Grooming... Shave Ears?

[ckthomas00]

This past weekend, I took Bruski to the groomer - we have been to this particular groomer 4-5 times, but instructed them to just do a "trim" and he looked great each time.

As he matures, his coat is getting longer and longer, so I thought it was time for a full grooming session. I took the groomer a picture of a show Cairn - with the fluffy face and trimmed coat.

When I went to pick him up, they had shaved all the hair off his ears (he looked like a rat terrier!) and he didn't have a fluffy face. His body looked good - but the face was horrible.

Do you normally shave the ears short? Any advice on how to instruct the groomer would be appreciated!!

I can't find a groomer in the area that specializes in Cairns or terriers and I would rather not do it myself.

Thanks for your help!!!!

[bradl]

Normally the scraggly hair is pulled off the top third of the ear - leaving just the ear leather (covered with very short undercoat only). This gives the appearance of a nice small ear poking out of protective head furnishings.

'twas ever thus, apparently...

[Darcy's Mom]

Brad, are those pics of your pups? They are gorgeous and so beautifully groomed. I wish Darcy could look like that but obviously, it depends on the owner knowing what they are doning when they groom. Good job, if they are yours.

[bradl]

Oh my, no. I'm a dreadful groomer. The color photo is Skerryvore Pipes of StoneMark (Pip) owned by occasional poster ladybroc. The B&W is English CH Brindie of Twobees - born in 1949. It's one of my favorite pics of a Cairn of all time.

[kayharley]

So Brad...please share with all of us your secret to making your crew look so fantastic (and yes, many of us have seen your dogs when they weren't "yak-like" and they are gorgeous)

Do you hand strip? Use the Mars? Have a wonderful groomer? Please tell....

I don't know about all of you but I get extremely overwhelmed with the entire stripping/rolling issue.

[bradl]

Mars on any dog not being shown. Plus, handstrip the head and hand-tidy the legs, tail, belly, etc. Anthing hard to do with the Mars.

Handstrip everything on anyone being shown. I will use a thinning shear around the feet but was recently shown that it can as easily be done with a knife.

If you get overwhelmed, try just doing a little bit. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and then just quit when it rings. Wait until tomorrow to do another bit. Work on only one thing a day - maybe even a single leg. Stop frequently. Do less rather than more. Just nibble at it.

Go to shows and watch exhibitors get ready - any of the double-coated terrier breeds.

[MyCairnPepper]

I have the same problem with skeeter at the moment pepper is still a baby and hasn't needed anything other than a brush yet but skeeter is nine months old and starting to look a little shaggy. I am afraid i will mess him up but no one here specializes in westies or cairns. In fact i am only one of two people here who even owns a westie. The other person just keeps his westie shaved and it looks more like a rat. I would like to have the patience to do it. but i don't think i do

[pookiegirl]

ckthomas00,

I was just looking at some websites I have bookmarked on grooming of the Cairn.

I used to handstrip myself but it became increasingly difficult due to visual loss (I am now legaly blind).

My groomer charges $85.00 each visit for a handstrip. This is a fair price given the job is very time-consuming.

Although with two dogs it does get quite expensive.

After reviewing these very descriptive websites, I may even try to resume handstripping myself.

The technique is mostly be feel anyway.

Here are links to the websites:

http://cp1.inreach.com/~rose-cro/grooming2.htm

http://www.cairnterrier.net/groomingstandard.htm

http://web3.foxinternet.net/cwhall/articles/grooming.htm

Hope these help.

Barbara

Edited June 21, 2006 by pookiegirl

[ckthomas00]

Thanks everyone - mabey I'll give it a try. I can't do any worse than the groomer did - my poor guy looked horrible! Thanks for the help!

[Hhoky]

Thanks for the web links Pookiegirl. I lookes all over the valley for a groomer for Iz and a few I went to said oh yea no problem we doo it all the time...and then I pick up a sad looking iz with a horrible do. So now I am working with a freind of my hubby's who started a grooming biz last year and while she doesn't "know" how to do Iz so she looks like a Cairn should she is learning and so am I. And it will work out good for her business Once she perfects her tecnique on Izbell and Bailey (my sis's pup) I can recomend her to my family of rthe Puppies grooming needs.

I really like that we work together, she ask questions and really wants feed back on how she looks, feels etc. each time. And we get to pour over lots of pictures and shopping catalouges (yea!).

[Darcy's Mom]

Do you have to strip a Westie like you do Cairn?

[Cairnmania]

Do you have to strip a Westie like you do Cairn?

Westies that are shown are handstripped. Because the coat is so highly styled it needs even more attention than a show Cairn's.

I don't believe I've ever seen a pet Westie that was not clipped. In my area, every pet Cairn I've seen is handstripped. It's rather odd really, especially since Westie's are more prone to skin problems than Cairns and handstripping would seem to be even more important for them. I suppose it has to do with the fact that Cairns are supposed to look slightly scruffy and Westies supposed to look perfectly groomed and it's easier to mimic the look of a show Westie by clipping.

Stacey

[Darcy's Mom]

I had no idea about the Westies having to be stripped. I have always kinda wished I had a Westie but if you have to hand strip, forgetaboutit!!! I'll stick to the Cairn, at least I have learned enough about them to not be dangerous when I strip her myself. Thanks for the info.

[goforette]

I had no idea about the Westies having to be stripped. I have always kinda wished I had a Westie but if you have to hand strip, forgetaboutit!!! I'll stick to the Cairn, at least I have learned enough about them to not be dangerous when I strip her myself. Thanks for the info.

I had a Westie 4 years ago (she passed of cancer of the mouth) but she had tremendous allergies her whole 12 years of life - I never stripped her not even once - that's why I'm so confused about the stripping process for the Cairn. But then again most of my Westie's hair would either fall out or be ripped out in patches due to her severe allergies. My Westie's hair was very different than my two Cairns is. Their hair just has a different texture. So my Westie was always just groomed per usual no stripping. I'm sure if you're showing them it might be a different technique I'm not sure as I kept my Muffie's (Westie) hair fairly shorter and her face clipped way less fluffier than it would have been for showing - especially in the summer when her allergies were at their worst. I'm praying that my Cairns don't have allergies although we're starting to itch. (Please all tell me it's minor.......) If you had my Westie's allergies trust me you'd be thrilled you have the Cairn And they're both a little fiesty breed with attitude.... got to just love them

[Darcy's Mom]

Have you given any thought to the food that you're feeding your pup could be causing the itching? I've read numerous places ( probably on this forum as well) that wheat, corn products, etc. can cause allergies in certain breeds. Maybe someone who is more knowledgable can give you more information on this subject. Just my 2 cents worth.

[goforette]

Yep it's true what they eat can cause allergies - my Westie could only eat Lamb or Venison - we had her allergy tested and she was allergic to everything under the sun - allergic to plastic (made her mouth bleed), allergic to horses, other dogs, all types of grasses, chicken, beef... but I couldn't help but love her - she'd tear out spots - and smelled like yeast - we had to bathe her in special bath oatmeal every 3 days - with my new Cairns they're just on Royal Cainine puppy diet - so I'm hoping they don't have a food issue too - or something else that I haven't pinned down yet. So far we're not tearing out spots like my Westie used to - and I don't know how prevelant allergies are in Cairns since mine are babies and I haven't seen really a whole lot in the forums about any that have super bad allergies yet - and I'm not sure what's a normal itch and what's an allergy itch.....

[Darcy's Mom]

Are your Cairns on any type of flea preventative such as Frontline, etc? My vet told me one tiny flea bite can cause allergies in dogs. They will start chewing at the base of their tail (usually) and also chew like crazy on their feet, pulling out their hair just like your Westie did. I bought a flea comb (very handy for just overall tidying up also) and have neve seen a flea or other visitor on Darcy but sometimes she just scratches for no apparent reason. I think its a combination of this hot weather we're having and the little no-see-ems that buzz around outside. She's on Canidae, which is supposed to be one of the better kibbles. I sure hope you have better luck with your Cairns as far as allergies go. They can make you and your pup miserable.

[Darcy's Mom]

I just read on another site regarding dog foods and their ratings. I am glad to tell you that Royal Canine Natural Blend Adult (is this what you're feeding your Cairns?) scored a 106 A+. They listed another Royal Canine Bulldog (?) at 100 A+ also. Canidae scored 112 A+. Of course, this was a homeopathy scoring system where I think everything should be natural with no additives. Anybody know about homeopathy?

[goforette]

Thanks for the info on the Royal diet - Mine are on the puppy version I think it's called Royal Cainine for medium puppies. I can only find it at PetsMart - and it's about $10.99 a bag. I wish they had a moist version of it - but it only comes in dry food. I have a picky eater and one that would eat until she was sick if I let her. I think it's potential an alpha problem at the moment - but that's a whole different story.... I gave them a bath last night and that seemed to help the itches tremendously. I'm thinking maybe they got the heebie jeebies from getting some pee/poop on them - as for whatever reason they like laying in their own stuff in the pen - gross yes I know and we're definately working on it. I even thought some more quality time with us and less time in the crate/pen would help..... but no we decided to pee on my new couch out of spite..... yes and I love terriers..... I should know better.... my house isn't mine anymore.

Edited June 23, 2006 by goforette

[AngusMacDoggal]

Can you share the site that listed the dog food ratings? Angus is eating Solid Gold Wee Bits. Bison and Salmon. he loves it and since he started on it he no longer has loose stools. But he's still got the itchies. I think he cannot eat poultry of any kind. He would get diarrhea on chicken, turkey, or duck foods.

[Eliz222]

Scout and Finch started scratching about a week ago...usually at the base of their tail. I think it's a combo of our hot weather and maybe fleas. I give them Frontline Plus, but this might be from bites. A friend of my DD's gave the dogs some doggie treats from Alpo...sigh....I didn't want to offend her, so i have been giving the two these treats, but I think I will throw them away now.

[Barney's Mom]

When I brought Barney home from the breeder, she had him on Eukanuba small breed puppy food. I got a free bag of Science Diet puppy food and started to slowly mix the two together to eventually switch him to the Science Diet completely. However, he never seemed to have nice, firm stools, and he pooped ALOT. Sometimes two or three times in the morning. Now I have him on Canidae, switching because of all the good things I read about it from this forum. I love the natural ingredients in the Canidae, and since our family eats almost all health food/organic, this was just a no brainer for me. Now Barney only poops once, maybe twice in the morning, and his stools are firm and normal. I also was wondering about the scratching because he seems to scratch a lot. I have him on Frontline Plus, once a month. I rarely bathe him, except for water baths and an occasional dog wipe if he has been on a camping trip or out to a dog park. I tend to agree with the other folks, that the heat and humidity, in connection with the little bugs that love to annoy dogs, causes them to itch. I find myself itching when it is humid and sticky outside. If we could imagine outselves with a double coat, we would probably itch too!

[Darcy's Mom]

I don't think you can go wrong with Canidae. Someone urged me to try Darcy on it and she loves it. She doesn't itch much at all, unless she's been outside and gotten around the garden with all the bugs that live there. Molly has to use Science Diet C/D because she had crystals in her urine as a young pup and the vet said she would have to be on it forever. I'm not real crazy about the Science Diet but they are the only brand I know of that make a kibble especially for her problem.

She's my mixed JR/Scottie and her fur is so thick you can hardly get your hand through it. She's getting groomed on the 5th so with the MCK alot of that thick fur will come off. I know she'll be a lot happier.

[Karen Robar]

Do the hair on her ears have a purpose 

[Karen Robar]

Don’t know how to put pictures on this, and is there a fee to belong to this group