What Should I Bring Maisie in for Her First Haircut?

[LindaMC]

Maisie will be 5 months old in two days and her coat is beginning to look a bit straggley, I know this is the way Cairn Terriers are supposed to look but her's is a bit messier, especially around her face.  The hair under her chin is a also getting long.  I try to brush her but all she does is try to bite the brush.  I'm using clicker training to try to condiiton her to letting me brush her but we're not there yet!

 

I would like to take her in for a puppy cut, is now a good time?  Also, at what age do you begin stripping the coat?

[Barney & Emmy]

^{We learned the hard way with our Emmy that cutting is not the best alternative for a Cairn.  Our new puppy, Barney, is being stripped and plucked.  It's a lot of work, and he's not crazy about it, but Emmy has a lot of skin issues.  Barney looks great even though I'm an amateur.  I ordered the grooming book from the Cairn Terrier Club and have watched videos on U-tube on how to groom.} 

[Hillscreek]

Angus was six months old when his puppy coat came loose and was easily stripped. I had prepared for this by playing with his coat and getting him used to my touch with hand as well as comb and slicker.since he was a baby.

Plenty of advice on this forum if you look at "grooming" section.

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

I had my first cairn clipped several times and I do believe it damaged her coat. So now with Ivy and soon to be groomed Lucy, I use a Mars comb all over their coat. It really makes a difference. I have not been very excited about stripping them. I do clip a little around their eyes to give them a little more of the groomed look. I use clippers on the bottom of her feet where the fur is growing between the pads and to shape up the fur around the feet. If my dogs were show dogs, I would definitely have them hand stripped but since that is never going to happen, this seems to be the next best thing. Ivy loves the Mars comb-she actually falls asleep. Well, that could be because I trim her toenails first which upsets her a great deal, so when we are done with that, she is willing to do anything, even brushing her teeth.

[LindaMC]

What is the Mars comb?  Sorry for the ignorance but I'm still learning.  I did take Maisie in to be groomed but only for a wash, dry, trim of hair on feet and around the face only.  They also cleaned her ears and cut her nails.  I am working on getting her use to my cutting her nails with only doing one or two at a time and rewarding her if she doesn't give me a hard time.

 

I'm in agreement that where Maisie isn't going to be a show dog then maybe I do not need to go the route of having her stripped.  I think she looks adorable just the way she is, and with the small trim that they gave her around the face, she looks even better, as now I can see her pretty little face!

Edited July 8, 2013 by LindaMC

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

You can buy the Mars comb on Amazon. It is great because it pulls out the dead hair without ruining the coat-I'm sure it's not as good as handstripping but I really like it.

[bradl]

To help with some background, try this link for some discussions talking about the Mars Coat King -- what it does, how it works, is it a replacement for stripping, etc.

Google: mars coat king site:cairnterrier.org