Grooming: Cairns are double coated and have a coarse or hard outer coat with a softer undercoat. They are 'non-shedding' in that they do not go through shedding cycles and lose the dead hair. But unlike a poodle type coat, they do lose some hair. Because they do not 'shed' the hard coat, they need to be stripped annually. The Cairn coat should not be clipped like a Westie, but hand stripped. This involves pulling on the hair, pulling out the dead hair and leaving the new hair. Clipping or shaving can damage the hair temporarily or permanently, making the coat soft. I recommend that you find a groomer that hand strips. If you don't have a groomer locally, you can follow the steps below to groom your own Cairn. It's a difficult process to understand and learn because not all Cairn's coats act the same way. Libby grows her coat out, and when it needs stripped, she has a new coat underneath, thick and even. Others,grow it out and sometimes don't have anything underneath to replace the dead coat. Then you're forced to pull all the hard coat which is called a complete strip, and they start all over again. With my Cairns being intact (not spayed or neutered), they go through hormonal changes which cause them to blow their coats- or lose all the undercoat leaving a top coat that needs stripped after the new coat starts coming in. It is important to bathe infrequently (not more than once a month) to avoid drying out the skin.This is not to say that it's the end of the world if they get very dirty and need a bath sooner than a month. But always use a quality dog shampoo and never human shampoos.I recommend Comfy dog colloidal oatmeal shampoo and a between bath spray called Dry Dog found at www.designerdogavenue.com (or similar products). Human Allergies: I have seen sources state that the Cairn is 'hypo-allergenic'. They produce a small amount of dander so those with allergies usually tolerate them. For a description and list of breeds click here. I have severe environmental allergies and I get along fine with the Cairn Terrier and Norwich Terrier. I have also sold puppies to homes for the same reason, and they get along great with their Cairns. If you have allergies, please visit a Cairn or Norwich before buying.
Cairn Color: Coat Color is ever changing in the Cairn world! There is no wonder there is so much confusion about color in the breed, and sometimes even a difference in opinion. A Cairn can change color their whole life, and the puppy frequently surprises you in what color they become. They can be any color but white, with variations of wheaten, red, cream, gray, etc.
The Cairn is born with dark points: a dark muzzle, tips of ears, feet, and tip of tail at birth. They either have the brindle gene or they don't. Brindle is a striping pattern seen at birth, and as the coat grows longer it appears to be black hairs mixed with the other colors. For example, a wheaten brindle is wheaten with black hairs mixed in. The brindle can range from light brindle to dark brindle or almost black, depending on how much black hair is in the coat. Brindles frequently have more than one color in their coat. Our dark brindles have silver or gray, wheaten, and red mixed with their black, and they frequently change from one season to another.
The non-brindle or "solid" puppies have the dark points and a line of black hairs down their back and sometimes over their body as a puppy. The solid puppies are going to mature to red, wheaten, cream, etc and the black mask and points sometimes fade with age (although it may remain darker than the rest of the body). The black hair on the body does not go all the way through the undercoat and usually strips out when their adult coat comes in. Some non-brindle dogs can have a few black hairs in their top coat as an adult, but it is not like the brindle that is a striping in the undercoat. We can not predict from puppy coat if a solid puppy will be red, wheaten, cream, silver wheaten, red wheaten etc. We also can not predict what color or shade a brindle will become. We can not guarantee coat color and the buyer should know that the color can and will change. Although we attempt to match the litter or puppy to the buyer's color choice of brindle or non-brindle, it's important to make a choice based on the puppy, not it's color. To see examples of Cairn color, Our Cairns are labeled. Norwich Color: Norwich come in red, wheaten, grizzle, or black and tan. For examples and information on Norwich color, please visit this website. They DO NOT come in brindle like a Cairn Terrier. Those dogs online that appear like a brindle Cairn are not Norwich Terriers. 
Color & Grooming
Maggie 6 months, red brindle Maggie 1 1/2yrs, turning gray brindle??? Copyright 2002-2008 Crooked Creek Terriers. All images, sounds and scripts are property of Crooked Creek Terriers. Duplication or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. To use any property found on this site, contact the webmaster.
More info on Grooming and Stripping. 
Chloe has a shaggy, long coat, and is ready to be stripped. Hairs sticking out over the eye can be pulled out. AFTER, eye is clear of hair. Chloe has some hair shorter than the long scraggly hair. The shorter hair is good and doesn't come out. The longest hair pulls out easily, particularly over the back. Pull small amounts of the longest hairs with steady pressure and it releases. Brush the head hair forward. Envision a circle and pull or trim anything beyond that circle to give a rounded shape. I never strip the head completely, they look terrible without head hair! If there's nothing underneath to take place of the long hair, trim and blend with thinning shears. Completely strip the upper 1/3 of the ear. If it won't pull out easily, very carefully trim along the ear. The tail is stripped in a carrot shape. Chloe had blown her undercoat around her neck and she had small matts underneath. Once brushed out, there was nothing to strip. I simply used scissors and thinning shears to shorten the length around her neck. It will then be stripped next time it all grows back in again. I stripped what needed to come out, but it didn't strip easily on her belly. I used scissors to trim under her chest. |