Hand stripping Technique

Every breed has different grooming requirements based on their hair type. No matter what the breed of dog, regular grooming is important for their hair health. But “regular” is different for every breed. For example, a poodle may require grooming as often as every week to keep them soft, clean and free of tangles. But for some dogs, grooming is a little more complicated because they have a wirier coat that requires a technique called hand stripping, instead of traditional grooming with a clipper and scissors.

Hand stripping is a unique way to remove excess hair, or undercoat, from their dog’s coat, instead of the common grooming which is clipping or cutting the top layer of the hair on a dog’s coat. As the name describes, hand stripping is done by holding the hair and pulling from the root so a new coat is able to grow.

Breeds with wire coats are most healthy when this wire coat is removed and all that’s left is the soft coat. But when you clip a wired-hair dog’s coat instead of hand stripping it, you’re not only taking off the top layer of dead fur instead of removing it, but the coat may change over time with each clipping and become dull in texture and a different color. Hand stripping on the other hand, if done regularly, will maintain the wire coat strong and shiny.

If hand stripping is done correctly, the dog won’t feel any pain. The longest and mature hairs (in wire-hair breeds only) comes out very easily and the dogs aren’t bothered by it. The very first time a dog gets hand stripping it may feel uncomfortable just because he/she isn’t used to the feeling. The first time we start small and only do a small amount of hand stripping. With every consecutive grooming, we can work up to the normal amount so they can adjust and have a pleasant experience.

When it comes to hand stripping, it is more about the type of coat than the breed of dog. Of course, certain dog breeds more commonly have wiry coats so you can identify them as requiring hand stripping based. Some examples of these breeds are like Bother terrier, Schnauzer, Airedale, Carrier terrier and more. The type of coat that requires hand-stripping produces two types of hair – the undercoat is soft, thin hair fibers and dense in volume, while the top coat is longer, with thick hair fibers and wiry.