# Learning to hand strip a Westie puppy



## LuzRdgz (Apr 7, 2016)

Hi there, I have a 4 month old Westie puppy who is in desperate need for grooming, her coat is very blown already. I have been doing a ton of research on stripping, learning why it's best for terrier breeds and I really am against clipping her coat. 

However, I can't find any groomers who perform this in my area. There are no Westie breeders where I live (I got her from another town), so I thought looking for a Schnauzer breeder would work, since they also get hand stripped. So anyway, I found one who also offered grooming services, called, and as soon as I mentioned stripping the guy asked if I planned to show my puppy and I said no. From there he just started listing all the disadvantages from stripping non-show dogs. He said it was a constant and very expensive procedure (which I already knew and am willing to pay for it), but he also said that it was VERY painful for dogs and it wasn't worth it for pets. Of all the things I've read about stripping, which has been A LOT, all agree on the fact that it is not painful if performed correctly. Actually, I have pulled my puppy's hair while she's on my lap and she doesn't seem to mind at all. So, anyway, I hung up and have been at a loss of what to do. 

Would you still consider stripping even after what this guy said? I've been thinking about learning to do it by myself. I know it's time consuming, which I don't mind, but I just don't want to ruin my puppy's coat by self teaching.


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## lookithaslegs (Oct 2, 2015)

I am not an expert by any means. I have a 6 month old Border terrier puppy and I also decided that I want to hand strip him. 
I started by doing small patches at a time, and his problem was boredom not pain. He was quite happy to sit there and let me strip it out. I don't know about where you are, but except for show people the norm for Westies and Schnauzers is to clip. So a lot of people don't consider stripping as an option. I've never heard of it being painful as long as you are careful and take it slow around sensitive areas.

I think as long as you have done your research you should be fine to do it yourself. Watching videos was very helpful for me, even if they weren't as detailed as the text information out there, actually seeing it done was reassuring. 
I haven't looked into westie stripping so I don't know whether there is a difference, but from a quick google search there seems to be more videos on Border Terrier stripping. So they might be helpful to look at if you want some more to watch.


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## LuzRdgz (Apr 7, 2016)

lookithaslegs said:


> I am not an expert by any means. I have a 6 month old Border terrier puppy and I also decided that I want to hand strip him.
> I started by doing small patches at a time, and his problem was boredom not pain. He was quite happy to sit there and let me strip it out. I don't know about where you are, but except for show people the norm for Westies and Schnauzers is to clip. So a lot of people don't consider stripping as an option. I've never heard of it being painful as long as you are careful and take it slow around sensitive areas.
> 
> I think as long as you have done your research you should be fine to do it yourself. Watching videos was very helpful for me, even if they weren't as detailed as the text information out there, actually seeing it done was reassuring.
> I haven't looked into westie stripping so I don't know whether there is a difference, but from a quick google search there seems to be more videos on Border Terrier stripping. So they might be helpful to look at if you want some more to watch.


Yeah, I've reading a lot about it. There seems to be very few info on Westies, and a lot more on Schnauzers and Borders, I'll look into that too. What I'm most struggling with is knowing which hairs to pull exactly.


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## lookithaslegs (Oct 2, 2015)

I found the easiest places to start with were the edges of the ears and the top of the head. 
You can see the light shine through so its a bit clearer which hairs are longer than the rest. Also hairs that are ready to be stripped come out very easily, it's not like tugging out a hair from your head. It shouldn't be a sharp tug motion, more a gentle pull with your thumb and finger nail.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

When we were showing and breeding Scottish Terriers, we learned to strip our own and it is not really that hard, just very time consuming. It does make such a difference in their coat as our non-show dogs, or when they retired, we did clip them and their coats get very soft and although they did not seem to matt like some soft coats, you had to clip them fairly often. I really like the feel and look of a coat that is properly stripped. I know if you can find someone to do it, they charge quite a bit as it does take a lot more time than just clipping.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I learned how to strip a JRT but they haven't a pattern like Westies do. I just pulled the longer hairs that kept him from looking like a JRT and done. He came with a puffball tail and mane so I pulled the long hairs until he had a neck and carrot tail for starters.


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## LuzRdgz (Apr 7, 2016)

Thank you so much for all your answers. Do you recommend investing in stripping knives? If so, would one be okay, or is it better to get the set (coarse, medium, fine, detailing)?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I have a good quality blunt slant toothed stripper and a cheap one. Mostly I use my fingers! The good stripper gets used to do the first pass through as a comb. I think I'd probably like using a stripping knife more if I used rubber fingers to get a better grip but the key to stripping is taking out just a few hairs at a time and the knife might encourage taking more hairs at a time than is comfortable for your dog.

Depends on how deep you want to go into this. If you plan to keep him neat and looking like a Westie then fingers and scissors would work. If you think you might want to try learning to get him looking like a show dog then get a set. 

I've bought and sold Mars Coat King tools. Even if you buy a set then don't use them they aren't junk, you can resell for a good bit of the initial investment.


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## LuzRdgz (Apr 7, 2016)

Kathyy said:


> I have a good quality blunt slant toothed stripper and a cheap one. Mostly I use my fingers! The good stripper gets used to do the first pass through as a comb. I think I'd probably like using a stripping knife more if I used rubber fingers to get a better grip but the key to stripping is taking out just a few hairs at a time and the knife might encourage taking more hairs at a time than is comfortable for your dog.
> 
> Depends on how deep you want to go into this. If you plan to keep him neat and looking like a Westie then fingers and scissors would work. If you think you might want to try learning to get him looking like a show dog then get a set.
> 
> I've bought and sold Mars Coat King tools. Even if you buy a set then don't use them they aren't junk, you can resell for a good bit of the initial investment.


As of now I'm using just my fingers, maybe I'll buy a couple of stripping knives down the line. Laika honestly doesn't to mind at all about me pulling on her hair, she mostly just gets bored after a few minutes and wants to go play haha. 

About the Mars Coat King, you refer to the tool with a few blades that kind of looks like a rake?


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## lookithaslegs (Oct 2, 2015)

I just use my hands at the moment and haven't had any problems with it. I might get stripping knives down the track, but I'm worried about cutting the hair accidentally.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Well I can break hair if I twist my fingers wrong too! Terrier hair is really easy to break with the thin root and heavy wiry end. Maybe knives are necessary to get the coat really close to the body? You can also use them to comb through the coat to remove undercoat

Just an example, Mars Coat King is a quality grooming tool like good stripping knives. The chart TOLD me a certain size was best for my spaniel. No it wasn't. I tried that size twice and sold it twice. A different one works really well though.


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