# Airedale questions



## lewiswalks (May 13, 2011)

Hi, I just had a few questions regarding grooming for an Airedale.
I dont have him yet, but I'm just getting organised for when the time comes.

1) Is £40 for a cut a good price? It includes nail clip and a bath and anything else. Sounds good to me.
2) What sort of brush should I use for weekly brushing? Rubber, fine pin, metal comb etc?
3) I know that they need the dead hair stripped with a special comb. What sort of comb do I need? and how often should I do it?
4) I know that the Airedale can suffer from skin problems. If I want to bath him every couple of months what sort of shampoo or treatment should I use?

Thank you for your time.
Sorry if the questions are dumb, but I know that if I ask the girls at the doggy sallon they will just say 'bring him her to be done' and I would rather do everything other than the actual haircut myself.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

You will have to decide if you want your dale handstripped or clipped. If you clip the dog, the colors will lighten over time (black to gray and red to buff color) and the hair will get softer and curlier. Most pets are clipped, as stripping is very labor intensive, and if you want him to look like an airedale, you will need to spend a few hours a week at home pulling coat. Handstripping is truly an art. I am in the US, so cannot help you on a price, but I charge $65 or more for a clipped airedale. I charge $70 an hour for handstripping. Regardless of whether you strip or clip, you can "card" out the undercoat with a fine stripping knife or tool called a Furminator. Carding removed the loose undercoat, and on clipped dogs can help retain some of the color and texture of the coat. You will want a slicker brush, a pin brush and a greyhound comb for weekly brushing at home. I bath my dale (who is hand stripped) at least every 2 weeks, but mostly just do the legs and face. However, if you are using a quality shampoo, you can bathe weekly if you wish, just be sure to rinse rinse rinse. Any residue left in the coat and skin will cause irritation, however its not true that bathing dries out the skin, etc if you are using a quality pet shampoo and removing all the residue. He will be mighty stinky if you only bath once every few months. ;-)

Here is a link to my fb page where you can see photos of my dales, all handstripped. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DeKalb-IL/A-Groomery-Pet-Grooming/175870619106262


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## lewiswalks (May 13, 2011)

Thank you for your information.
We will have him clipped to the classic shape. 
I'm glad I can wash him more than monthly, I dont suppose you might be able to recommend a good shampoo, or should I ask my vet?

Thanks again.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Depending on what you have available to you, Fresh N Clean, Tropiclean, Coat Handler, Perfect Coat and many many other brands. Pretty much if its made for pets, and its just a basic cleaning shampoo, you will do fine by it. Might have to try a few to find your favorite. I would stay away from oatmeal, tea tree, etc shampoos..Oatmeal is drying, and if there is no skin condition, tea trea and other gimmicky stuff isn't going to help. Once rinsed, any "healing" properties are rinsed away with it. Ask your groomer when you find one, they may be able to recommend something readily available to you in your locale. The vets aren't groomers, so I wouldn't bother ask them..most of them only really know the prescription type shampoos that aren't necessary on a dog with no issues. A groomer (like me) will have firsthand experience with different brands.


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