Part 8

HEADS

There are several head faults found in today's Cairn Terriers. Too long a muzzle or one that is snipey is often found in conjunction with a skull that is too narrow. often the stop in not as abrupt or deep as it should be.

The best way to add more stop is to pull at a small section of coat between the eyes just barely above the beginning of the actual stop. This should be done several weeks after the rest of the head coat has been rolled or pulled. The resulting shorter hair will ten to stand straight out, giving the appearance of a strong stop, especially when the brow coat is combed down over the eyes.

To shorten that long muzzle, roll the muzzle hair so that it is as full as possible. Remember that new coat just pushing out of the follicle will push the longer hair covering it up and out, giving the illusion of thickness. Also let the visor hair or brow grow longer than you normally would. It should reach the nose when combed down. Then be sure than you comb it well forward over the eyes. The hair to the sides of the eyes and the cheeks should also be brushed well forward. It is amazing how much this will shorten any muzzle. These methods and letting the hair on the bottom of the jaw grow a tad longer than normal will also take care of snipey muzzle.

A skull that is too narrow usually can be broadened by a full coat of head hair. Keep it as short as possible under the chin and lower jaw. Rather than a perfect circle, let the sides, especially from the middle of the ear to the mandibular joint, grow a little longer than the top or bottom.

Ears that are too large should be kept closely trimmed. Instead of only trimming the top third of the ear, trim it halfway down and let the head hair around it grow profusely. Be sure to pull the hair out by hand instead of using any scissors, even on the tips or upper edges. Pulling encourages darker hair to grow and dark ears look smaller than light ones.

Ears that are too round on the tips can be sharpened by using scissors but only at the tip.

NECK

A neck that appears too short will be helped by letting the hair on the top of the neck to the withers grow longer than the sides and front. You want this hair graduated in length with the shorter hair near the ears and the longest hair over the withers.

Pull more hair from the sides of the neck, being careful to blend it with the top. From the area where the lower jaw meets the neck to the middle of the chest, keep the hair fairly short. Be sure not to take it down to the extreme of a Westie but do keep it shorter than the sides or the top. This adds the illusion of neck length.

When you are stacking your dog, keep the lead well up under the jaw and pull the neck upward. Do not stretch the neck out forward, as it only throws the picture of the dog completely out of balance.

TOPLINE

There is not much you can do about a roached topline except place the dog as a pet. However, for a slight dip behind the withers there is hope. Roll that area heavily at first to build up more coat, always leaving some long hair to smooth over the top. This will take care of a slight dip. During exhibition, constantly check this area and use a comb to lift the coat over the dip when necessary. At the same time, keep the area from the middle of the back (where the dip goes back up to normal) to the base of the tail groomed short. A really bad topline should qualify the dog for a wonderful house pet.

TAIL

The desired tail is fairly short and straight. When held erect, its tip should be the same height as the tips of the ears. There is not much to do with a tail that is too long. Making sure that it is the proper carrot shape with a broad base narrowing to a pointed tip will help. A tail that is too short is easy to remedy. Simply let the hair grow longer than the tip of the tail and put its end where necessary. Few Cairns have this problem.

A curving tail is more of a challenge. A long, banana-shaped tail is undesirable in any event. Sometimes, although not always, this indicates problems in the real assembly. The best method of grooming is to keep the hair on the front of the tail longer to fill in some of the curve and keep the hair on the back as short as possible to minimize the curve. Feathering on the tail is always unacceptable, as is a gay tail that curves over almost touching the back.

A somewhat low-set tail can be helped by building up the coat just in front of it and at the base to give the appearance of proper set-on. However, if the dog holds his/her tail straight out behind him/her instead of upright, no amount of grooming will cover the set of it.

LEGS

A dog who is out at the elbow is unfortunately too common a sight. This can be helped by keeping the hair pulled very close at the elbow, on the back, and the side near the back of the point of the joint. Pulling too much hair from the side as viewed from the front will accentuate the problem.

Crooked legs can be straightened by using the posting method. Usually you will find that the hair must be pulled very short on the inside of the leg just above the foot and left longer on the corresponding outside section of the leg. The same is true of hocks turned slightly inward or outward. Always picture the straight lines you want and by combing outward, pulling hair outside of the imaginary straight line, then combing back down to inspect the results, you can achieve the desired look. It is understood that any good judge will find these faults anyway, but you can still present the dog to its best advantage.

FEET

The most common problem is front feet that toe out too much. Keep the hair on the outer side of the foot very short and let the hair on the inner half grow a little longer. Again, picture the circle of a post meeting the ground and shape the foot with that picture in mind.

Please make sure you leave yourin our guestbook!!!

Any comments or suggestions

Please feel free to email us.

[Home][Jason's Homepage][Father's Day Page][Brecken and Hotsy][Brecken][Hot Toddy]

[Photo Album][Responsible Breeder][Color Change][Health][History][Behavior][Rescue]

[Children and their Cairns][Grooming][Sick Dog][Books and Referrals][Links][Email]

Web Design and maintenance by Jackie Robbins.