The Handstripping Process
Handstripping is a time consuming process that takes anywhere between 8-10 hours of labour intensive work. It is the only grooming method acceptable if the dog were to be shown. Show dogs are stripped bald in stages to allow different lengths of hair in specific parts of the body. For example, the saddle needs to be the longest, therefore, it is stripped in week 1. The ears, head, cheeks need to be the shortest, so they are stripped in week 8, about two weeks before the show date. When I said bald, I meant literally bald.
The saddle is stripped bald in the first week,
The back of the neck, and thighs are stripped in the third to fourth weeks. You can see the hair growth on the saddle that was stripped two weeks prior.
By Week 6-8, the saddle is coming in nicely with with jet black wiry hair,
The stripping process is completed by week 8-10 with stripping of the head/furnishings.
The dog will look its best at around 2 weeks following the final stage of stripping (bald) when the hair on the ears/cheeks have grown in.
At Squaire Dog Grooming, we are not too worried about difference in hair lengths since our handstripping service gears more towards pet Terriers who would like to maintain a more traditional look (colour & texture) of the breed. We also don't strip dogs bald, instead, we leave a layer of undercoat to avoid the naked, "plucked chicken" look. That being said, the handstripping process that we do still requires patience and dedication from both the groomer as well as the owner. For larger Terriers such as the Airedale and the Irish, the stripping process is divided into 4 weekly sessions. Smaller Terrier breeds such as the Wire Fox, Welsh, Lakeland, the stripping process is divided into 2 weekly sessions.
The reason behind the divided sessions is two fold. First, I do not believe a dog should be on the grooming table for more than 3 hours a day. And second, 3-5 hours of handstripping is basically the max amount of time my hand can handle in a day. Yes, this means you would have to bring your dog back to me every week for 2-4 weeks depending on the breed. It also means that you will have a pretty funny looking dog for 1-4 weeks before the stunning finishing product.
What To Expect
Modeled by brother and sister team, Jaffa & Stella
Starting with a furry bear:
Week 1
Back of neck, saddle, tail taken off. Your dog will walk around with a fluffy head, hairy chest & legs for a week.
Week 2
Thighs, shoulders, rest of the neck and chest taken off. Dog will still walk around with a big fluffy head and fluffy legs.
Week 3
Head, clean up of the previously stripped areas. Dog will have fluffy legs that will need to be blended in the coming up week.
Week 4
Blending of leg furnishings and trimming of the skirt. Hand stripping process completed.
Two weeks after the handstripping process has been completed
Hair have grown in and the dog looks its best.
Two months after the handstripping process has been completed
Full coat has come in
Six months after handstripping process completed
About to start the cycle all over again (dog on right that is)
