, poor Cindy the poodle.  

[Vijo]

I agree about those two pictures of Bonnie; they might be the best dog photos I've ever seen.  They're absoutely wonderful shots!

[lenagirl]

I to am new and I was wondering how long before bonnie got that beautiful coat I am so hoping mine turns out like her he's 9 weeks with not a lot of fur mom and dad are both fury