GROOMING THE Kerry Blue Terrier BY MARGO STEINMAN
T he Kerry Blue Terrier has a single, non-shedding coat, which is soft, silky, and wavy. This coat type is found in no other breed, and is a major characteristic of cor- rect Kerry type. A Kerry’s coat should never be back- brushed and blow-dried to resemble a Poodle pack! A single coat, such as a Kerry’s, absolutely cannot be stripped. Characteristics and grooming of the head are unique to the Kerry; the fall between the eyes should never be removed! These how-to-do-it instructions for correct Kerry grooming are divided into three sections: 1. Pre-Bath: Brushing and Combing the Kerry’s Coat; 2. Bathing and Drying the Coat; and 3. Trimming the Coat, Using both Clippers & Shears. BRUSHING & COMBING A DRY COAT Use a firm-to-medium slicker (depending on the density of the coat) to brush the coat. Part the hair so that you can see the skin (Figure 1), and brush the coat, working loose any tangles or mats. I usually begin with the tail, holding the coat flat with one hand and brushing in the direction the coat grows, working from the tail to the top of the head. For the legs, back-brush from the skin out, beginning at the top of the leg, and brush to the base of the paw. Back-brush the fall, whiskers, and beard. After the coat has been thoroughly brushed, use a coarse comb in the same direction as you brushed, except for the fall, whiskers, and beard, which should be brushed forward towards the dog’s nose and then combed. Any small mats or tangles not removed by the slicker should come out. I find that the English-made Greyhound combs and English combs with a handle (such as PSI or Richter) work better than most American combs, which have thicker blunter teeth, as it’s more difficult to get down to the base of the skin and the hair tends to slip through them. Brush again to remove coat loosened by the comb, and comb again using a medium comb. Unless the dog’s coat is very long or matted, it should be ready to bathe. Dogs with long or matted coats can be “roughed in”—clipped or scissored before bathing and then finished after they dry; scissor-finishing should only be done after the dog has been bathed and dried. I use long, heavier shears for “roughing in.” I do not pluck ears, but flush them instead with an ear cleaning solution, and I do not squeeze anal sacs. I recommend that new cli- ents have their dog’s ears and anal sacs checked by their veterinar- ian before I groom their dog; if necessary, the ears can be plucked (controversial, as many veterinarians feel that healthy ears do not need to be plucked) and the anal sacs emptied (again, controversial,
because most dogs empty them with each stool). I will not groom dogs with infected ears or obvious skin infections. Nails can be trimmed and ground before or after the bath. (I usually do this before bathing.) Using a 40 blade, I clip between the dog’s pads after it has been bathed, as dirty feet will dull and damage your blade. Before bathing the Kerry, I usually clip the head and ears, underside of the tail, the belly, around the anus, around the vulva of a bitch, the sheath of a male, and around and on the scrotum (I use a 15 blade) of an intact male. (See TRIMMING THE COAT.) BATHING AND DRYING THE COAT Even if you have clipped the dog, make sure there are no mats or tangles in the coat before you bathe it! Bathing and, especially, drying are critical in maintaining the Kerry’s correct coat texture. Before bathing, use a protective opthal- mic ointment in the dog’s eyes. I do not use cotton plugs in the ears. I recommend using a “blue” shampoo, which brightens color and removes or reduces yellow stains. A good shampoo will not strip out the oils in the coat and will leave it soft and shiny, with body. Use luke-warm water to wet (and rinse) the dog, then soap the neck first, followed by the tail and rear, the body, legs, and finally, the head, being careful not to get soap in the eyes or ears. The fall, whiskers, and beard should be thoroughly soaped. When rinsing, all of the shampoo should be completely washed out (rinse the head first) and the coat squeezed to remove excess water before you apply the rinse. A proper rinse should give body to the coat in addition to leaving it soft and shiny. Although I dilute the rinse, I use it full-strength on the fall, whiskers, and beard, which makes them flatter and easier to comb out. After the rinse has been thoroughly washed out of the dog’s coat, squeeze out excess water, let the dog shake a few times in the tub, wrap it in a towel, put it on a table, and use super-absorbent
Figure 1. Hair Parted Showing the Skin Figure 2. Correct Coat Texture
Figure 3. A Brushed and Combed Kerry
244 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2022
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