Hi, haven't been on for a while.  Grace my Lakie is desperate to be trimmed / stripped / clipped.  I have had conflicting information regarding whether  should clip or strip her.  Someone told me it is personal choice as to how you want the finish - i.e. curly / wired etc.  I do not show her, she is quite simply part of our family.  I have her booked in to a groomer who said she will discuss it with me when I attend but I would rather be armed with information than be railroaded into something that 'suits the groomer' as I have not seen or heard of anyone with a Lakie in my surrounding area so am a bit worried about whether they will get it right.  After all, I would like her to look like what she is supposed to be!  Any advice would be extremely appreciated. 

I would always vote in favour of handstripping if she has a coat that can be.  Many groomers just clip everything for ease as handstripping is obviously more labour intensive and more skilled, but it does keep the coat correct and on a Lakie isn't a huge job (I have 2 Airedales!).

Hand stripping is the correct way to handle the coat.  It will keep the harsh, waterproof coat that she was bred with.  But it takes a skill that many groomers don't have. :(  This course coat makes life easy for dog and owner as dirt and debris doesn't 'stick' and is easily combed out.  A stripped coat doesn't need bathing to keep it clean.  The dog can be simply cleaned and deodorised with chalk.

Clipping is quick and easy but removes the weatherproof coat which means she will be wet and cold in the winter and warm in the summer because clipping doesn't remove the dead coat.  It also means that the soft undercoat attracts dirt and debris making grooming more difficult and need regular bathing to keep the dog clean and smelling sweet!

If she has been clipped before a good groomer may be able to recover the course coat but it can take up to a year.

The choice is yours but it sounds as though this groomer doesn't have the knowledge to talk to you about hand stripping and just wants to get you through her door! :(

I have 2 Lakelands who come to me, one is stripped and the other clipped ,she has been neutered and her coat has turned fluffy and dfficult to keep.
The one who I strip takes me 2.5hrs to do, unfortunatley they only come in twice a year.
I would certainly go with getting your bitch stripped, it looks much better plus its a waterproof coat, a good groomer should really strip instead of clipping for easiness.

>the other clipped ,she has been neutered and her coat has turned fluffy and dfficult to keep.

The joys of neutered dogs :(

If you would like her to look like she should, and she has plenty of harsh hair rather than cotton wool then hand stripping would be better for her coat, it will keep the coat hard and ensure that she remains waterproof ;)   If she's a puppy then stripping out the puppy fluff will do wonders for her coat :) Make sure the groomer knows how to hand strip though as some say they will hand strip and don't

Clipping the coat will result in the undercoat growing out the same length as the outer coat and lead to a coat which is difficult to keep tidy and not waterproof.  It can take ages (at least 6 months) after being clipped to get back to a stripped coat ;)

It's actually possible for the owner to handstrip and isn't as difficult as it sounds al you need is a rubber glove or some chalk dust ;)  info here and here don't worry that they aren't Lakeland terriers, you can get plenty of pictures to follow ;)

hand stripping definitely although it is more expensive as requires more skill and is more time consuming than running a set of clippers over, but definitely well worth it

Handstripping is definitely better for the dog and will give a better look, clipping will make it soft and woolly and make the colour diffuse. OTOH if she's only a pet, and for some reason really doesn't like stripping, even after several visits she isn't getting used to it, you can always reconsider. I had a Westie once who I stripped several times and he always hated it (and it wasn't me, none of the other dogs I have stripped have objected!) and the poor chap really didn't like it, and I was just gearing up to suggest clipping to the owner when they moved from the area. He did look gorgeous stripped though!

http://lakelandterrierclub.org.uk/shows.htm

Not the greatest of picture, but how the Lakeland should look after being stripped.

i have a lakeland and i hand strip her. I wouldnt DREAM of turning her into a woolly softcoated clipped creature :( :( Her coat is so much part of her character, not to mention the protection it give her when shes working or just mooching in hedges, and is the thing everyone comments about her when they meet her (after shes detatched herself from their ankle that is!)

Don't clip her!

meandmine, check out http://www.strippingknives.com/

They have a lot of information about how to manage a coat properly ('rolling' the coat) and without wanting to endorse a particular product I own some of their knives and they are excellent, but there is plenty of choice about for less. A good groomer would handstrip the coat but it could be pricey. Wouldn't you be interested in learning to do it yourself?