The Cairn Terrier is usually hand or knife stripped. Pet dogs are sometimes clipped to give a cleaner, smarter appearance, but it ruins the coat, as the undercoat and topcoat are then the same length and the coat becomes quite soft. The Cairn Terrier has a weather resistant double coat. The outercoat is profuse, harsh, but not coarse; the undercoat is short, soft and close. The color is cream, wheaten, red, gray or nearly black. Brindling in all these colors is acceptable.

Equipment needed: Clipping/stripping materials, scissors, stiff bristle brush, fine-and coarse-toothed combs.

Breed tip: The Cairn Terrier is not shaved short.

• Brush the coat through to remove dead hair and tangles. Often Cairn Terrier are never brushed by their owners, so they can respond negatively until they are used to being handled and brushed.
• With neglected coats, use a spray conditioner and lightly brush it in before grooming commences.
• Remove hair from under the feet and around the anal area with scissors.
• Where stripped (or clipped with a coarse No. 7 blade), go through the coat with the growth of the hair from the neck downwards.
• Strip the untidy hairs from the back of the ears at the tip to define.
• Bathe with a mild shampoo for its natural and therapeutic action, and use a conditioner where required.
• Dry with a blow-dryer, after toweling. The Cairn, like the Westie, really enjoys a good rub with a towel after a bath.
• Check the dog’s nails, ears and teeth.
• If required, the underneath can be clipped with a No. 10 blade to remove all unnecessary hair that will trail in the mud, etc. This should be done so that it is impossible to see unless the dog rolls over on his back, and should only be done on pet dogs.
• Show Cairn Terriers should never be clipped. In fact, except for around the feet and at the end of the male dog’s sheath, a blade should not go near them. Some exhibitors use thinning scissors but this usually shows as a harsh line on the coat. The Cairn, unlike the trimmed terriers, should give the impression of not having been trimmed, and this takes time and skill to achieve. Newcomers to the show ring should seek help from an experienced exhibitor to learn how to prepare Cairns.
• Using thinning scissors, tidy the head to give an indentation between the eyes, and leaving a well-furnished round shape to the outline of the head, but in proportion to the body.
• Trim the tail upwards to balance with the stripping or clipping of the body coat.
• Check the dog’s nails, ears and teeth.