Stripping A Wirehair Dachshund

[Patricia Levi]

Hi All

I need help..... My six month old wirehair (Gateway) has an appointment to have a day of beauty at the groomers. He is scheduled to be stripped.

My husband wants me to cancel the appointment, because he thinks Gateway looks cute all shaggy. I agree he does look cute, however I want to do what is right for his coat, and if I do strip it will it grow in fluffier thicker and or curly.

If I do have him stripped will it ruin his soft spiky doo.

Also will stripping him help with this constant shedding!!!!!

Any and all advice from Wirehair owners will be greatly appreciated.

Gateway, my hubby and myself thank you in advance.

[Patt]

Good questions. I'm unable to help on this one but we have members with wires and they have shown pics before and after. I love the after pics they are so beautiful when nicely trimmed. Looking forward to reading the replies you will receive. :D

[kpm_tex]

Cindi could probably answer this best... but yes.. stripping gets rid of the dead hair and will eliminate the shedding.

I have mine clipped... gets the same look but the hair turns softer. Dogs being shown have to be stripped since it keeps the coats natural characteristics.

My opinion is that they look best trimmed up... if I wanted a dog that looked like a lahsa apso.. well that's what I would have gotten.

I think the Gateway will be more comfortable too. If he's left with all that fluffy under coat matting will be a problem too.

[Mark]

Actually his coat may improve with stripping . . . . if *hand stripped*. Some groomers sheer wirehairs and call it stripping. :(

If you would like, you can strip him yourself. It does seem to improve their coats very much.

Here's how:

Wire Dachsies have a "double-coat". There is a longer, harsh top coat with a dense, woolly undercoat beneath. Two or three times a year the long, dead top coat will need to be plucked out to allow the new top coat to grow in. Wires have the advantage of not moulting like other dogs.

You can take your pet wire to a grooming parlour to have his coat stripped or you can, with time and patience, do it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself, choose a time when the dog is relaxed and lying quietly beside you.

Starting at the neck, raise a fold of skin with one hand - you will see the long hairs of the top coat standing away from the woolly
undercoat. Taking a few of the long top coat hairs between the finger and thumb of your other hand, pluck them out. If the coat is ready to come out, the top coat will come away easily without distressing the dog.

Continue down one side of the dog, then the other and down the back, until the dog is in his undercoat all over. This could take several sessions over a few days to achieve. Be kind and firm and patient at all times.

Finally, tidy the tail and legs with a stripping knife (a blade between two combs) which can be obtained from pet shops and dog
shows.

Once or twice a year is recommended . . . Again Cindi has more expertise in this area than anyone we know.

Good luck in whatever you decide and keep us posted. :)

[doxunzX3]

When I had a wire I just clipped him down occasionally. He had a super good coat and it still had the wire texture. But it does make a difference. I had tried to hand strip and with the stripping blade. But I only did a little at a time. To do it all at once would be hard for them to sit and take. Most of my friends with wires just do it will watching tv a little at a time. There dogs are so used to it they could care less.
You'll have to let us know how it turns out. And if the hubby will let you do it again? :dog:

[Frzframe]

strip Dudley myself. I did his head and shoulders. Then I got the stripping knife and thinned his back. He did not like me to touch his legs so I ended up taking him in and having him shaved. I really just wanted him stripped but the place I took him doesn't do that (I guess). I plan on working with him until he let's me do it myself but that might take a while.

He looks cute though both ways.

[Patricia Levi]

Well I took your advice

I started to hand strip him myself. He actually seems to enjoy it. He just layed on my lap while I was pulling away. The hair was flying all over..... What a mess. I took him outside to do it and I know I did not get it all, however my question now is how do you know when you are done?

The hair on his legs is feathered and wispy like a longhair, so I may keep his spa appointment and just have him done up by a pro. just to see what he should look like.

[Mark]

the harsh topcoat is gone leaving only the wooly undercoat. A common reference to this is that they are in their underwear. :D

Don't forget about these pros though . . . .as I said
Some groomers sheer wirehairs and call it stripping.

Do keep us posted. :)

[Cindi]

Not only do I raise and show mini wires I am also a dog groomer for a living. Clipping/shearing a wirehair coat will eventually (unless you are very lucky) thicken, soften and lighten the color of your dog's coat. Handstripping will keep the coat as harsh as it can be (some colors just can't be as harsh as others) and as deep a color as it genetically was meant to be. Handstripping will also keep the thickness of the coat, the amount of undercoat, down to a minimum which is what you want.

When you handstrip you are also trying to maintain more than one coat length if possible. Once you have the harsh outer coat out and are down to the underwear (only possible if you have a double coated wire which if you have a black and tan or a soft-coated wheaten you may not and even some other colors occasionally do not have an undercoat), you have accomplished stage one. Yes, if you can you should strip out the legs to keep the color but if you have left this go too long....well, scissoring may be your easiest choice. You want to make *tubes* of the legs and not have them shaved down to little twigs <G>

Stage 2 of stripping occurs when the top coat is visible and is about 1/4" long or slightly longer. Then you want to strip out the undercoat <G> if possible. Yes that needs to come out, too, occasionally. If you have a stripping knife of the other variety than was described ie a Hauptner (I don't use it because I can cause too much damage) or one of the wooden handled ones or my favorites which are yellow and red coating over metal - these are single blades/combs/knives. (The knife word gives the wrong impression to my mind.) You can use these as a rake, also, to just get the excess undercoat out on the body AND the legs and in the beard when you don't really want to *strip*. They are excellent to use on longhairs to pull out the undercoat, too. NOT the ones described in a previous post with a real blade in them, though.

If your dog has lots and lots of coat I can discuss *rolling* the coat.

Cindi

PS If you take your dog in to a groomer, most of them don't know what a wirehair should look like and they either leave a skirt like a cocker and a flag on the tail or they take everything off. If they can groom a Wire Fox Terrier to actually resemble one, that is the closest trim I have found that most pet groomers can imitate. Most pet groomers have never been to a dog show to know what the actual breeds should look like - they've only seen pictures OR they've only been asked for *strips* so they truly haven't had much practice. Grooming a dog to resemble a picture is as difficult as putting a hairdo on a client - for instance I always want thick and curly and I have thin and stick straight hair (at least my beautician has a sense of humor after 15 years <GG>)

[Me&DappledDuo]

Wow. Really. WOW. There's just SOOO much work in those handsome coats!

You really must love what you do, Cindi. :)

[Cindi]

http://blazeman.com/dbb/7kphoto5-4.jpg
This is Harper - the grown up version of the puppies I had him (*Him* being Blazeman :bounce: as I'm technologically inept - he did this one, too!!! ) post pictures of last year <G> This was taken at a show where he took a Group 4 at 14.5 months of age.


I do love my 4 legged kids and I love showing. Let me rephrase - I love agility and I love exhibiting my kids but I'm not fond of going IN the conformation ring <G> It's stressful! I do it because I know my dogs are good and deserve it but I prefer the agility ring.

If your dog has a good coat the grooming is not time consuming. Getting the good coat is the difficult part and Harper is the 3rd dog I have owned with a good coat and he has the best coat of all of them if you like to do little grooming :) Before these boys, I liked LOTS of furnishings so had to to hours and hours of grooming.

Cindi

[kpm_tex]

I can attest. Harper is just as stunning in person as in the picture!! Great picture.. love the way they did the background

[Cindi]

Thanks Karen!!!

Now, I will confess....I clip two of mine <G> They aren't shown in conformation anymore, are neutered, grow more hair and have less patience with me. Both have good coats and would be not-so-time consuming as my old bloodlines would have been BUT my hands and wrists are getting older and I'm trying to save them. Clipping is MUCH faster for both of us, they still look good and they think they are gorgeous. From a distance one would not be able to tell they aren't stripped other than they are very even on their bodies <G> and much shorter than I keep the *boys*.

Cindi

PS It is also a wonderful way to show people - this is the clipped version and this is the how they are SUPPOSED to feel <g>