Why Choose Hand Stripping?

Most terriers are non-shedding dogs. Their coats generally consist of two types of hair; the softer undercoat, and the longer wire top coat. Hand stripping is a process by which dead hair is pulled out either by hand or a stripping knife. This process allows for a new wire coat to come in, thus maintaining the colour and texture of the coat. The wire hair has a cycle in which it thickens and darkens as it starts to grow.

As the hair reaches its maximum length, it begins to lighten in colour, and gets thin/soft towards the root of the hair, making it easy to pull out. It is this characteristic of the wire hair that is responsible for loss of colouring and texture in a clipped coat. The wire hair reaches its maximum life span and begins to die off at around the 6 month mark. It is then handstripping should be done to remove the dead top coat and allow a new coat to come in. What's left after the handstripping is an even coloured, even textured undercoat until a new set of wire hair comes in.

Difference between Hand Stripping and Clipping

Some of you may wonder what is the difference between handstripping and clipping. The main difference is coat texture and colouring of the hair. Like I'd mentioned earlier, when a coat is clipped, the dead top coat doesn't get removed from the roots, and a new coat is unable to come in. Instead, it loses its texture and colour with each clipping. Pictures below are of the same Airedale. These pictures show a clipped coat,

Whereas these pictures show a stripped coat. Note the colour difference,

Another difference between a stripped coat and a clipped coat is the frequency at which grooming is required. A stripped coat grows a lot slower than a clipped coat. Usually a stripped coat lasts 5-6 months before grooming is required again, whereas a clipped coat requires grooming every 8-10 weeks. To strip, a dirty coat is required, whereas to clip, bath and blow dry before hand is essential. Lastly, a stripped coat doesn't mat at all; a clipped coat mats easily, especially if the coat is very soft