Airedale terrier has a fur coat with strong wired hairs. This fur coat protects them from the weather and this is their protective shield. When you own a dog of this breed, you must take good care of their body. Keeping their coat clean needs regular brushing and bathing.
Regular grooming is a part of taking care of the terriers. So other than bathing, you also need to brush the coat and remove the dirt or dead coat. Rubbing them with a towel also is a part of their grooming session.
Airedale terriers come with a short and dense coat, which is low on maintenance. This is a cause of their popularity. The owners who seek some dog breed that takes little time to get groomed or maintained often adopt Airedale Terrier.
Due to the short-haired coat, this breed of dog also sheds less. That is another benefit of the dog owners as they need to clean the couch much less than the owner of other breeds.
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How often should you bath the Airedale Terrier?
As this dog is from the colder region, you do not have to bathe it regularly on alternate days or thrice a week. Rather you can wash it when it starts smelling bad. That is the easiest way to know when it needs a bath. Though this dog often loves to go out in the garden, and get dirty. That is the time you cannot do without a bath.
You have to brush its long fur coat and in the process, you will understand how much dirt is gathered on the coat. If you find the hairs getting too dirty or greasy then you can give it a bath with shampoo. They do not need as much bathing as some of their other types.
Does Airedale Terrier love to swim?
As this breed of terrier love to spend time outdoor and are much energetic in nature, they can swim. They are also much fond of any outdoor activities like running, playing, and fetch. If you can arrange for a pool your Airedale Terrier will prefer to swim the whole afternoon.
What to do when the Airedale Terrier itches?
Itchiness is not always related to dirt or dust. So if your Airedale terrier is itching, you can check for the allergens that it has faced recently. Unlike humans, the allergy symptoms among dogs are often shown by itchiness. This is a common skin allergy problem and the itching areas are the belly, the feet, and the skin folds. When the Airedale Terrier becomes one year old this problem starts to arise. This can be trouble if you do not take the dog to the vet or give proper medication.
Now we can discuss a few things about the grooming of the Airedale Terrier.
What is the procedure for washing the Airedale Terrier?
You need to give the Airedale Terrier a full bath once in two months or until it gets too dirty. You have to apply dog shampoo and rinse the coat in the direction of hair growth. Make sure that the rubs are not too hard or it can be annoying for the Airedale Terrier.
Can a drier be used to dry the coat of the Airedale Terrier?
It is better not to use hair dried on the coat of the dog to dry it. Natural air is the best way to let the coat get dried. The hot air that is blown from the hairdryer often causes damage to the coat of the Airedale Terrier. It loses the luster and if you hold the blow dryer too close to the body of the dog, the heat will be given a burning sensation to the dog.
Which shampoo is to be used to wash the Airedale Terrier?
Do not use any human shampoo to wash the dog. The ingredients present in the human shampoo are not good for the dog skin and coat, in fact, most of them are much harmful. So choose a good quality dog shampoo and prefer the one which has natural ingredients in it.
How to apply the shampoo to the dog’s coat?
You first need to wet the dog’s coat thoroughly. Let the dog enjoy the bath by sprinkling water on it. Or else you can let the dog sit or stand on a bathtub and let the shower or tap be on. When they are fully wet you can put off the water source and start applying shampoo. Most owners prefer to apply shampoo directly on the coat, but you can take it on your palm and rub it against the other palm.
When it starts to lather, you can apply it to the coat of the dog, and rinse it through the whole body. Take special care when cleaning the paw, area behind the ears, belly, and tail. You have to be cautious about not letting the water or the shampoo in the earholes as that can cause bacterial infection.
After a few minutes of a good massage, you can use a shower to wash the shampoo off the dog’s body. This time you need to be careful to wash off all the shampoo and make sure that no remnants are left. If the shampoo or the lather remains after wash, it will cause the breeding of microbes. This will be the cause of the body odor of the dog.
How to treat the Airedale Terrier if it has ticks or fleas?
For the Airedale Terrier which has flea or tick in their coat, you should get some specialized medicated dog shampoo. A few are available over the counter, but you can take the suggestion of the vet before getting one. Some of these medicated shampoos contain harsh chemicals which may not be good for your dog coat.
When do you need to be cautious and stop bathing the dog?
When the dog is suffering from a cold or any kind of skin irritation problem, you should not bath it as per the regular schedule. Sometimes the sore area gets worse when it comes to contact with water. Make sure that the scar or wound is regularly treated with ointment. Take help from the vet to know if you can bathe the dog or you have to leave out the scar area.
Sometimes the dog suffers from cold and they have severe pain in their ears. This also happens when wax buildup in the ear tunnel increases. You can treat the dog by taking it to the vet and that way you will be making sure if you can bathe it or not. Also if the water drops enter the ear canal. It causes severe ear pain by treating fungal or microbial infection. Do not give the affected Airedale a bath before you clean the ear canal with the help of the vet.
Conclusion:
Bathing is not the only part of grooming an Airedale Terrier. You need to be careful about trimming the hair of the fur coat and also clip their nails. All these can be taken care of by professional dog groomers, but if you are a devoted parent and wish to try your hand on new things, you are welcome to bathe, trim and clip your dog to turn it to be a beautiful creature.
More:
- 6 Best Harnesses For Airedale Terriers
- 5 Best Dog Bed For Airedale Terrier
- 5 Best Dog Crates For Airedale Terriers
