The King of Terriers, the Airedale, is an uncommon breed in many parts of the country.Airedales, the largest of the wire-coated terriers, can be 23 inches tall at the shoulder, with a strong, muscular build. Like many terriers, they have unique facial hair that sets them apart from other breeds, and groomers not used to working on this breed may find setting the proper pattern on their faces a little tricky.
I asked award-winning groomer Heather Roozee if she would share some tips to help groomers get the pattern right when working on pet Airedales. Heather is the owner/groomer/handler of one of the top-winning Airedales in the country. She generously agreed to help others polish their skills when working on her favorite breed.
“Airedales are frequently referred to as a “head” breed, so getting the heads correct is SO important, even in pet grooming. They have a goatee, not a beard.” This is an essentialdistinction because shaping the face of this breed is different than on some of the more common terriers we find on our tables. “Clip the under jaw with a reverse 7F, up to the canine tooth, and then use a 30 blade inside the fold of the lower lip. Use that 7F, with or against the grain on the cheeks, from just behind the ear to just behind the eye. 7F the top of the head to just behind the occiput.” Let your hand gently guide the clipper to skim or float the blade on the coat on the top of the head as you reach the back of the skull. Don’t clip tightly from the top of the head at the occiput into the neck, or you will leave a dent where the neck and head join. Roozee continues, “With thinners, blend the cheeks to the muzzle, shaping so that no hair on the muzzle (except the bit of mustache at the very end) sticks out past the cheeks, even when combed out. Separate the eyebrows with thinners at the inside corner of each eye, and blend the brows into the top skull as if they are one piece. From profile, with ears forward, the head should be one plane, from occiput to nose, and the brows should not stick up and should be tight at the outside corner of the eye.” The head furnishings should never look bushy or fluffy on an Airedale.
Once you have that head looking picture-perfect, blend from the top of the head into the neck and body coat to achieve a smooth transition. Pet Airedales look best with a little texture left to their jacket, so using a snap-on comb or a 4 or 5 skip-toothed blade here is often a good choice.
A well-groomed Airedale is lovely to see, and learning how to achieve the proper pattern on their unique heads is a good skill set to add to your grooming bag of tricks.
