The Terrier Coat

You either love it or hate it. It took me a little while to get used to it since I have only owned Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and a Shetland Sheepdog prior to Zack and their fur was so silky and soft. He is my first terrier.


The pros:

1. I love the scruffy look
2. It is very weather resistant and waterproof
3. No burrs seem to stick to it, and
4. Very easy to keep clean with a quick comb once a week.

The cons:

1. A little wiry (even prickly to some)until you get used to it
2. Should not be "clipped" as you lose the texture of the coat.
3. The coat needs to be "handstripped" to keep it neat and tidy.
4. There are no groomers in Lethbridge that handstrip dogs.

When I first decided on a border terrier I was a little intimidated about the "hand stripping" thing, but I am glad I got Zack because it really hasn't been too hard at all to keep his coat in check. Although this year now he has matured there is definitely more coat there. I kinda like it when he is scruffy looking and as I don't show him, I will probably keep him a little scruffier than one would see a Border Terrier in the show ring.

When he gets older and doesn't like being stripped anymore I will probably get him clipped and he can become a lovely "fluff", "fuzz ball" "wooly mutt" whatever his coat turns out to be (they actually look cute too - but lose their weather resistency). For now I will keep handstripping Zack as he seems to like it.

Zack and I are off on a road trip tomorrow to pick up a new rescue dog for Windy City to return to Lethbridge to it's new foster home.