Kerry Blue Terrier Grooming

Kerry Blue Terriers are Irish dogs bred for hunting animals like badgers. This practice continued in shows until the 1970s and so has a heavy influence on how they are and how they are groomed.

With a heavy beard and a curly coat, Kerry Blues can be a bit tricky to groom; especially if you’re grooming for show. However keeping up with a grooming routine is very important because an ungroomed Kerry Blue gets matted fur very easily and becomes uncomfortable and irritable. However, ten or twenty minutes of brushing a day will prevent this and keep your dog looking very nice.

To groom a Kerry Blue Terrier, you’ll need a slicker brush and a metal comb, otherwise known as a Greyhound comb. The slicker brush is used to brush out the chest, sides and legs while the comb is used in the beard to get rid of small tangles and food particles. Run your comb right through the hair of your terrier, all the way to the skin as mats start at the skin and thus are hard to see or deal with. It’s always best to start at the head because you’ll have to check your dog’s ears for any problems, clean out the corners of your dog’s eyes (if there’s any build up) and comb out the beard. Then, after the head is done, you can move to the rest of the body, using your slicker brush and the comb to untangle any knots without wrecking the curls of your dog’s coat.

Balance Between Lower and Upper Leg

Pay special attention to the feet to make sure that any loose fur in the pads is clipped and the leg fur is trimmed so that there is a balance between the lower legs where there is more fur, and the upper leg where there is less. For the rest of the coat, use a mist of conditioner or even just water to help detangle any knots. Brush following the grain of the dog and then brush upwards and forwards to get rid of knots and stimulate the production of the natural oils in the dog’s skin.

If you can, you should give your dog a good brushing daily, but even grooming your Kerry Blue Terrier weekly will keep it looking great between professional grooming. Grooming your Kerry Blue Terrier yourself will also promote bonding and allow you to take a good look for the beginnings of any problems which a vet should look at.

Keep up With the Oral Hygiene

You also want to keep up with your Kerry Blue Terrier’s oral hygiene by brushing its teeth with canine toothpaste and a toothbrush. This way you get rid of harmful plaque before it can build up into something more dangerous like tartar. You should also clip your dog’s nails every couple weeks so that your dog remains comfortable when walking and so you don’t have to worry about anything of yours being damaged by nails.

If you learn how to groom your Kerry Blue Terrier, you can save money on your grooming bill and enjoy daily time with your dog. It also allows you to keep an eye on any skin problems that may come up. All in all, learning how to groom your Blue Terrier will be very helpful to your overall ability to take care of your pet.