We have a 6 month old westie puppy, does he need his coat cut and if so when should he have it done.
He is groomed every night so his coat is in great condition, but we keep noticing that other people have had their westies coat cut.

Really the decision is done to you as to when and how you get your puppy cut. However, westies can develop very thick and heavy coats and as the weather gets warmer they will suffer. Why not speak to people in your area who use groomers and ask how they feel about their groomer then speak to the groomer and discuss your situation with them.
Bec

Many people will tell you that a hard-coated terrier like a Westie should never have clippers anywhere near its coat! Clipping tends to make the coat woolly and less weatherproof, and it can take a lot of time and effort to get the coat back to normal again (not in all cases, though). Stripping the coat is more time consuming but gives a much more natural 'finish', and of course the coat keeps its correct texture.

Why not contact your Westie's breeder and find out what they would recommend? They might even be able to teach you how to do it properly yourself.

Hope this helps.
:)

Basicaly Jean I agree with you, if it is at all possible we would never clip a Westie.

But and it is a big but, there are a growing number of Westie's being bred with very poor coats, which if handstripped leave little or no undercoat. In their case there is little option but to clip them. Plus of course Westie's do tend to have a lot of skin troubles and handstripping a coat where the skin is in bad condition is nothing worse than cruel.

We have approx 20 Westie's on our books at the moment and I would say 75% of them would not be suitable to handstrip, or they have previously been clipped before coming to us.

Jayne

So is it true (I have often heard it rumoured) that if you once clip a terrier's coat, it can never be got back right again?
Curious about this. :)

It can be got back, but it can take 18months or more of very very hard work (plus of course very sore fingers:-D)

With my BT's the only time I clip their coats is when they get to 10/11 years old and I feel it is kinder then to run the clippers over them rather than subject them to an hours strip. Or if they have been spayed, when it becomes almost impossible to strip the coat cleanly.

It does alter their coats considerable as you say, but if they have a really good coat in the first place then it is nowhere near as bad as you would imagine.

Thanks for that! :)
It makes me glad I've always had breeds that only need a good brushing every day! Easy-peasy!
:)

Hi Guest,

You have 2 options hand strip which is how they should be groomed with gentle scissoring around furnishings or clippering.

Most people do get them clippered when kept as pets as it is difficult to find a groomer who will hand strip. Some groomers will do it but as it is time consuming it can be seen as costly. I think it is important as a new owner to have a bash at hand stripping the dog yourself. It takes a bit of time but with regular practice and doing it every couple of weeks to keep on top of it you will get the hang of it. It is also very rewarding and something I think new owners should see as part of their choosen breed. In the first year of their life this is when hand stripping will give the dogs coat most benefit as you remove a lot of the fluff etc and encourage the double coat which is, or can be smoothered if clippered as a puppy as the under fluffy coat can be encouraged to take over.

Westies that are shown are hand stripped.

Hand stripping a dog is one aid in reducing bad skin as a lot of westies folk believe that clippering helps upset the skin in the first place.

If you like I can recommend a good grooming video for you that takes you through step by step how to hand strip and with practise you will manage.

My first westie bitch was a little soft coat and also appeared single coated, as I wanted to show her even my girls breeder suggested another puppy. I took her and I worked hard on her coat , stripped her right back several times and although her leg furnishes are a little soft her body hair is hard and double coated and she comes up quite nice.

BFN Pamela

preidie@yahoo.com