Grooming

The fact that our terriers shed only minimally is an advantage to many households. However, with this advantage comes the requirement for regular grooming. You may prefer to do this grooming yourself as we do, or the dog may be taken to a professional groomer. If you do decide to use a groomer, you must brush the pup regularly to ensure dead hair and dirt are removed and to maintain a regime that reminds him/her that this is part of the week that will always occur and should not be a concern for either of you. The regularity of brushing cannot be over-stressed. The pup must not be able to dictate to you what he/she will or will not tolerate nor should he/she decide on the times when it is acceptable for you to do the grooming. A pup that gets the upper hand in this exercise will cause you and the groomer many years of unnecessary trouble. Please remember to groom, if only for a few minutes a week, brushing out the leg furnishings, the face furnishings, the back coat; cut the hair out from between the pads of the feet once a month; check the ears for dirt or wax build-up; do nails monthly and bath as often as you wish.

Grooming tools are available from a number of sources. We import stripping combs from California. This make has proven to be the easiest for people to use and is by far the most cost effective. You should buy a set of nail clippers and use them regularly to keep the length of the nails under control. Alum may be purchased in any drugstore and is used if you cut the nail too short to stop the bleeding.

We highly recommend crates for all puppies. Both for housebreaking and for ease of management when you are not watching a young pup, the crate is an invaluable aid. There are two types of cage/crate available. The fibreglass version is good for travel but is very dark, more difficult to clean, hotter in summer and overall not recommended by us as the optimal bed for your dog. We strongly recommend a wire crate. The pup/dog can see what is going on around him/her, the pan is metal and easy to clean, air circulation is good and all of our dogs enjoy their crates – considering them their beds and their own special places.

Also recommended are choke collars for walking the dog.A nylon collar is not escape proof. By simply twisting a bit, the dog can slip off a nylon collar on a walk with disastrous consequences. The choke collar should be used for walks only and be removed as soon as the dog is in the house. Never leave a dog unattended with a choke collar on. The rings can catch on almost anything and it takes very little time for a dog to strangle when panicked and struggling.

The question of shampoo is often raised when discussing bathing. Any dog shampoo is acceptable and may be used as frequently as you feel is necessary. Should you have to use “people” shampoo, use it less frequently.The PH balance of a dog’s coat is different from our hair and dog products are formulated to work with that difference. Flea shampoos are not really recommended. They have no residual effect and are harsh for no real gain. All you can do to a flea is drown it when shampooing. There are flea dips used by groomers which have a residual effect if you run into a real problem. Should this occur, it is best to consult your vet or give us a call to discuss a regimen to deal with the problem.

Some terriers are bothered by dry skin. The easiest method of dealing with this is to add a little bit of Mazola oil to the food during dry weather. Use only about a teaspoon for an adult Airedale.

For a full grooming outline there are books available including The Welsh Terrier Leads The Way by Bardi McLennan and Grooming the Broken Haired Terrier available from the Airedale Terrier Club of America.

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