' Welcome to the Kerry Blue Terrier Association Website Grooming Page.
We hope that you will find the information on this site helpful, whether you are a newcomer to the breed, an experienced exhibiter or commercial groomer.
The coat of a Kerry Blue is it's crowning glory, but without regular grooming and trimming, it can soon look very shabby and unkempt. Most people who buy a pet Kerry cope very well for the first few months, but as the coat matures and becomes more profuse, problems can arise. We all have very busy lives and sometimes the basic grooming gets put aside. Before we know where we are we have a tangled mess instead of a lovely glossy coat and to try to comb this out is very frustrating for the owner and not terribly pleasant for the dog.
Here are some basic tips for the everyday maintenance of the Kerry Blue coat.
Your grooming box should contain a slicker brush, a metal comb with medium spaced teeth, pliers-type nail clippers, ear powder, ear cleaner, a good all purpose shampoo and conditioner.
Twice a week thoroughly but carefully brush the coat making sure that you get down to the skin. Don't neglect the difficult areas such as the armpits, behind the ears and the beard. Comb through the coat afterwards to make sure there are no tangles left.
Once a month lightly dust the inner flap of the ear with ear powder and gently pull out any hair visible in the opening. This is very important as a build up of hair in the ear will encourage debris to collect with a possible result of ear mites and infections. Finally clean the ear with ear cleaner.Clip the TIPS ONLY of the nails.
Again once a month a thorough bath and condition will keep the Kerry coat in tip top condition. Always use a dog shampoo/conditioner and always follow the label instructions. Make sure the coat is completely rinsed-if you leave shampoo or conditioner in then your dog will have a dull and greasy coat as a result and possibly irritated skin. The Kerry can be left to dry naturally in a warm area in the winter or outside on a warm Summer day.
The Kerry Blue trim is very distinctive and most people with pet Kerries will need the services of a groomer. Unfortunately very few groomers can trim a Kerry properly and some of the results can be truly ghastly. Please find below a list of UK groomers who can turn out a Kerry Blue properly. You should be able to expect these groomers to be able to attend to all the maintenance grooming mentioned above and to be able to trim your Kerry correctly.
 
Warwickshire  Peter Ensell 01827 714667 email morethanmutts@yahoo.co.uk
Yorkshire  Joanne Angus and Zoe Duffy 01535661776 email enquiries@looknorth.net
London Heidi Anderton and Colin Taylor 020 8857 2888 c.taylor20@btinternet.com
Devon / Cornwall  Eve Somers 01579 383004 email eveskerrys@tiscali.co.uk
Staffs Jitka Krizova 07928 809992 email vitacanis@hotmail.co.uk

There will be available shortly a grooming DVD featuring the trimming of the Kerry Blue for show and pet. Please contact Eve Somers above for details.
We will be adding more information to this page over the next few weeks, but if you have any problems regarding grooming then please contact either Peter Ensell or Eve Somers ( details above ) in the first instance '