Beat the Summer Heat- But Clip?

Some dog owners believe that clipping a dog's coat will make them cooler. They get their dog a summer cut to help them beat the summer heat. What they don't realize is that a dog's coat is insulating not only during the winter, but it's insulating against the heat in the summer. A dog doesn't sweat, but dissipates their body heat through panting. The undercoat helps to not only keep out the summer heat, but it prevents sunburn and skin irritations such as misquito bites. We know that Cairn Terriers should be stripped, not clipped. The primary reason is that dead hair left in the follicle and not stripped out, damages the base of the hair and makes it soft. The dead soft hair matts and is more odorous and difficult to manage. When stripping, the dead hair is removed by plucking it when it's ready, and a new hair grows in that remains course and the coat stays cleaner, less smelly, and does not matt as easily. It's important in the summer to brush regularly, remove any matts that may actually cause excess heat, and strip to maintain coat health. Bathe once a month to minimize drying out the skin. When spending a lot of time in the summer sun, use a dog sunscreen & insect repellent such as Flea the Scene by Happytails Spa product line. Ensure your dog has plenty of clean cool water to drink. There are various products available, such as cooling beds and cooling bandanas to help cool your dog when spending a lot of time outside. Some owners like to provide a baby wading pool in the yard for the Cairn to play in. They enjoy playing in the water and it helps keep them cool. Remember to use caution around large pools and use safety gates & fencing to dog proof your pool. Dogs can easily drown if they fall into a pool and can't get back out.

Stripping Cairn Terriers

Stripping and grooming Cairn Terriers is probably the single biggest question I receive, and the hardest question to answer. Most pet owners don't need to follow the stripping zone method which is used in show grooming. Zones on the body are stripped at week intervals, so the end coat has some zones a bit longer than the rest. The primary necessity for pet owners is to keep the Cairn healthy, clean, and appearance kept up. My methods of stripping & grooming are only based on my experience with my dogs. Several of my Cairns need a variance in method, due to the way their hair happens to grow out.

The first strip can be completed when the puppy is about 12-14wks of age. The long scraggly puppy hair is being replaced with a new coat underneath that is harder. These long hairs that were once the fluffy puppy coat can be pulled out. Pull ALL of it out.

After a dog is about 1 - 1 1/2yrs, they'll start to have a long coat that is being replaced with their next new coat. Some dogs will have long hairs that you pull out, while the new coat is growing in underneath. My Libby will grow a complete new coat underneath and it will be about 3/4" long when the longest hairs are pulled out, leaving a fresh new coat behind after stripping. The hair that needs to come out, pulls easily. I just take small locks and go slowly, and she acts like she enjoys it. Some of it even seems a little itchy and it's a relief to get it out.

Some of my other dogs will start blowing their coat, which means losing their hair and it comes out easily all over their body. They may have very little hair left and they require a complete strip. This means all the top coat is pulled out. They look a bit funny for a month or 2 while the new coat grows in. But the new coat is new, healthy, and goes through the process all over again. They need stripped annually.

Others will have some shorter hairs, some longer hairs, and the longer hairs are pulled on a continuous basis. This is rolling the coat and it's something that can be kept up on continuously. Not all coats can be rolled.

For a photo example of grooming, you can visit my grooming page. As I groomed Chloe, I took photos to show how I did it and what the before & after looks like.

Grooming & Stripping Photos

The grooming & stripping information with photos has been posted on our website color/grooming page. The photos give a visual example of the grooming & stripping process. Not all Cairns grow a coat in the same manner but it fits most of our Cairns and their coat stages. Hope it's helpful!

Stripping Cairn Terriers

Stripping is the single most confusing part of the Cairn Terrier breed! I get more questions about it and have had more questions myself! The process involves pulling the dead hair and leaving the new hair in the coat. The correct way to strip a coat is by hand, between your thumb and forefinger. The problem is that individual Cairns are so different! Some coats can be rolled. This means that on a continuous basis, you pull out the longest hairs and a new coat is constantly growing in underneath. This is an easy process and they continually have a coat length of 2-3" over their body. But not all coats grow in this manner. Most of my Cairns have to be stripped completely once a year. This involves the coat growing out to a long length and in the Spring, with natural shedding timelines, the coat becomes loose and you pull all the hard coat out, leaving an undercoat. Very rarely will they have their new coat already growing in underneath, but that is my preference. The hard coat then grows back in course and beautiful again. For the head, I like that nice round shaped face, and I use thinning shears or scissors and trim the hair in a circle around their face, the length of the ears. I then strip the hair completely off the outer 1/3 of the ear. Show grooming is a different story. It involves completely stripping different zones, and letting the hair grow out with about 6wks between zones. It takes about 6 months for the process to be complete. I never completely strip the head because they look so funny without their head hair. Since I don't currently show, and with my breeding bitches who blow their coat after whelping, I have to keep them looking as cute as possible while dealing with the hormonal changes. Another reason why spayed/neutered pets are wonderful! Rumor is that Col Potter Cairn Rescue network is working on a stripping/grooming video. That's something I've wanted to do for a long time but don't feel expert enough to let people watch me! LOL So when it comes available, I'll publicize it. In the meantime, keep plucking! :)

Insect Repellent & Sunscreen

With Spring arriving, we are faced with flea, tick, and misquito season. Not only are fleas, ticks, and misquitos a pest, causing itchy bites and skin irritation, but the misquito can infect your pet with heartworms, ticks carry lime disease, and fleas have been known to carry communicable disease. The product Flea The Scene is an all natural Insect Spray that not only repells fleas, ticks, and misquitos, but treats areas where your pet may have already gotten bitten with it's soothing conditioning ingredients. It is also a sunscreen! We often remember to protect ourselves from the harmful sun rays, but we forget our pets. Use Flea The Scene to protect your dog and it's also safe for cats, and for yourself! It has a fresh clean scent, and is not oily or greasy. It's one of my favorite and most necessary products for Spring & Summer.

Why is Grooming Important?

Grooming is important not only because your dog gets smelly and their appearance can be disorderly, but it’s important to inspect your dog’s coat and skin for anything abnormal. It’s easy to miss a scrape, cut, or infection on dogs with a full coat. By inspecting their skin, coat, and ear condition, you can find and treat anything in need of medical attention in a timely and effective manner. Nothing is worse than discovering a cut after its infected and causing pain to your best friend. If your dog’s ears appear dirty it could be sign of ear mites, or painful ears could be an infection in need of immediate treatment.

Another important aspect of grooming is the bond that you form. Grooming time is relaxing and enjoyable, with your dog receiving your undivided attention. After treating your dog to a “Spa Experience”, you feel closer to them and can enjoy them better when they smell fresh, clean, and aren’t scratching. You’ll find the same quality Spa products at Designer Dog Avenue.com that you’ll find in the upper scale doggie spas.

Quality Grooming/Spa Products

What is the difference in quality of grooming products?
The quality of product reflects the quality of ingredients that go into that product. The ingredients in our line of spa products on Designer Dog Avenue.com contain better than human quality ingredients, and are tested on humans. Many oatmeal shampoos use oat extract. A superior ingredient is colloidal oatmeal, a much more effective type of oatmeal. In fact, colloidal oatmeal is one of the few natural ingredients regulated by the U.S. food and Drug Administration. The FDA has stated that colloidal oatmeal protects skin and provides temporary relief of itching and irritation caused by insect bites, reactions to poison plants, and various other skin rashes and allergies. The oatmeal containing spa products, such as Comfy Dog Oatmeal Shampoo carried by Designer Dog Avenue contain colloidal oatmeal rather than oat extract.

Many bath replacement sprays and perfumes simply mask odor. Ordenone is an ingredient which removes odors by binding with, and neutralizing the proteins that cause them. Our product Dry Dog, and other sprays by the same company, contain Ordenone which keeps your dog fresh and smelling clean longer. I recommend Dry dog to my Cairn Terrier customers, since Cairns should be bathed infrequently due to dry itchy skin. It’s a timesaving healthy alternative to bathing, and smells really great! For more information on product ingredients, visit our spa product lines on Designer Dog Avenue.com.

Dry Skin Products

Cairns should be bathed infrequently to avoid drying out the skin. Particularly in the winter months, they get dry itchy skin just like we do! Ingredients such as: Aloe Vera, honey, silk amino acid, organic silicone, panthenol, and tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) are all natural and herbal ingredients found in our products on www.designerdogavenue.com that help retain moisture, condition, sooth, and relieve dry itchy skin. Start with Comfy Dog conditioning shampoo (doesn't over-lather and is easier to rinse) and rinse thoroughly. The most important part of bathing is thorough rinsing! BowWow Butter Balm is great for spot treatment of itches and insect bites. It also conditions and assists in removing matts. The longer you leave it on, the more it conditions, and it leaves the coat easier to brush through. Before going on walks or outings spray your dog with Flea the Scene, which will repel biting insects and soothe irritated skin. Calming Aromatherapy Spritzer contains lavender essential oil which relieves tension but is also healing for cuts, wounds, sores, insect bites, and burns. It also contains Aloe Vera Extract and Organic Silicone which help slow moisture loss, and Panthenol which improves moisture retention in the coat and has an anti-inflammatory and anti-itching effect. A great between bath treatment is Dry dog which not only smells wonderful, but contains Panthenol, Aloe Vera, and Ordenone to capture and eliminate odors, and Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E) which is an anti-oxidant, UV Protector and skin moisturizer.