The Irish Terrier

Coat Work for a Pet Irish

A pet owner who would like their Irish Terrier to look smart can take the instructions described on this page and follow through the given stages without waiting for the suggested time intervals to elapse.

The whole process may take at least a day, and maybe a little longer the first time it is attempted. The novice will find that they get faster as their skills progress. It will take about 6-8 weeks for your dog to look like the typical pictures of Irish Terriers at shows.

In order to allow some growth in the new coat and undercoat, the ‘defuzzing’ of the coat should be carried out at approximately the same time as suggested in Stage 3.

The stripping process only needs to be undertaken two or three times a year, when the coat is ready to be pulled. By making this effort your dog will keep the texture and color of its coat.

Pet owners should ask their breeder to recommend ways to recognize when the coat is ready. Not all Irish Terrier have quite the same coat so the timing can vary. However, the type of coat can be easily recognized when the puppy is born.

Clipping usually results in a paler and thinner coat. Once a coat has been clipped, it can take up to two years of correctly timed hand stripping to get the original quality of the jacket back.

Grooming your Irish Terrier's Coat

The daily grooming of your Irish is very important for good health and appearance. In addition to proper exercise and food, regular grooming of the coat and nail trimming are essential.

There are several methods for grooming the Irish Terrier coat based on the desired end result. Here is one of the recognized methods for hand stripping and coat maintenance as the jacket grows back. The focus of this page is grooming for the show ring. You will need to plan ahead if you have a special date in mind.

The Irish Terrier coat is the combination of a hard, wiry outer coat and a softer under coat. A good coat is so dense that, when parted, it is difficult to see the skin beneath. The red color is at the tip of each strand of the outer coat hair, the longer the hair grows the less vibrant the color becomes. The show coat should never be so short that it appears like seal fur nor so long that it actually opens or separates. In order to display the proper color, the coat should be about one inch in length.

The proper grooming of an Irish Terrier is not complicated though it requires patience and persistence and the novice may find it challenging.

Grooming your dog each day will prove invaluable for increasing your skills and your dog’s tolerance. In addition to a positive attitude, you will need the following tools:

medium dull stripping knife;
fine stripping knife;
scissors;
a hound’s glove;
a bristle brush;
a palm brush;
a quality steel comb; and
a good strong thumb and forefinger

Stage 1

After exercising the dog, wash the face and legs. Beginning at the withers, remove all the topcoat, leaving the undercoat undisturbed, from the withers, the back, hindquarters, rib cage and chest (see diagram below).

Remove all the coat from the hind legs, leaving only enough furnishings on the front of these legs to provide a finished look. Do not leave so much furnishings as to create the appearance of chaps. From the hock down, you may scissor trim to neaten the appearance.

Next address the front legs. Begin by combing up the hair on the front legs. Then, using your fingers, pull out the longest hairs so as to give the legs a more symmetrical appearance. With an Irish Terrier, the appearance you are looking for is finished, not fluffy.

Next, comb the face hair back toward the skull. If there is an abundance of hair, pull out the longer hairs closest to the eye and corner of the mouth. Work toward the nose, pulling only small amounts at a time and comb the hair forward. Check the outline constantly. You want to accentuate the length and wedge shape of the head. You do not want to create the cylindrical appearance seen in Wire Fox Terriers, where excessive furnishings may be desirable. In grooming Irish, excessive furnishings are to be avoided.

Stage 2

Approximately ten days after the initial stripping, you should trim the tail; then from the occiput, trim down the sides and back of the neck, the withers and the shoulders. Leave the head, ears, front and rear for stage 3.

Stage 3

Approximately ten days after stage 2, trim the head from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Trim the skull, leaving just enough eyebrow to accentuate the “hard” expression. Trim under the jaw from the dewflap back. Pull coat from the underside of the neck and the forechest. Strip hair from the inside and outside of the ears.

Next, trim the back of the tail and the dog’s rear. Carefully pull the hair in the direction in which it grows.

Then, taking a fine stripping knife, “defuzz” the coat by pulling off all of the undercoat over the entire dog.

Now, reshape the head, legs and feet. Moderation in this phase is best. Trim the feet round and tight, removing the hair between the pads with scissors.

Daily Grooming

Rub the body down with a hound's glove to encourage blood flow to the surface of the skin This stimulation feeds the hair follicles, conditioning both the skin and coat. With a palm brush, massage the face and leg furnishings. Trim the nails as needed.

As the new coat grows in keep the coat looking tight, by brushing the body and pulling out the loose hair that develops.

Weekly Grooming

Go over all the flat work: ears, head, shoulders and rear. Keeping it tighter looking in appearance than the body coat, but making sure that it blends together into the body coat. Bathe the legs and face.

Finishing Touches

Before entering the show ring, check the furnishings for evenness, clean the ears and eyes if necessary, and brush the eyebrows forward to emphasize the small, dark eye.

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