# Handstripping



## Darcy123 (Dec 29, 2008)

What tools do I need to handstrip my terrier? She has been to the groomers twice to have this done, but I would like to be able to do this myself.

She is a Sporting Lucas Terrier and has a broken coat like a Norfolk Terrier.

I have a de-shedding tool but not sure if this is the right equipment??

Any tips would be great

Cheers

L


----------



## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/hand-stripping-your-pet-terrier.html

That is a website that helped get me started. I also asked my groomer for tips along with a lady in New Orleans who exclusively handstrips dogs for a living.

Mostly it is all with the hands..I use a Pumice stone to grip the hairs and it seems to be alot easier that just pulling with fingers..It keeps the hairs from slipping out of grip. Also i find it easier to strip when they are dirty..I think it helps with the grip.



The deshedding tool is great for touch ups between strippings.But i dont like to use it alot because it tends to cut alot of the hairs which will inevitably turn my Cairns coats soft. And it doesnt help with flushing of the follicle which can lead to infected pores.

Good luck! And would love to see a pic of your furbaby.

I have never seen a sporting Lucas in real life


----------



## Darcy123 (Dec 29, 2008)

Hi thanks for the reply. Ive been reding up on a site that uses a stripping knife instead of using hands to strip & i think thats what my groomer uses too. 
Heres a few pics of my litttle girl, Darcy


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

You will need stripping knives if you aren't going to only finger pluck, which can get very tedious. There are many different brands of knives out there, and they all work fine, but you have to find the ones that you feel best working with. Some prefer the simple, cheap, Classic knives, and some prefer the more expensive Pearsons, etc. Go to dog shows, and pick some up, and see what feels best in your hands. You will need coarse, medium and fine knives. Most knives are NOT dull when you buy them, and will cut hair, so you need to dull them up well. I find digging thru dirt and sawing thru 2x4's works best. When you strip, you only pull a few hairs at a time, and from the very ends of the hairs. Make sure you are keeping your wrist straight, and only bending from the elbow, or you will cut hair. Cutting the hair makes it soft and looses the color-ie: Black will turn gray. If that happens, the soft coat is very hard to pull out and can be painful for the dog. There are many great sites about handstripping online. I don't recommend the Coat Kings and the like as they will and do cut coat. A furminator isn't going to be of much help on a longer coated breed. Ideally, stripping should be keeping the coat rolled, but some will just strip out really short once or twice a year, and then let it grow. The only way for new growth is by pulling the dead coat though, and done only a few times a year, the dog will have lots of dead, blown coat. Being that you have a rare breed, if you are close with the breeder, you would do well to have her help you with getting started. Have fun!

P.S. She is adorable!


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Her coat, looks like it is very 'cottony' in type, and this is usually harder to strip out, than the harsher top coat is...something to keep in mind when attempting to do her. 

She would be one that I would probably do a bit every week, rather than attempting to do every couple of weeks.


----------

