Someone who knows how to properly groom Cairns is hard to find.  In general stay away from commercial groomers at pet stores.  They usually want to buzz-cut Cairns into Schnauzer-cuts, which is not good for Cairn coats that really need to be stripped - hairs pulled out by hand - for the dogs to maintain healthy skin. Shaving down the hair but leaving in the roots will end up causing skin conditions in this breed. Stripping Cairns is not that complicated but requires a little time and practice. It's not painful for the dog, only the human.

I would be happy to teach you some basics of Cairn stripping,. I will not groom your dog for you, but would be willing to teach you how to do it yourself.. This is how I was taught.  If interested, reply back.  Maybe we could get a Cairn grooming class organized.. ATL Terrier Club has had grooming lectures with monthly meetings in the past.

CTC of Detroit also sells an excellent DVD with basics of Cairn grooming.

"cairn crazy" 

Cairn puppy fur should be stripped when the dog is 3-4 months old.  The puppy coat is usually black and soft.  Dog looks cute but it really needs to come out for the correct adult coat to grow in.  The undercoat still there and the new outer coat will show what color your Cairn will initially be.  (Cairns are famous for changing color and getting darker over the years.)

Still it's not too late to get your dog started on coat care. The dog needs to get used to the handling and grooming.  The long coat is now will likely be dead hairs that will come out easily. Remember that Cairns do not shed.  Stripping out loose fur would normally occur as the dogs pushed through the briars and brambles.

Has your dog had its nails trimmed? Cairns are diggers and grow nails like talons.  Aside from scratching up people and property, grown-out nails will distort the shape of the feet. Long nails force the dog's body weight back onto the posterior parts of the paws.  This will affect the gait of the dog as well as the appearance.  I trim my dogs' nails at least every two weeks. This is an important part of the grooming regime.

Come to the July 22nd meeting with you dog and we can go over the basics.  I'll bring a grooming table in the car.  Also anyone else interested in grooming Cairns is welcome to join us. Maybe we can get more about the November grooming seminar then too.