The Kerry Blue Terrier has a silky soft, dense coat that can be curly or wavy. This breed doesn't shed much, making it a good choice for people prone to allergies, but a significant amount of grooming is still required. To prevent mats from forming, brush daily. In addition, the Kerry should be professionally groomed every 4 to 6 weeks, and the hair in the ear canal must be removed to prevent infection. Many owners keep the coat regularly trimmed. The Kerry's skin does not dry out as readily as other breeds with frequent bathing and, in fact, some recommend that this breed be bathed every week.
All Kerries have the same basic grooming requirements in their role as family pets and companions.
Every owner wishes to provide the best of everything for their Kerry, but at times the costs of professional grooming can seem out of proportion to the owner's budget. There are many ways even an owner with no inclination for grooming can help to maintain their Kerry between professional visits, to help keep costs at a minimum.
Aside from Kerries that may get the "budget haircut" of a close trim all over except for a little "breediness" in the fall and beard, most pet Kerries have about 1 D2 to 3 D4" of body-hair length with the leg hair a bit longer for balance and proportion. Leaving this amount of hair requires some maintenance in the way of brushing, combing, and keeping tangles from forming.
Brushing and combing your Kerry at home not only helps keep him looking good and keeps your grooming costs down, but also provides for special bonding time between you and your dog. Because brushing and combing requires some attention to detail and those "hard-to-reach" places, it also enables you to keep a watchful eye on your dog's skin condition and overall health. Older Kerries are prone to getting lumps and bumps, and cancer rates are rising in all breeds as they are attaining longer life-spans. Monitoring your Kerry's body condition allows you to note any changes as early as possible, and any necessary treatment can begin earlier.
Equipment
Even for the most grooming-disinclined owner of a Kerry, there are two pieces of equipment that none should be without. These are a slicker brush and a metal comb.
There are many brands of slickers and combs on the market, and they have different features, but none are truly better than any others. Try several kinds if possible, and use what feels best in your hand and that provides the best results on your dog's coat.
A basic metal comb, commonly known as a Greyhound comb, comes in either fine/coarse or medium/coarse tooth designs.
If your Kerry has a softer, looser curl then the fine/coarse might be a better choice.
Begin your home-maintenance session by putting your Kerry on a grooming table, countertop, picnic table, or someplace elevated so he does not feel he can exit the session at his whim. A dog on the floor is hard on your knees and back, and he will be more inclined to leave when he feels like it. Folding card tables are not usually sturdy enough to provide stability for the average sized Kerry, and often will make your dog fear being on an elevated surface by wobbling.
For your Kerry to enjoy these home sessions, he must feel secure, and likewise, for you to enjoy them, having the dog at an easily accessible level will save your back and knees.
The Head
Start with the dog's head. It's always best to have an order or routine, that way you won't overlook any important areas. Check your dog's ears by lifting up the flap and doing a visual inspection. If you are able to clean your dog's ears properly, this would be the time. If you prefer to leave that task to your groomer or vet, then simply note the condition of the ear. If there is a heavy, brown waxy buildup, or a black-ish tarry exudate accompanied by a strong yeasty odor, the ears definitely need professional attention at this time.
Assuming all is well with the ears, next check the eyes. They should be clear, bright and without abnormal discharge. Some slight discharge is normal, and most of the time is minimal, clear and watery. Sometimes this discharge will collect in the inside corners of the eyes as a hardened wad of black stuff referred to as "eye-boogers." Use a moist paper towel or cloth to soften and remove this.
Kerries, being a bearded breed, will often collect food debris and other things in their beards on a daily basis. It's always a good idea to wipe your Kerry's mouth after eating to remove stray food particles, especially if your Kerry eats canned food. You can also use a moist paper towel for this. Since the beard and fall usually consist of longer hair, the comb is more appropriate for this area.
Start at the ends of the hair, not the roots, and comb all face hair in a downward motion. Gradually work the comb through the length of the hair to separate and tangles or clumps. Make sure the tips of the comb teeth go all the way through the thickness of the hair to the skin. All matting starts at skin level, where it is harder to see and remove.
The Body
After thoroughly combing the head, switch to the slicker brush for the neck and body hair. Using some sort of spray-on conditioner/detangler, or even just plain water, will help the brush to go through the hair more smoothly, and also help prevent breakage and split ends. Use only a light mist on the top of the hair, do not soak to the skin.
First, brush the coat in the direction in which it grows. Then, start at the dog's tail, and brush all the hair upwards and forwards. This will help to separate the hairs to the skin level and be most effective for removing tangles, clumps or mats. Also, by stimulating the skin this way, you will help it produce natural oils that will keep your Kerry's coat lustrous and of the proper texture.
Expect to remove some hair during the brushing process, but it should not be uncomfortable to your dog. Remove the hair from your slicker brush using the comb. If you brush too hard, you can cause abrasions to the dog's skin. Find a happy medium that causes effective results without making your dog dance around the table, trying to get away from you. Finally, comb through the dog's body from neck to tail. The comb should slide easily through the hair, but if you find resistance, re-brush and then re-comb that area until the tangles are gone.
The Legs
Continue onto the legs in the same manner you did the body. First brush downward, then hold each foot and brush the hair upwards, one layer at a time. Brush a small amount of hair at a time, making sure you get all the way to the skin. After you have brushed all four legs, use your comb, starting with the coarse side first, and run it through the legs, with the tips of the teeth at skin level. If you have missed any tangles, they will stop the comb from going smoothly through the coat. Go back to these areas and separate the clumped hairs apart, brush out and then comb through again. Then repeat the combing with the fine end of the comb.
Repeat this process until you can run the comb through every inch of the dog, and find no more tangles.
Pay particular attention to some areas that tend to clump or matt more than others. These are the armpit areas, the back of the front legs and from the hocks to the foot on the back of the rear legs. These areas get "pressed" when the dog is lying down. The armpits are a "movement" area. The hair rubs against itself when the dog walks, trots or runs.
The Feet
The last problem area is the feet. On the back of the front leg there is that little "brake pad" a couple inches up from the foot. From that pad down to the foot is where most mats occur in full-haired legs. A major contributing factor is that this hair gets dirtier more often, and also gets wet more often from the dog walking in dewy grass, puddles, etc.
Dirty hair will matt faster than clean hair, and when Kerry hair gets wet, if left to air-dry unbrushed, it will curl upon itself, clumping together and eventually forming a matt.
And last but not least, inspect and comb out the hair between the toes. Your groomer should do a good job of clipping the bottom of the feet between the pads, but it is not proper to clip between the toes on a Kerry. Some dogs can pick up thistles, thorns, mud or other debris in this hair, and not only will it form a matt, but it may also be very uncomfortable for your dog.
Brushing your dog in this way can take an average of ten to twenty minutes. Ideally, it should be done once a day, but even once a week will help keep your Kerry looking its best, make less work for your groomer on regular visits, in turn keeping your annual costs down. Then you can spend that extra money on more treats for your wonderful Kerry, and by giving him a treat after every brushing session, he will look forward to his special time with you.
Trimming Your Kerry Blue
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What is to follow is by no means absolute law. It is simply a version of how to trim and care for your Kerry Blue. You will find other methods and many different opinions on the subject as you meet and talk with breeders from different parts of the country. I offer this explanation only in the hope that it will help anyone who is trying to learn the basic principles of grooming their Kerry Blue Terrier.
1. The Feet Trim (with scissors) the hair growing between the pads (1A).
Cut the toenails (with toenail clippers- Resco or we prefer Millers Forge.) A bottle of "Monsell's Solution" is handy to have in case you accidentally cut the nail too short. It stops the bleeding when dabbed on with a piece of cotton. (Tell your prescription counter it's for veterinary purposes.) Smooth the nails with a metal file. We've had success using the "Nail Groom" attachment with sandpaper discs on our Oster clipper.
Comb the leg hair down against the foot and cut off any hair that extends beyond the pad. (1B)
2. The Stomach Area For trimming on the head and stomach area, we recommend the #10 blade on the Oster clipper. Place your dog on his back and with your clippers trim his stomach. (2A) Trim to about 3 inches in front of the front edge of the back leg. (About a clipper's width in front of the penis or an area that includes the back three sets of nipples on a bitch.) Trim the hair on the penis with the clipper also and cut off any hair that
3. The Ears Gently insert a "q-tip" either dry or one that has beer dipped in Vaseline, into your dog's ear about half the length of the stick (less for pups). Rotate it slowly in one direction to catch the long hair that grows inside the ear. Remove the stick, pulling the hair out with it. Repeat this process on both ears until no more hair comes out on the stick.
4. The Eyes Use a cotton ball dipped in Boric Acid Solution (a commercial product that is excellent is Lavoptik) to clean the eyes. Use your metal comb carefully, if necessary to remove all dried matter from the hair around the eyes
5. Head and Neck We prefer to outline the ear with scissors before using the clipper- some prefer to remove the excess hair with the clipper first. Start with the ears, (5A) On the head itself there are three "markers" to trim to (5A) the outside corner of the eye (1), the corner of the mouth (2) and the hair follicle (a definite lump) under the chin (3). Trim against the hair in all areas of the head and neck with exception of the very flat top of the head (from the brows back to between the ears.) This particular area depends on how curly or straight the hair may be. If it is quite straight, you will have to trim against the growth. Practice can tell you which you like best. Taper the hair to a longer length with scissors right behind the ears.
Some people use the clipper entirely too far down the throat. This is something again that has to be decided by the individual. A show trim should require more blending with the scissors to make the neck blend into the body. If you use a V at the point of the base of the throat (or round it oval shape), be sure not to carry it too low for this can make your dog appear quite short when coming toward the judge. It also may not give the dog as pleasing a front when viewed from the side.
6. The Bath Now bathe your dog. Place cotton in his ears to keep the water from entering and causing infection. (Don't forget to remove it after the bath, if it has been placed deeply to keep the dog from shaking it out.) It is not necessary to give your dog a bath every time you trim him, but you can do a much better job of trimming his coat if the hair is clean. If you have hard water, be sure to use a good shampoo such as you would use yourself-it is much easier to rinse out. This last statement is very important. Nothing can cause more irritation than soap left in the coat. Some prefer to brush and comb the coat while drying-for show, we prefer to let it dry with a blower on it-having brushed the dog well before his bath. After the coat has dried in this manner, it will retain more curl and wave characteristic of the breed.
7. The Body
8. The LegsWe brush against the hair and then with it (as we do the whiskers and body coat), use your metal comb in the same manner. (The brush we refer to is called a slicker brush and do not use a real fine comb. Use an English Hinde slicker brush or a finer Warner slicker brush, particularly on puppies. We like the Resco 80M long toothed poodle comb on show coats before using a Resco Medium handle comb.) After you have combed the hair down, lift the foot and shake the whole leg. Then replace the foot and start trimming in a tubular fashion. This will require a great deal of patience and practice. (7A) Looking at your dog from the rear (7B), his legs should form an inverted "V". Be sure the hips are more tapered than rounded following the body line
9. The Face Comb the whiskers forward and with your scissors pointing toward the nose, cut the hair beside the eyes to make them visible.
(9A)
the Kerry Blue Show grooming 2 hr. video features well known mr. Bill Mcfadden available from Dogwise.com |
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The A-2 Oster Clipper is preferred because of the removable head. 
running your clippers against the growth of the on both the outside surface and much of the underneath surface as you can reach easily (trimming the rest with scissors; until tidy.) There is a flap of skin on the back edge of the ear. Find this with your fingers and be careful not to cut it with your clippers or scissors.
Blend the hair around the clipped areas with scissors. The body coat should be about an inch and a half in length. (For a summer or utility haircut, we recommend using a #5 Oster blade on your clipper to take the body down. This is marvelous to keep a litter of puppies looking neat when they pass the 3 months mark.) Trim the hair on the tail shorter than the rest of the body and be sure the area under the tail is trimmed quite close as well as the rear of the dog. (7A) 
