# Hand-stripping a Brussels Griffon, benefits vs clipping



## dredges (Jul 20, 2013)

Hand-stripping a Brussels Griffon, benefits???

We have been taking our Brussels Griffon to get hand-stripped every 4 to 6 months, but it's so expensive and inconvenient.
He has never been clipped or scissor cut, except a little to get hair out of his eyes.
I always thought we were doing this to keep his hair wirey, but my fiance' said it was to keep it from shedding. Truth is we can't remember why we decided to go down this path.
Our dogs coat isn't very wirey now, it's quite soft, but he doesn't shed and we love that.

The problem is now that he has developed bad knees he doesn't want to lift his leg and his tummy get stinky, also the groomer last time left his bottom side long because she said his knees must hurt and he was too uncomfortable and wouldn't stand any longer.

If we just get him clipped it would be a lot cheaper and more convenient, there are only 2 or 3 groomers that even offer hand-stripping in an hour radius of my house anyways.
But will he start to shed? and what will happen to his coat?

Thanks


----------



## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

His coat color will fade quite a bit and become softer. Personally I won't ever simply shave a dog. Maybe someone can weigh in with the benefits of hand-stripping; I did Roxie once out of boredom and curiosity but I'm not an expert by any means.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

The color will lighten, and get softer with clipping. It will take a few times clipping to start to notice a change. If he is properly carded before and after clipping, you wont see much shedding. You can ask for the groomer to strip his head and jacket, and scissor and clip the parts that cause him discomfort. This will retain most of the color and texture where its important, and still keep him comfortable. It doesnt have to be all or nothing with a pet. You can have a mixture of clip and strip done.


----------

