Coat Rejuvenation
Hand stripping is a specialized kind of grooming service where instead of cutting the hair using clippers or scissors a groomer plucks the hair using special tools (knives and stones) or their fingers. This technique is only used on dogs with wire hair structure.
More about Coat Rejuvenation
Hand stripping is a dying art and there are few groomers who offer this service.I choose to hand strip the whole dog, only skipping small areas a few dogs are sensitive about (belly, feet, rear).
It is a myth that hand stripping is painful. A groomer pulls the dead, dull looking coat (called blown) that is ready to be removed and a new hair follicle is waiting to grow in their place. I will also remove (cards & rakes) undercoat, further promoting new root growth.
There are so many benefits to hand stripping instead of clipping your wirehaired dog:
Promotes skin health – if a wirehaired dog is clipped instead of being stripped, the dead coat that begs to be removed stays in the skin, preventing new hair follicles from growing, causing sebum overproduction which shows itself as skin bumps, greasiness and general skin irritation.
Protection from elements and dirt – wiry coat doesn’t easily get wet and acts as a repellent against rain and snow.
Almost no maintenance needed in between your professional groomer’s visits – wiry hair very rarely gets matted. I noticed it gets matted on certain parts of the dog where its more receptive to friction like under arms, bellies & around the neck. The area around the harness if one is used. Lastly, the final results are beautiful. You will notice a shine to the coat when it is completed. The thick hair structure, laying flat, rich in color and looking shiny compared to thin, soft dawn like hairs with dull diluted color if it was clipped instead.
I perform hand stripping on all dogs with wire hair structure whenever possible, and that does not only include purebred dogs. Some mixed breed dogs quite surprisingly have amazing, easy to pull wiry hair and we prefer to strip them instead of clipping to preserve the natural beauty, low maintenance and functionality of their coats.
Nail trimming, ear clipping and sanitary trim are included. I will also bathe your dog after the stripping is done. If you prefer I don’t bathe your dog, please let me know in advance.