How to Strip a Wirehair

[Lambygyrl]

Hello all Wirehair owners... can someone please tell me how to hand strip? I know about pulling out the dead hair, etc - but he doesn't like it!! :pullhair: I think I need a few pointers on how to make this as pain free as possible, because from now on I'd like to do it myself. I trim his nails, beard, brows, and between the pads of his toes already, but its the stripping thing he hates :eekdevil: so maybe I'm not doing it correctly.

(last time we went to the groomer he came home with an upper respiratory infection and a rub mark on his snout from being stuck in wire crate)

Thanks - any and all tips are greatly appreciated!

[anniesdoxies]

Hi, We just added our first wirehair to our family. I too want to hand strip myself, but have no idea what I am doing. I called around and not many breeders around here NH even do it. We finally found some one an hour away. I told her that I wanted to learn how to do it myself. So we made an appointment for Willie (the 12th). It's a day the shop is closed and does the hard to deal with customers. She is going to spend the afternoon teaching me how to groom him properly. It's going to be a little expensive, but I will be able to do it on my own after that. From what I understand you really need someone to show you how to do it properly. Maybe you can find a different groomer, who can show you how it's done. Good luck.

[kpm_tex]

It really does help to have some one show you how. I didn't even attempt to really go at Bart until Cindi stripped his head and I had no choice but to do the rest of him :)
The basic process is to hold the skin taut with one hand, and with the other take a pinch of the longer hairs and pull straight back with the grain of the hair. Once you get the hang of it you can go much faster. Now.. how easy does his hair strip out? If you are having to yank you are either taking to much at a time or he may just have a hard coat to strip... like Badgers.
To get him used to the process I would start on the body... doing the shoulders and back seems to be the easiest at first. Do just a little bit at a time...don't try to do it all at one sitting. Bart went around looking very weird for about a month before I finally was satisfied.... and I used a clippers on his undersides tail and butt... those are all areas they generally don't like messed with. http://members.aol.com/msbritmor/hndstrip.html and
http://members.aol.com/msbritmor/rolling.html has some good pictures and explanations.. but remember this site is explaining grooming for schnauzers so some stuff would not apply to wires

[Dackel-Mom]

I have a stripping knife and a lava stone. With the stripping knife it's a breeze, and the lava stone will get the last of the dead hairs out and smooth the coat over. I would NOT clip a wirehair dachshund, because it makes the hair grow out really soft and causes it to lose it's coarseness. (Unless you don't care, if your wire is a wire no more. :D )
I wish I could strip Maisie, but she's too traumatized to even get brushed with anything other than a vegetable-brush at this point. :blush:

[kpm_tex]

Not all wires are created equal. I prefer the feel of the wire coat when it's stripped... but in Merry's case she is pretty much single coated and while her hair is easy to strip she would be completly naked if I did strip her. Badger's coat is *thick* and he has a lot of it, it grows fast and it doesn't come out easy. He was stripped when he was being shown and I'm sure it was a pain in the butt to keep him in show coat... Now that he is with me and just doing the things he doesn't have to look great for I don't see a need to torture both him and me by trying to strip him :) So, as much as I hate it .. and the fact that it has caused him to become so light colored and soft... he gets the clippers. Ask Cindi about how she reacts every time someone mentions what a beautiful color and soft coat Badger has :rofl:

[Mark]

STRIPPING THE COAT

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.

We hope it helps today . . . as it did then. :)

[Lambygyrl]

Thanks everyone for the great information. I am going to give it a try this coming week. Maybe I'll try & call around for another groomer, but I hesitate to let anyone pick up the Scootman (not even DH !!!) now that his back is so much better. I'm going to give it another try on the hand stripping this week, and if it takes me a month to finish, its ok!

[kpm_tex]

Not sure what part of the country you are located in but I called around to a number of grooming shops in my immediate area and none knew what I meant by hand stripping. I know there are some out there that do it ... but they are hard to find. I think that has to do mostly with the amount of time it takes vs a regular clippering

[Cindi]

Not all wires are created equal. I prefer the feel of the wire coat when it's stripped... but in Merry's case she is pretty much single coated and while her hair is easy to strip she would be completly naked if I did strip her. Badger's coat is *thick* and he has a lot of it, it grows fast and it doesn't come out easy. He was stripped when he was being shown and I'm sure it was a pain in the butt to keep him in show coat... Now that he is with me and just doing the things he doesn't have to look great for I don't see a need to torture both him and me by trying to strip him :) So, as much as I hate it .. and the fact that it has caused him to become so light colored and soft... he gets the clippers. Ask Cindi about how she reacts every time someone mentions what a beautiful color and soft coat Badger has :rofl:

I'm beginning to think Karen sets me up on purpose to hear that final statement. It makes me just cringe <G> Becuase after they say how pretty and soft that blonde coat is they ask where they can get one *JUST LIKE THAT*. help2:

As Karen said, wires come with a variety of coat textures and densities and unfortunately, single or double coated. The single coated dogs are normally softer as the only coat they received from their genetic code was undercoat. Some few ones do have just the outer harsh coat but the result is the same - if you strip them you have skin showing.

Very few grooming shops will know what handstripping even is because they are not acquainted with various techniques in grooming - 99.9% have never even seen a dog show much less gone to one to see how the breeds are SUPPOSED to look and how they are supposed to be groomed. My friend does a few outside strip jobs and she charges $40 an hour. I don't do any outside strip jobs as I have 4 of my own wires - 2 of which are clipped :)

Stripping knives also come without the *knife* part Mark was describing. I have never used that type of knife because in untrained hands it just cuts the hair (similar to clipping). I use McClelland knives and there are other brands out there. Experimentation will let you know what fits your hand. Then there is ALWAYS using just your fingers. I've been told by several terrier people they frequently use the rubber *thumbs* from office supply stores to get a better grip.

GOOD LUCK on handstripping. It is normally VERY well worth the effort!

Cindi

[Lambygyrl]

I'm working on stripping the Scootman... little by little - taking Karen's advice. :D He doesn't like the "attention" to his back and butt :eekdevil: -- so far I've taken out 2 huge handfuls and he already looks better - less like a furrball & more like a doxie ... stripped his head & ears, and I hope to trim him up this weekend & continue the stripping process. I always keep his beard & eyes trimmed -- just have to do the other parts to get him looking somewhat presentable!

Even if I COULD find a groomer, I've just been advised not to take him because of his back problem -- the pulling of the leash on the neck, and stress of standing for a long period won't be helpful to his continuing improvement. So I'll be stripping away on my lonesome here...

[Cindi]

If he has back issues, standing for grooming would not be good for him. Letting him lie on your lap would be the easiest on everyone....well, maybe not always you!

Cindi

[kpm_tex]

I'm beginning to think Karen sets me up on purpose to hear that final statement. It makes me just cringe <G> Becuase after they say how pretty and soft that blonde coat is they ask where they can get one *JUST LIKE THAT*. help2:

:sofunny: I just find it sadistically amusing !

[Cindi]

:sofunny: I just find it sadistically amusing !

YOU are one sick individual :sick012: :dizzy2: :lala: :bighug:

[Frzframe]

I have a wire boy and he has a lot of fur. I mean A LOT of it. It took me days on end to get him down to his undercoat because he didn't want to sit for hours on end for me to finally get him done. I go slow but toward the end of it I was getting pretty darn good at it.

I say go slow and give yummy treats when your done with a session cause I know that helped my boy want to sit awhile because he knew that he'd get something good after it was all said and done.

[Frzframe]

photos of Dudley.

http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/frzframe88/Mizti/th_dudsmile.jpg


Here you can see that I have his shoulder done. :)
http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/frzframe88/Mizti/th_dudfur4.jpg

Here he is all done!!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/frzframe88/Canon/dudley3.jpg

[Cindi]

Excellent groom job! :party6:

Cindi

[Mark]

When it's done right . . . there's nothing cuter, to me, than a Wire in their underwear. ;)

[Irminsul]

You did a great job! :appl:

Now, can you come to my house and do Tinki?

[Frzframe]

Now, can you come to my house and do Tinki?


Only if you want me to stay a couple of weeks. :lol:

[Irminsul]

Come on over! I have a really comfy sleeper couch!

You carry your own dachsies up and down four flights of steps :)

[Me&DappledDuo]

WOW- Dudley looks like he could REALLY be Woody's brother, now! :lol:

GREAT job, Shonda!!!

[Frzframe]

I know Chrissie I got the boy with all the fur!!!

[Dachshundrsq]

Ahhh Ha!
Proof, Blk/Tan Wires CAN and DO hav double coats!
I can't tell you how many times I get told that Blk/Tan Wires don't have double coats. 98% of mine have double coats. Dudley looks GREAT! I wish Austin looked so nice .... :rofl:

[Frzframe]

Well you know Beckie you did get after me for Dudley's overgrown dust mop. :lol:

[Cindi]

Yes, Beckie, I agree black and tans CAN have double coats but, since it is a genetic trait :), once you have a single coated black and tan and you are breeding it is quite likely you will get it again and again but if you are lucky and have the double coated/proper coated ones, you are genetically more likely to KEEP it! I love a good black and tan <G> So much expression in their faces!!

Many of the dogs that come from less than reputable places have owners that have not a CLUE as to the proper coat.....they wouldn't be advertising the *rare soft wires* <G> otherwise.

Cindi

[Poncho]

Great stripping job on Dudley!

[karob]

Does it EVER stop coming out?!

Although I will never say "never" - but I never want to use any kind of blade on this new kid (pictured here at about 10 months old; 1 yr on June 30).
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8982/gimlic10months0af.jpg http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5383/gimlic10monthsface1tr.jpg
... but OI! I just keep pickin' and pickin' and it's a never ending 'garden of hair.' I swear I pulled out enough for a kitten or small dog yesterday... and it was only the right side! Most of what seems to be coming out is the undercoat though.

I'm guessing the beginning of summertime is the worst 'molting' time - but I can only guess (as well) he'd be cooler with it gone. Before he came home, I read up on the grooming, so have him accustomed to my pulling and picking at him... and he stays still for it for a good time... yet, again, there's so much, I feel like I've only done one side four times - with the same amount (a lot) coming out each time! I *do* know it's getting better, but I keep finding places I've missed or are releasing now or again.

These are the other two Doggus Rottonus - the 11 year old miniature smooth reds - all three being Phlor Sharks. The black/white pic is Tasselhof Burrfoot - the 'cripple' one. He was in a cart for about a year and a half, sans surgery, and now walks like a drunken sailor in his hind end, but WALKS. He still needs help with toilette, but it's all adaptable to him and my schedule and needs. You can see how thin his hind quarters are - the muscle atrophy - we tried therapy for a while, but he hated it so much... and he's walking... so something went right. No need to put a dog down if he goes down - check out AbleDogs (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AbleDogs/) and Dodger's List (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dodgerslist/) for more information
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3416/tasbw7pk.jpg
The other red is Radar O'Reilly - as you can see insane about his toys. Radar and Tas are littermates born in the old Panama Canal Zone - their dad was a Panamanian show champ. Gimli has a hunting line (dachshunds are treated as 'real' dogs here, as opposed to darling and wonderful furkids -- they hunt a lot of stuff - deer, woverine, fox (http://www.tannenwichtl.at/html/jagdfotos_2.html) warning - hunting pictures)http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7853/radarmine9kx.jpg
So... now that I've gone far afield of the original topic and successfully shared probably way too much.
THE END...