# Australian Terrier



## yodarunner (Sep 12, 2007)

Okay, so my Father in Law and his girlfriend got a puppy, how cute. He's an Australian Terrier, about 4 months old, and about 15/20 pounds. They don't do ANYTHING for this dog, I clip his nails, I give him baths, I MADE them go buy flea preventative for him, they got Hartz.... I know... Anyway, I'm trying to make my life easier- Because he does not get brushed regularly, his hair is a mess, covers himself in everything. Is there a certain shampoo/conditioner that you can recommend that might help keep his coat less tangled and lessen the fact that he looks like an orphan all the time?


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## 007Dogs (Aug 22, 2007)

An Australian Terrier is a harsh coated breed, you do not condition it or it will loose it's harshness. You only bathe them if it is absolutely required(like the rolled in something dead). Too much bathing can also soften the coat. If you do bath, use Bio Groom Harsh Coat Shampoo or Cintex Texturizing Shampoo. The coat is not clippered either, it is hand stripped by a knowledgeable terrier groomer. And they are hard to come by. You don't find them in grooming shops. You need to find someone who breeds(their breeder) or someone who shows terriers to either groom the dog or teach them how to groom. The breed is not to be over groomed and should just be kept in a tidy coat.


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## yodarunner (Sep 12, 2007)

"Harsh Coated?" I don't know what you mean by that. The dog has extremely thin long and soft hair. He gets those nasty chunky hair knots if he doesn't get brushed at least once a week. And his eye boogers, ugh..... He's only had 3 baths since they got him at 10 wks, so I know he's not being overbathed. Will "harsh coat shampoo really help? I'm not used to these hairy dogs... I appreciate your help.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

I can only offer a bit of info because I am new to the harsh coated breed. Puddles is my Cairn Terrier. She has a soft smooth undercoat and the outer coat is somewhat harsh and wirey. I find it great because she repels most dirt and water comes off of her like a lizard. one shake and she is virtually dry. She has to be hand stripped to maintain her coat and I am learning how to do it right now. I stripped her once 2 months ago and her coat is beautiful. The harsh coat is dead hairs that need to be stripped as they change color when the hair "dies" If you clip a harsh coated breed the hairs get soft. If you use conditioner on the dog it will get soft and from what I heard is quite unmanageable and it will lose the advantage of being "weather resisitant" Hope this helps.


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## 007Dogs (Aug 22, 2007)

Sometimes it will take a terrier's outer coat sometime to begin to show hard guard hairs. But by 10 weeks old, there should be some longer hard outer hairs poking in. Not all terriers are bred equally.
Can't they get in contact with there breeder? They should be able to offer the most help with grooming.


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## yodarunner (Sep 12, 2007)

Breeder was a "friend of a friend"... "they got a good deal" ... They didn't want to listen to me... not my fault... He's not wiry or hard haired at all, but it is extremely unmanageable. I will definitely try buying him a new ahampoo though.. Thank you both a bunch, I have no clue what I'm doing...


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