[Brandonium]

Hello all!

I have a 5 month old Welsh terrier that the greatest. I've contacted a few groomers in the area regarding stripping since I want to keep his texture but all I ever seem to get as a response is that it's painful to the terrier and cruel. Then they proceed to recommend clipping (I finally gave in this time). The thing that chaps me is that many breed owners say it doesn't hurt the terrier since the hair is dead, etc. but I hate being made out to be ignorant and cruel when inquiring about this! Does anyone here have a terrier with a wire coat that can chime in? Here are a few things I am afraid of:

1). I'm told that clipping changes the color of the coat and that it starts to fade. Is this true?
2). I'm also told that clipping changes the texture and that the wirey coat will not return when clipped. True/False?
3). Will having him clipped once start this process or can I let the coat grow out again and start having him stripped down the road for his coat to return?

Many Thanks,
Brandon

[digits mama]

1) Yes... Clipping can possibly turn the coat drab. Now I have been told it varies from breed to breed, But the Cairns I have met, You can tell if they have been clipped or not.
2) Yes....When you strip your dog, the hairs grow back weather resistant. Such as..My girls jump in the pond and when they emerge and shake, they are virtually dry. When you clip them it softens the hair, and makes it more prone to mat.
3)Yes...It may take a time or 2 but it will grow back as you like.

Stripping is not cruel...My girls love to be stripped...As long as you are just taking off the dead hairs it doesnt seem to be a problem.Mine turn into wet noodles when being stripped.

I have found that working in the shampoo with a pumice stone does wonders.. If you have any more questions PM me and I will try to help.

[Love's_Sophie]

If I actually had a terrier that needed stripping, I would do it; you are indeed only pulling dead already releasing coat...I don't like the 'soft' texture that clipping does to a terrier, and love the more natural look of the dog being stripped out.

To be honest, you can accomplish alot of it yourself by getting a Furminator (or other similar shedding tool) and a Coat King rake; these both remove the loose dead coat, leaving the lovely undercoat beneath...AND do not change the texture of the coat, you just get a lovely natural look of a stripped dog.

I am guessing that the reason those groomers refuse to do hand strip outs is that they have never been properly taught...sad...because a terrier looks so nice being hand stripped, especially the ones that don't have a set 'pattern' per say, just require stripping of the coat in general. Border Terriers are an example of that instance; they don't have much skirting, and little hair on their legs, so when they are handstripped, the dog's body matches the leg\skirt length.

For your dog, it is topline that gets most of the stripping, because you leave a skirt, and legs on these dogs. Hand stripping blends the pattern easier too, because you don't have to be concerned about clipper lines, and can choose to take or leave as much of the coat as you want...

[Brandonium]

Great! Thanks for the responses. So what is the procedure I follow for going back to stripping now that he's been clipped? If the hair is dead and needs to be stripped and it's been cut down then how do I get it out?

[skelaki]

Find a terrier person (go to some shows) and ask him/her to teach you how to strip. Clipping can ruin a dog for show but most pet groomers do not know how to strip a coat. The best thing to do is to ask an experienced terrier person, but I doubt that one clipping would run a coat forever. But I would not allow anyone to do it again.

[Kyllobernese]

We raised and showed Scottish Terriers for years. The ones we showed were all hand stripped, when they were retired we clipped them. Once they were clipped you could never get that harsh coat again as it made their coats very soft. Our Scotties never seemed to mind being stripped but it was so much easier to just keep them clipped once they were not being shown but it did ruin their coats.

[digits mama]

I would wait 6 months before stripping after a clip...Pudds Breeder told me the way to tell when they need stripping is when the hair parts down the middle of her back...I hope that helps..

[Graco22]

You can probably bring the coat back since the clipping was only once. Hopefully it wasn't a super short cut on the pattern, it will help if they didn't go really short. I too, would wait at least 3 months. You have to wait because the coat needs to grow back out, and "blow" meaning die off and be ready to pull. Otherwise you are pulling alive hair, and that is why some people say it hurts. It does NOT hurt if done correctly. People that say it hurts the dog are not educated on stripping, and that is why they say that. You will need to research groomers, and find a groomer that is experience in hand stripping. You can look for groomers online as well. I don't know if I can post a link, so I assume the moderator will remove it if I can't. www.findagroomer.com Ask questions, ask to see pictures, make sure they know what they are doing and that your dog will be hand stripped/plucked. Some groomers use the term "stripping" as meaning a shavedown. If you decide to keep clippering, that is fine, many pets are clippered. BUT, you will lose the black and red coloring, and that nice harsh texture that stays so clean. You will end up with curly, poodly hair, in gray and buff color. I have an airedale of my own, and he loves to be stripped. Lays flat on the table and snoozes.