hi
i have a 7 and 1/2 month old westie puppy, Wesley.
He seems to have a much fluffier coat than most other westies in our area.
we was just wondering what age is about right to to have him clipped.
any advice would be grateful
thanks

Jes

I always thought Westies should be stripped using a striiping blade or finder & thumb rather than clipped Freda Cook always told me that anyway

I would have thought that he was about ready for clipping now. At least start getting him used to going to the Groomers. He could have a bath and groom and his nails clipped if not an actual all over clip. But I think at his age he is ready for a trim.
Most people who have pet Westy's have them clipped off. Only if you are showing or want to keep the harsher jacket would you then hand strip.

A very soft coated Westie has a predominance of undercoat and very little top coat. It can be improved with stripping but as "fluffies" usually have a very very thick coat that grows much more quickly than a harder one it may be better to clip. Its really important to use a fine comb (not a brush) every single day without fail as these sort of coats trap more dust and shed more. Stripping a "fluffie" takes much longer, the hair is harder to pull and needs to be done much more often. In my experience Westies with this sort of coat rarely have skin problems. This experience is just with my own dogs - when I first started breeding I got some fluffy puppies as it was in the breeding - I rarely get one now. If you decide to clip ask the groomer not to clip too short.

Our puppy is nearly 6 months old and we just had him clipped. We were going to opt for stripping, and we chose a groomer that could do both stripping and clipping. She came to our house and gave us a bit of advice, and we came to the conclusion that it was only necessary to use the stripping method if you plan to show your westie. Also, clipping cost £20 and stripping cost £40. She clipped him and the end result was fantastic. We really like his new look. I think at 7 and a half months old, your westie is more than ready to have his coat clipped/stripped. Good luck

we are in the same situation our westie is 8 months old and has a fantastic wirey-haired coat, she looks beautiful. we want to keep this wirey-coat so we're opting for stripping, but clipping also looks gorgeouse!!!
Annie

Hi...

I have a Cairn and hand stripping is the way to encourage a good healthy coat. Need to get the dead and dying hair out. Westies are cousins of the Cairn and would have thought it would be similar [?] - If showing a Cairn hand stripping is the only way forward... again would have thought that it's the same for Westies. Be interested in what Westie showers have to say.

I can send you links to Cairn stripping techniques if you contact me - or ask in this thread if you want to check the Cairn method out.

Regards Dave

You are right... hand stripping is the only way to go for "show dogs"