Are you planning to bring furry dogs of wire-coated class to your home? You must have the basic knowledge of hand stripping for this standard breed.
Some dog owners think that it is an uncomfortable method of pulling the hair from their skin or may cause pain to their pet.
But it’s not true!
If you do the hand stripping process in the right way then your dog won’t discomfort or feel any pain. There are tons of benefits of stripping the hair instead of cutting them. More good news is that you can do this stripping practice for your dogs by yourself.
This short guide will illuminate all the crucial facts of DIY hand stripping with the right tools to groom your dogs.
Read on to learn more!
The DIY Hand Stripping Dogs and its Breeds
I know that you are thinking, do your dog need hand stripping, or can you do this practice with your pet.? Not all the dogs require hand stripping; rather, if your pet has wiry coats tend; then this technique suits your dog for grooming.
The popular dog breeds that need easier hand stripping are:
- Schnauzers
- Irish Wolf Hounds
- Wire Fox Terrier
- Cocker Spaniels
- Border Terriers
- Wire-haired Pointers
- Wire-haired Dachshunds
Why shouldn’t we Use Advance Clippers?
We can’t use clippers or scissors on a wire coat because these tools will never remove hairs from the root and sometimes cause permanent damage. The hair will also come back inadequately.
Hand stripping is the right way to go! You can remove the hairs from its root, and you will see the growth in a more thin and silky form. Your pet’s look will completely be changed, and the new advent will be a fresher one.
Hand Stripping Tools for Wire-Coated Breeds
You can ease your hand stripping job with the help of some tools. Here, I have considered your pet’s comfort and decided to give you a short overview of some of the perfect gears for this DIY task.
1. Stripping Stones:
Started with an all-rounder tool that provides you grip onto hairs without digging or cutting them. The stripping stone never cuts the hairs of your dogs; rather, it will card the hairs in the right direction along with the stripping job.
You can cut this gadget in half if you are not comfortable working with it or there is a chance it is too large in your hands.
2. Stripping Knives:
This DIY hand stripping tool worked just like a rounded butter knife. You will see this handheld machine in most of the hand stripping dog grooming shops because pet owners always try to give comfort to their furry friends. This groomer’s hand strip works differently from stripping stones and is also used to remove excess undercoat hairs effectively.
The stripping knife can professionally be used between the thumb and the flat of the blade. Moreover, it gives you the luxury to grip the hairs flawlessly and pull them out in the right direction of their growth. You will see tiny teeth on top of this tool which supports your fingers to coat your pet’s hair for pulling them.
3. Carding Knives:
There are tons of sizes and shapes available in carding knife forms. This tool helps in the process of removing undercoat hairs before doing the hand stripping masterclass.
Of course, carding the long hairs of a dog is essential before stripping the hairs with a hand. It is specifically designed to card the dog’s hair and save their hair from permanent damage.
4. Undercoat Rakes:
The undercoat rakes are suitable for large breed dogs with wire coats. You cannot say it is the alternative of stripping stone or carding knife because this gear will work well only on terrier breeds.
DIY Hand Stripping Techniques – 4 Easy Methods
When it comes to the techniques of hand stripping according to their hair growth stages, it is categorized into four simple methods, which are:
1. Raking/Carding
The raking or carding is the process of removing undercoat hairs with a classic knife or undercoat rake tool. This procedure is necessary to help the hand stripping technique because the hair coat will lay flat with carding process, and you can easily grip the hairs with any stripping tool.
2. Plucking
Plucking is the easiest hand stripping technique; although it requires a high level of skill many professional groomers adopt this technique to pull out a few hairs from dogs. They just hold the skin tighter in their hands and do the plucking without hand stripping tools.
3. Stripping
If you are using a tool in your hand for stripping your dog’s hair then it is referred to as the hand stripping or simply called stripping. You will get a tight grip from this gear and all you have to do is to pull this hair in the right direction.
4. Rolling
Another DIY hand stripping dog technique is knowns as rolling. Besides this, you can fold the skin to see the undercoat hair of your pet. Now you can easily trap the long hair and pull them out by plucking or stripping.
Useful Tips – Must Follow these Advices
If you think that you are becoming a pro groomer then remember these useful tips to get the feel of a real expert in this arena:
- Use your thumb and forefinger to grip the hair and pull them out gently.
- If some hair won’t come out easily, then never try to pull that hair again.
- Must put your furry friend at stable surface or on grooming table during hand stripping job.
- Never try to remove the smaller hair.
- Must remember that some dog coats needs regularly plucking for natural growth.
- If you feel any difficulty, then consult a professional groomer instead of giving pain to your furry friend.
FAQs about DIY Hand Stripping Dogs
How do groomers hand strip a dog?
The groomer plunks the hair from the topcoat of the dog with a hand to allow the new hair to get its way after removing the older hair. You can use any hand stripping tool to make this DIY job easier for yourself.
What tools do you need to hand strip a dog?
You can use the stripper, carding knives, or simply the combs with a handle to hand strips a dog. These tools will provide you the luxury of easily removing all the dead hair from the topcoat of your furry friend.
Does a hand strip hurt a dog?
If you take your puppy to a professional groomer, then the hand stripping process will never hurt your dog. Some of the sensitive areas of your dog may create the sensation otherwise it will not upset your pup.
Can I hand strip my dog myself?
The hand stripping process is not difficult at all and any beginner DIY groomer can do this for their pets by carefully pulling the hair from the topcoat of their puppy.
Do you wash a dog before hand stripping?
If you feel that the coat of your puppy is dirty then you should give him a quick bath. It will make the hand stripping process a lot easier and you will clearly see the dead hair from the topcoat of your dog.
Let’s Get Started
That’s all from my side! Now it’s your turn to choose the right strategy of hand stripping to groom your pet. Of course, you never want to discomfort your pet so you have to take it very seriously and learn this technique carefully to be an expert on it.
This short guide will provide you with all the key aspects of the DIY hand stripping of dogs so that you will become a professional in this grooming art and you never need to rush to a groomer just for hand stripping.