BBird TALK

Helloooo Groomers! You are invited to check out the first podcast for groomers. It's myself and my bestie Susy Scott talking about all things grooming, and sometimes more. Susy and I get together to chat about industry news, new products and tools, groomer issues, grooming methods, and share stories about our work. You can find our podcasts on Facebook, at The Groom Pod Discussion Group, or at our website www.thegroompod.com . Give us a listen and some feedback. We want to hear from you.

HANDSTRIPPING CONSIDERATIONS

IS HANDSTRIPPING HARMFUL OR CRUEL?  The short answer is no. If it's done right and the coat is ready, it does not hurt the dog. There is a moderate sensation involved, but it is not painful. The right technique is to always pull hair out in the direction of the growth and how you want it to regrow. Pull out only a few hairs at a time, working within each dog's tolerance.  Gently stretch the skin in the opposite direction than you are pulling.  Keeping the skin taut helps reduce the sensation for the dog.  The hair is ready to be plucked when it is in the Telogen, or resting stage.  At this time the follicle becomes detached from the dermal papilla (blood supply) and shrinks and moves closer to the surface of the skin.  On the outside, the hair in this stage often looks thinner and is a lighter color at the skin.  When the hair is in the Exogen, or shedding phase, it is also very easily removed.  

Here is my little friend, "Forest", a 6-month old Cairn puppy, whom we hand stripped for his first time.  These pictures show you how relaxed he was during our two hours of work together.  This was towards the end of the grooming, and I was working on the skirt and hips.

 This is what I was doing:                           

And here is what the puppy was doing:

 Clearly, he is not suffering in the least. 

 This puppy didn't mind his grooming at all.  He didn't dance around, didn't seem offended or bothered by most of the work I did.  The only thing he resisted was working on his tail and behind parts.  I opted to scissor there.  My objective when hand stripping a pet is to work within their tolerance and limits.  Not all puppies are this patient.  Forest was a delight!  His coat was very ready and easily stripped.  I used a stripping knife on much of the body, but I prefer to hand pluck the sides of the body.  

Pet owners are often concerned that stripping the coat is going to hurt their babies.  I always assure them that it is NOT like plucking your eyebrows.  How the dog reacts also depends on whether or not he/she has been trained to accept grooming at home.  In this case, Forest's owner has been regularly combing, brushing and attempting to remove some coat.  Her efforts really paid off on my table.  This was the kind of grooming that makes me love my job!

 WHEN DOGS HAVE POOR TOLERANCE.  Not all terriers have good tolerance for hand stripping.  This can be a function of a poor coat, or just an individual intolerance of the slight amount of tugging that accompanies hand stripping.  All dogs need to be gradually introduced to grooming practices at an early age, preferably in puppyhood.  This holds for hand stripping.  To wait until the dog is over a year old and expect a groomer to take down the coat in one session is not a great idea.  And there are some young dogs and puppies that have great coats, but no willingness to engage in this grooming process.  Old dogs also may have a reluctance to cooperate, as their sensitivity increases and patience decreases with age.  My thoughts are firm on this: If a dog is clearly distressed about hand stripping, as witnessed by growling, biting, panting, screaming, flailing or constant whining, that dog is NOT A GOOD CANDIDATE for hand stripping.  As professional groomers, we have to respect the individual tolerances of the dogs we work with.  “With” is the operative word here. 

 Recently I hand stripped a Cairn terrier for the third or fourth time and determined that Buddy probably should not be further stripped.  He whined, he snapped, he squirmed and it took two of us to work on some areas.  At one point I was plucking the side coat and he turned his head to look directly at me, his little black nose sticking out of the muzzle.  His eyes looked directly into mine with such a beseeching gaze that I nearly cried.  I promised him out loud that I would speak to his owner.  Poor Buddy, not all terriers are tough.  Not all resistance to hand stripping is “attitude”; some dogs just can’t take it. 

 Hand stripping pet terriers does not have to be an all or nothing matter.  Unlike the show ring, where every little hair needs to be hand plucked, we have the choice to compromise here and there with pets.  We may be able to maintain much of the integrity of Buddy’s coat by carding out undercoat on a regular basis before using clippers. 

 TURNING A CLIPPERED COAT.  Can a terrier coat that has been clippered be returned or restored to a nice hand stripped coat?  Yes and no.  This is going to depend on the coat, the dog, and the amount of time the groomer is willing to devote.  It can be a lengthy process, requiring as long as a year.  I begin by raking and carding the coat to promote regrowth of good hairs.  Then gradually pluck out those hairs as they become old and thin.  The coat that grows in after several times clipped is not as loose and not so easy to pluck.  Sometimes it is just not worth it.  I have restored a Wire Fox coat, but a Mini Schnauzer coat?  Forget it! 

 LEARNING TO HAND STRIP.  While hand stripping is not rocket science, it requires a deeper knowledge of coat texture and growth process than does using clippers or scissors.  It is something that is best taught hands-on by experienced groomers.  It’s not as easy as it can look. Knowing which hairs to pluck and how to create layers of coat and maintain a “rolled” coat, is an expertise that develops over time.  The author offers private lessons at Transformation Pet Center, Tucson, Arizona.  Contact us at: 520-795-5743.  For a glimpse of what hand stripping a pet looks like, check out our YouTube video here: Cairn Grooming Video.