All my handstrip clients have been adults so far, but in my puppy class is a Border terrier x PBGV, about 16 or 18 weeks old I imagine as that's the sort of age the class is running for. He doesn't need doing yet, but they've asked when they should bring him to me. And I guess it's not the sort of thing you can gently get a puppy used to like you would with a clipped breed? Or would you just strip a little bit at a time? Eventually they would be looking for a twice yearly strip, but I'm not sure how to start with a young puppy.

I am no expert, but have to hand strip mine.
It would be ideal if they got started and just did a very small bit every day, he wouldn't mind at all, a gentle stroke and away they could go.......

Karen :)

I would have pups in the parlour as soon as they are protected by their vaccinations so that they get used to the smells, noises and standing on the bench.  I would scissor the hygiene areas/feet now and hand strip anything that is ready to come out now.
But I wouldn't leave it for 6 months before the dog came in again.  Stripping twice a year means that the dog is full of dead coat one day and bald the next!  I prefer to roll the coat every 6-8 weeks so that the dog is always neat, clean (because of the chalk used) and tidy.

Yes, I know for show you would roll the coat, but the borders and the norfolks I do mostly just come in every 4 - 6 months for a thorough strip. This puppy's coat is still neat and tight, I don't think I would be able to strip anything, but I'll suggest perhaps coming in for a bath and nail trim at some point. He is doing the puppy foundation course along with Hetty, so will be growing accustomed to handling in general, if not yet standing on a table being stripped or blowdried! Thanks.

I know for show you would roll the coat
For show they are continually stripped, a bit every week.  6-8 weeks is a compromise for pets and they are still tidy all the time and the chalk keeps them clean and smelling sweet! :)
I would still start his training for grooming as you will want him to stand still for a little while.  I wouldn't worry about blowdrying as he shouldn't need bathing if he keeps his course coat. :)

So if you're rolling a coat instead of waiting until it's all blown, it's still the same process, but obviously not forcing hair that's not ready, yes?

Absolutely.  It doesn't all loosen at the same time.  Like our hair, we lose a bit at a time.
Chalk and comb with a fine comb to remove dead undercoat and dirt.  Brush the wrong way with your hand - the new coat will fall back and the dead coat will stick up - that's the stuff to remove.  Simples. :) :)
Isn't that taught when training?

My course only taught the complete twice a year strip, not proper rolling. And tbh that's all I've ever been asked to do. But then my course wasn't brilliant - started off ok with the basics, but after 1 year of what should have been a 3 year course, they reduced it to a 2 year course, so they had to cram the real teaching into 1 year instead of 2. I've learned more just by the experience of being a groomer than I did at the course. And I'm lucky to have 2 friends who are groomers, and places like this forum to look, and friends who breed some of the rarer breeds (had to get advice on a Crested powderpuff last week!). Nearly all my clients come back, so I can't be that bad! But there's always room for improvement! :-)

I do get grouchy (you may have noticed??? ;) ) when courses don't teach handstripping.
If it's done every 8 weeks, like other regular parlour dogs, and with chalking and not a bath, it really doesn't take any longer than a clip and bath.  The dog looks so much better AND is easier for the owner to look after - they don't attract dirt 'n debris, looking like a compost heap, which is what most clipped course coats do! :) :(

Oh well, at least my course taught some form of handstripping, it wasn't totally a 'clip them naked' course! I've got a terrier stone and some chalk powder?

Is there a way of handstripping.  I've bought various tools to get loose coat out of my goldie, nothing much works now she's old, it stays in clumps.  I use her usual combs on her, a two tear metal comb and a very mini slicker brush.  I use a human pin brish, for gentleness, which gets loads off but not everything.  it has to stuck in the coat.

She's old so i need to be gentle.  i asked at my dog groomers but they just showed me the metal comb and slicker, they were doing a dog and she was quite rough (I keep away from that groomer).

You're right Lucy, if the groomer is nice and good at what they do, they keep coming back.  i like the groomer i have but give the other one a wide birth.

I'm no expert as you see, but I'm not sure you can handstrip a Goldie, that would take the topcoat off rather than the fluffy undercoat which is what mats in that sort of breed. Sounds like the metal comb to get the loose undercoat out is what you need, and as she's old, just go slowly and gently, if you're doing it yourself you don't need to do the lot all at once. Maybe a Coat King would help?

Hi lucy thanks for the reply, Yes its undercoat that needs to come out, now that she's old it sticks in clumps and causes her to have black flacky skin as the shedding process has slowed down.  I've tried the Coat king and similar things, didn't have much luck.  Gave her a bath the other day and now we have lots of fluffy hair everywhere.  Oh the joys, not complaining BTW, she my little old lady lol.

Any tips on coat care as the bath gets a bit much for her now and she gets smelly from tinkle and getting dirty.  Tried grooming powder, had some success but not sure if prolonged use will dry her skin/coat and will try dry shampoo.  Doesn't work standing her legs in a bowl and rinsing.

Yes, dry shampoo sounds like it's worth a try, and you can trim round her 'bits' and her tummy if there are bits of hair she persistently wets.

Going to try the dry shampoo today.  i do keep her inside legs shaved and the bloomers short for her, alway vowed i wouldn't do that when i saw it on lod dogs.  How we eat our words.

At least you've had her long enough to need to do that. I always swore I wouldn't clip Henry's coat short, then lost him suddenly before he got old and doddery enough to need to do it. At least he was beautiful even to the day he died, but I'd rather still have him even clipped short!

I am no groomer, but when my friend was finding it difficult to keep on top of her Goldie's coat (more a problem of stiff hands than the dog). 

I trimmed stray belly, armpit and hair on inside of thighs short, also around vulva,a dn thinned around anus and.

I then used scissors to cut her very long feathering (including tail) in half and then used thinning scissors to thin them out until they looked natural, same with the thick trousers and neck and trimmed the ears short with scissors.

I left enough around the sides of her tummy to look natural but thinned it. This made the whole coat easier and more comfortable to groom.

Thanks for that you two.

I must admit to the hight of her UTI she got I gave a Brazilian to help clear it up.  I've just started on the tail now and have tried to even thin down her 'unique ruff' sorry love that when we saw it, don't think my clippers were strong enough, that is very thick and doesn't seem to give up any hair.

I'm always cutting the knots out between the ears (explains alot), it just gathers now.   do try and make the feathering look nice rather than hacked but unfortunitely sometimes needs must. 

It bad for her when she's in season (still) as she more open so trying to keep around there dry is a must and very hard.  I've even kept lots of talc on ready so that at least the wee doesn't sit on her skin.  As soon as her season has gone, its a lot better unless like last week she went for a bath at my mums in her walkin shower.  Can't keep doing that though.

off to try the dry shampoo and see if i can what you've suggested.

I know what you mean lucy, I say thankyou every day for her being here and still able to walk round the block or gander on the park, she's 131/2 next month.  I will be devestated when that day comes; i do believe I would have lost if i had not had the new dogs, it seemed to give a new lease of life.

Don't use clippers, use scissors.  Thinning scissors will cut some hair and leave other so that you thin the coat out without shortening it all any further after you have the length you want using normal scissors.  This then gives you a more natural look and she will look like a Goldie with a puppy coat.

Just what I was going to say Brainless. If you can afford it get the professional grooming ones, but even thinning scissors bought at the pet shop will give you a better more natural result than clippers.

Yes, clippers don't do a natural job, i usually get the scisors out but round legs and ears.  I 'm going to have a go with the coat to try and make it manageable for her (and me).  she does like to look posh.

Would you cut legthways or width ways in layers.  Will it help losen the lose hair thats trapped.  its funny how it sits there now.

I've got some thinning scissors so will practice in places not too noticable.  They're only cheapy's so if i get the hang of it will invest in a good pair.  Luckily hubby works in the right place so I have a good pick of tools ect lol.

I didn't try the shampoo yesterday as run out, good job i found out now and not Saturday.  Good excuse to go shopping.

With the lie of the fur, never across it. :-)

Hi Reikiangel

Hope you don't mind me adding my two pennies worth, but having lost my old Charlie earlier this year at the grand old age of 17+, I know what it's like getting that stubborn undercoat out of an elderly Goldie. If you can get hold of a blaster it can help enormously at loosening the undercoat and then after a good brush with a slicker I used to go through Charlie's coat in sections with a wide toothed comb. If necessary you can thread a rubber band through the comb to give that bit of extra grip. I used to just sit on the floor with him and comb a bit at a time. I agree with Lucy and Brainless that thinning the heavy areas like trousers and chest, as well as around the ears, is the way to keep a natural looking dog that's much more manageable.

Hi  Don't mind at all, its all good advice.  I want to give her the best i can so all welcome. 

My friend has a blaster, I'll try and see if i can borrow it.

How did you keep the coat clean of doggy smell and possibly wee.  Its a lot for her to have a bath, even if she can stand still its hard for her (no problem walking round the garden though lol).  I often let her sit down and block the plug hole up.  Trying the dry shampoo today but welcome any suggestions you might have also.

Yours lived to a lovely age.  I'd be over the moon as long as she can still get about ok.  how was yours on their legs?

Would she mind a belly band to help her keep her balance in the bath? My friend used to have a very old Cavalier that needed either 2 people to bath her or she would literally lie down and risk drowning (!) or if my friend bathed her alone she had to get a lead underneath her tummy and clip it to something to help her stand. I have bath ties to secure clients dogs in the bath. And if the dry shampoo doesn't work, you can try to only get the smelly bits wet in the bath of course, I often used to give my boy a tummy bath when he'd weed on his feathering!

The trouble with the dry shampoos etc is you are really just masking the smells. Charlie very rarely had a bath and didn't really smell doggy (it was more his breath that was a bit wiffy). I think if you can thin out her trousers you will eliminate a lot of the problem, that's obviously where the wee smell is coming from. And I'd say it's important to get her dry. I wouldn't be using loads of "products" on her either.

Charlie's legs did weaken as he aged but up until he was about 16 he was still going for his daily walks, after that he just pottered in the garden.

All my dogs don't get bathed very often unless they've rolled in something unsavoury and they all smell sweet. I've found the more they are bathed the more they smell and need bathing. I guess it's like humans, if you leave your hair long enough between washes it self-cleans.

Cloth type baby wipes used reguarly after her trps to teh toilet will help a lot.

I find the Lidl's hypoallergenic ones excellent.

On the same lines a flannel with baby bath liquid in a bowl (as it doesn't need rinsing out), then go over with a rinsed flannel.

Duh, thanks Brainless - I should have thought of that! Haven't had a wobbly oldie myself yet, losing Henry so young! And older grooming clients haven't been that bad so far!

I have a lidl near me so will go whislt on my rounds.