Grooming your Irish Terrier

Whether you are going to use your Irish Terrier as a show dog or just a loving companion, proper grooming is essential. Irish terriers have a double coat, a dense thick under coat and a harsh outer coat. For a show dog a “broken coat” is ideal, however there are other coats such as a smooth coat, open coat, flat coat, wavy coat, curly coat and pick out coats.

Because of their unique coating, grooming is quite a bit different and the preferred method is called stripping or plucking, meaning to pluck the dead hair of the outer coat. This is not a difficult process to learn, nor is it painful to the dog.

Many professional groomers will not strip because it is time consuming, nor is it cost effective for them. However if you do find an experienced groomer in stripping, expect to pay around $100 per session.

Learning to Strip your Irish Terrier

Stripping should be started at around 5 months of age and done around 3 to 4 times a year, after a stripping it can take around 10 weeks to grow back a prime coat so waiting 14 to 15 weeks to strip again will ensure that the hair is long enough to come out easy.

When first learning to strip your dog’s coat I would recommend using only your forefinger and thumb. The use of a stripping knife takes practice to be done right, If done wrong it can result in “cutting” of the coat rather than stripping. Cutting or clipping the coat can cause the coat to lose it’s vibrant color as well as it’s natural waterproofing ability.

Stripping knives come in coarse and fine tooth, they are designed to strip the dead top coat hair out, leaving behind a healthy undercoat.

Trimming of Legs and Face

Trimming the legs and face should be done about every 3 weeks and the belly should be done with an electric clipper.

When trimming the face it is best to start with the ears. Trim straight along the bottom being careful not to cut the sensitive flesh part of the ear. Clip down the side of the face between the ear and the eye, the same length as the rest of the body. Use thinning scissors to trim the fur around the mouth.

Frequent bathing of the Irish Terrier is not necessary, as their coats are naturally designed to repel dirt and debris, and are not prone to tangles or matting. However, frequent, vigorous brushings are highly recommended. Frequent trimming of the nails should also be done, to keep the nails short and neat.