can anybody tell me this

also what equiment do you use and how do you use it

A dogs coat is not all one length it has an undercoat and a top coat.

In  wire coated breeds when the undercoat is dying off it doesn't shed easily like most double coated breeds, so needs stripping.  Otherwise you get that overstuffed burst mattress look, and eventually new coat would grow through old and the dog would get uncomfortable smelly etc.

If you clip a dog like this you not only remove the undercoat, but the weatherproofing harsh top coat.

So when the coat grows back it will all be one fuzzy length, and the coat may never be the correct texture again, and won't do it's job.  The job of the top coat is to protect from weather and dirt, and the undercoat insulates from heat and cold.

Oh a clipped  coat is likely to not have the depth of colour it should as most hair shafts are not all the same colour the whole length.
It is a bit more complex than that.

all you really need is a finger and thumb :)

A coat does look better being handstripped, colourwise and texture, but the disadvantage is that you can't choose when its ready to be stripped, am I right that with some dogs being shown that they keep the full coat, but as a dog groomer with a pet dog we would strip it right back thus removing the top coat. Doesn't it also make a difference if the dog is being neutered, as that softens the coat.

but the disadvantage is that you can't choose when its ready to be stripped, am I right that with some dogs being shown that they keep the full coat

A good groomer will roll the coat, taking out the dead hair every 8 weeks, usually about 25% at a time, so that the dog always looks tidy - never long and never short - just tidy! :)

Finger and thumb is all that you need.  Chalk helps you grip.  So do rubber fingers that they used to use to count bank notes!  A stripping knife can be quicker but it cuts the coat if not used correctly.

Besides the way a dog's coat looks and feels stripping, rather than clipping, keeps the skin healthier.  The dead outercoat is removed rather than staying in place long after it has stopped growing.  In a way, it cleans out the hair follicle and makes it less likely to react from dirt or allergens that might otherwise collect in it.  A live hair is always in the follicle - pushing out the grunge with it.  At least that's the way it works in my breed, Cairn terriers. 

Equipment I use are the rubber bookkeeper fingers you can buy at any stationary store.   Equipment I own, but almost never use are: stripping knives (4), Mars Coat Kings (2) and groomer's chalk. 

Also, in my breed spaying our neutering has no effect on coat texture.  However, any dog that is clipped will have a completely soft coat.  Dogs that are stripped will have a proper "hard" weatherproof, dirtproof outercoat and a soft undercoat.

having rehomed a 6 year old cocker spaniel who had always been clipped - and clipped in a particularly brutal style the groomer described as "short spaniel" - i so wish i'd had him before she got her hands on him! only bob was a lovely blue roan lad whose coat really had been ruined by the treatment it had received and he alternated between looking like he'd come through an unruly hedge backwards and a shorn lamb.

Oh dear ! I must have been a bad groomer then. At least I don't dog groom anymore, so no one needs to panic.

Roz

You can 'reclaim' a ruined clipped coat, but it does take time - up to a year before all the old clipped coat grows out and the stripping takes full effect.   I did it with my mother's Cairn Terrier, grooming salons ruined her coat and the last straw was clipper burn on her back (the dog's - not mums ;) )  it took about 6 months before the coat was looking like a Cairn again, I started stripping after the coat got long enough to tell old hairs from new and just kept rolling it from then on  :)  It did help tho that Cairns are supposed to look slightly scruffy :D :D :D

Its not just wire coats that can be stripped though, many kinds of coats can benefit from stripping (and id say ALL will benefit from stripping as opposed to clipping excepting the shaved breeds such as poodles).

You are thinning the coat, a less dense coat means skin can breath - this will NEVER happen wtih clipping unless you clip to the skin and that can bring up a whole multitude of problems (sunburn, overheating, chilling, clipper rash, poor skin, matting as hair grows back, softening coat.....)

My mutt has a wirey coat, if left he resembles that exploded mattress, 5 inch long wavey 'hanks' of hair that open up his coat and let teh weather and wet in adn the filth hangs on to it.

Stripped as he is now, his coat is tight, its not 'hard' but he hasnt got that type of coat, its much silkier to teh touch but its 100% waterproof, dirt drops off it and he smells much less doggy (although he doesnt smell that doggy anyway).

im not even a groomer but i CRINGE when i see breeds taht should be stripped (or shouldnt be stripped OR clipped) shaved nearly bald :( especially considering its SO easy to do, i learned from books and magazines although i highly suspect its easier to learn by being shown, and it takes very little time once learned properly.... and of course you DONT need loads of expensive gear either...

Em *on a mission to educate people about stripping*

Yes I did realise it isn't just wire haired breeds that can be stripped, and should have said it was an example.

Must say I admire people with breeds with coats that have to have so much work put in, as I have a wash and wear breed myself that only needs combing/brushing to keep the coat clear of dead coat and looking nice.

Hi all :-)

JJ is the first dog we've had whose coat would need some stripping.  It's taken time but now i'm getting the hang of it his coat looks loads better.  At first i did use a coat king, i tried a stripping knife as well and i admit i made a right mess with that   Anyway now i mainly handstrip using the coat king just here and there occasionally.  His coat has better colour, it lies better, he looks a different dog.  Before he looked as if his fur was in a permanent whirlwind :D

I know just what you mean :)

I'm going to  start reclaiming the coat of a neutered Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel in the next few weeks and at the moment he looks like an exploded cushion in a high wind   The groomer has cut all his feathering off completely and just clipped his coat down.  The coat desperately needs thinning out as he looks as if he's had a very bad perm at the mo :(  This dog had the most beautiful cocker coat but clipping it has done it no favours at all :( :(

Best of luck ;)  I have a good deal of experience hand stripping cockers and when my orange roan was spayed at age 8 I was determined to keep grooming her in this fashion, however after a few months of intense effort I really had no choice but to give up.  It was impossible :(  I now clip her body but have managed to keep a reasonable length of feathers including a complete covering on the ears ensuring she looks, I think, considerably more "cocker" than most pets so all in all a fair compromise.  I would imagine with a blue roan you will find it even harder but wishing you the very best of luck all the same :D

LOL

Have taken on board what you have said Isabel, unfortunately neutered coats don't seem to 'drop out' the same on many breeds :(  but I do feel that any stripping at all would make for a better coat than merely clipping ;) even if I have to give up on hand stripping and use a coat king and/or thinning scissors, the coat will be better than left all one length as it is now.

What really saddens me with this dog is that he didn't really have to be neutered, he had to have a retained testicle removed and the vet convinced the owners that the other one had a high chance of turning cancerous :rolleyes:  He's now extremely overweight (was nice and slim before) and his coat is appalling, he had such a lovely cocker coat too.  I just have to try and get him looking lovely for them.

My cocker's body is of course all one length but I find a regular rake through with the slicker brush, something that she adores :), keeps it thinned out, lying smoothly and generally acceptable only lacking the silkyness that it used to have.  I know some rave about the Coat King but as they do cut the fur, to me, the end result is a clipped coat only by a much slower process :)  I do use thinning scissors on her head rather than the clippers though as the finer result really is worth it there.

Good luck with your Cocker Spaniel, hope all goes well.
It's amazing isn't it how they're fur grows so wild
I do like my coat king but after hand stripping and seeing the final result i prefer the handstripped look.  It did take some getting used to though and JJ isn't always a willing body :-)
I like using a thinning scissors over JJ's ears, the first time i used it he looked like a little punk